Luxury shower and tapware manufacturer, Methven Limited, was the major winner of the Design in Business Award 2008, organised by the Designers Institute of New Zealand in association with Better by Design.

Methven head of research and design Kent Sneddon. Photos supplied.

Methven’s recent rapid growth and international success is an inspiring turnaround story. Until ten years ago, the company, which began in Dunedin in 1886, was a traditional tap and bathroom valving products company. However, in 1998 the company decided to change its strategy to concentrate on research and development with the aim of setting up a world class business with New Zealand as its design and engineering hub. 

The company, still with headquarters in New Zealand but also bases in Australia and the UK, is now a world leading designer of luxurious proprietary water and energy efficient showerware, tapware, and valving products. 

The Design in Business Awards, presented in Auckland on Thursday, September 18, recognise and celebrate New Zealand companies who have strategically used design to achieve commercial success and business growth.

CEO Rick Fala.

Design strategist and award judge David Walker, said he and fellow judges (Derek Lockwood, Worldwide Director of Design, Saatchi & Saatchi and Nevil Gibson, editor in chief of National Business Review) were looking for a company where design was built into the structure of the business and “infused in every outcome, act and operation.”

The judges said that as well as a track record of growth and exports, Methven was impressive in its communication skills, its brand story and the quality and sophistication of its products.  sions which set Methven apart.