YPIE Blog Day Seven: Panaz

Here Young Professional Industry Experience participant Sean Duffin blogs about what the group learned when they visited Panaz.

Sarah Lloyd who has worked at Panaz for 25 years – only five years after it was founded – introduced the company. It was clear to see that Sarah was passionate about design and the products that Panaz provide. Sarah explained the challenges that the company is facing, and some of its tactics to overcome these challenges.

Panaz provides a similar approach as to Andrew Muirhead & Sons, as it has a made to order set up, but also provides some custom products. It provides fabric into contract furniture, with Andrew Muirhead & Sons specialising in upholstery to the aviation sector. One key similarity was the high specification that must be achieved with regards to flame retardancy performance.

Panaz’s principle is to be customer focused. It was explained that customers with good relationships will help inspire new designs and ideas. This is similar at Andrew Muirhead & Sons; however, this is an area that we could exploit more with customers and suppliers.

I had never heard of Panaz before my visit, but after my visit I was impressed with the manufacturing of fabric. The digital print set up was very interesting with some creative designs now available. Leather is deemed as a luxurious product, but it was clear to see that some of the fabrics on show today obtained premium status.

Panaz continues to attend shows and keep up with new trends, as it believes it is important to be flexible and creative to maintain a competitive advantage.

One of the interesting points from today was Panaz’s photography. The company work with their customers when possible to manufacture a chair with its product to demonstrate a new design.