Building studios

Technicon Design: 2010 to 2017
Dongfeng Liuzhou: 2019 to 2021
Dongfeng Motor, Wuhan: 2021 to 2026
Largest teams: 35 at Technicon Shanghai, about fifty at Dongfeng

Architect's rendering of the reception at the Phoenix Park studio — Technicon Design Shanghai, Phoenix Park studio: the architect's rendering of the reception.

Technicon Design, 2010 to 2017

2010: Design Consultant
2011 to 2012: Head of Elite Training
2013 to 2015: General Manager and Design Director, Shanghai
2015 to 2017: Director, Studio Services. Member of the board of directors.

Shanghai, 2013 to 2015

I wrote a new business strategy for the China operation and turned it around. Revenue grew from RMB 5 million to RMB 23 million in three years. We won 14 new customers and I hired a local team from zero to 35.

Clients. Qoros, Audi, BMW, Jaguar Land Rover, Great Wall, Foton, Volvo and Changan Ford.

Services. Design, surfacing, animation, HMI and colour and trim, through to interior and exterior hard models.

Design review at the wall with the Shanghai team — The Shanghai team, 2013.

Reviewing a surface model with the team — The Shanghai team, 2013.

Two studios

Technicon Shanghai had three locations over the years. I set up and built the second and the third, the last at Phoenix Park. Both had secured access and separate project rooms, so different clients could work in the same studio without seeing each other's programmes.

Change control. Every offer defined the scope and a set allowance for change requests, so that client requests beyond the contract did not turn a project loss-making.

Isometric view of the Phoenix Park studio layout — Phoenix Park studio: the layout, the conference room as rendered and as built, the pantry rendering and the finished lounge.

Rendering of the conference room — Phoenix Park studio: the layout, the conference room as rendered and as built, the pantry rendering and the finished lounge.

The finished reception on opening day — The finished reception at the studio opening, December 2015, with the architect and the Technicon China management.

Studio Services, 2015 to 2017

I hired and set up the creative team for the new Frankfurt studio and built one offer process and one project management structure across the studios.

Portland. I planned the new studio and presented the proposal, which was approved. I reviewed the major purchases and approved the final location and the build-up.

Dongfeng Motor, Wuhan, 2021 to 2026

Design Director for three separate teams of about fifty people in total: eπ (seventeen), Aeolus (eighteen) and commercial vehicles (about the same size).

Three decisions from those years:

eπ 007. The programme team wanted a more complex design. I argued for the simpler direction at executive level, and it was approved. See eπ.
eπ 008. The programme team's first idea had an MPV proportion, and the car looked out of proportion. We reworked the cabin and the cowl point and positioned the car as a large premium family SUV.
M-Hero M817. To make the truck read as premium I asked engineering to change the platform: the front wheels moved forward and the cabin moved back. The proportion it has today comes from that change.

Dongfeng Liuzhou, 2019 to 2021

Design Director for a separate team of twelve on the Forthing programmes. See Forthing.