Research from the Design Management Institute has shown that companies that make design part of their strategy have comparatively higher share price performance.¹ How can the power of design be leveraged to build brands and generate innovation? From toilets and kitchens, to windows and doors, LIXIL, maker of water and housing products has been taking on this challenge, by positioning design as a core element in its management strategy.
LIXIL has established a centralized global design team, with six major in-house design studios in Tokyo, New York, London, Dusseldorf, Shanghai and Singapore, overseen by Chief Design Officer Paul Flowers. Having design consolidated under a single organization and represented at the highest level of management within LIXIL, allows design thinking to be reflected in a unified way.
“When people in Japan buy a house, they basically plan to live in it for their entire lives,” says Yutaka Haga, leader of design at LIXIL Housing Technology(LHT), which develops housing products including window sashes, doors, exterior building materials, and interiors. “That’s why creating living spaces that are comfortable and satisfying is fundamental to what we do. We have designed all sorts of things for homes, but now our focus is also in what comes to life collectively, when our products are brought together. Because we believe that the harmony created in the home is the most important element for continued end-user satisfaction.”
Under Haga’s leadership, The LHT team in the new LIXIL Global Design studio, Tokyo has implemented design-led processes that involve designers from the initial stages of product planning. Helping to capture consumer needs accurately, and combining design and technology, LHT is accelerating development of products that generate new value.
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