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Hi Tech Magazine – September 2000
From washing machines to cradles - Nigel Sharplin of InFact is successfully designing products by innovation and facilitation.
by Shelley Grell
From the time Nigel Sharplin was 18 years old he held
a vision. He was going to own a company that created world-class technology
products. With a BE in Mechanical
Engineering from Canterbury University, he made a beeline for the Fisher &
Paykel graduate entry scheme and won a place as mechanical engineer. He soon
rose ranks to become Product Design Manager for the mechanical team developing
the Smartdrive washing machine.
Six years later with bags half packed, after hopes
were dashed when a long organised career opportunity with Panasonic Japan fell
through, Nigel and his wife Philippa headed for the UK. There, through a
network of product design companies, Nigel met fellow Kiwi Richard Satherley,
and joined his company Satherley Design as product & business development
manager.
At Satherley’s Nigel worked on designs for notebooks,
PDAs and medical products. He learnt how to run a business, how to set systems
in place and reinforced his own passion
for product design. He realised the time was right to start up his own company.
But back home, away from the filthy, crammed London streets.
Incorporated in April last year, Nigel and Philippa’s
company InFact Ltd helps innovative companies like the Holliday Group based in
Christchurch to design and develop new products like the SPT 1700 vehicle
cradle. The company is doing so well that it has recruited two new members of
staff I the last year, opened an office in Auckland and is starting to market
in Australia.
InFact uses a 3D CAD solid modeling package called
Solidworks to create product designs. There are three major components to the
company: mechanical design for their clients high technology products,
specialized automation machinery design, and design and marketing for their own
products.
To date Nigel and industrial designer, Jamie Wilson,
have created accessory products for a large Christchurch communications company
and a number of products for an Auckland company that exports military
equipment. They have also completed automation designs for testing and assembly
of small electronic devices. Several joint ventures with entrepreneurs are also
underway.
“My idea is simple, “ says Nigel, “I want to
facilitate the development and innovation of new products and machinery. This
is how the name InFact came about – representing Innovation and Facilitation.”
Nigel believes that the key to a successful economy in
New Zealand is for small companies to develop products they’re passionate
about.
“The government is attempting to make the ground
fertile for small businesses but there are still many problems that need to be
confronted. For instance, to get funding from Technology New Zealand or private
resources, a company needs a well developed business plan and that can demand
hundred’s of hours of work depending on the level of expertise or technology
required.”
“The Technology NZ grant is somewhat “cart before the
horse”, as small companies often can’t afford to support themselves while
fulfilling the requirements of the application. Also businesses need commercial and marketing skills to be
successful, skills which few technology companies have in house or can afford
to employ.”
For InFact the road ahead is shaping up. With the
overseas markets struggling to find product design capabilities locally,
companies like InFact are well placed to take advantage. “We have many seeds in
the ground starting to grow,” smiles Nigel confidently.