Leading Design Firm Defies the Economic Crisis and Expands into the US Market; Ergonomidesign Opens an Office in Boston

STOCKHOLM · December 2, 2008 /PRNewswire/ — One of the world's leading industrial design consultancies is expanding into the US market. Ergonomidesign will open its first US-based office in Boston. This will be the fifth Ergonomidesign office, in addition to its sites in Japan, Switzerland, The UK and the headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden. The company is recognized for its people-centered innovations that have generated global market successes for clients like; BabyBjörn, Siemens/Maquet, 3M and Pfizer.

Ergonomidesign has seen a significant increase in its number of international clients and thereby project requests, with a substantial number of these requests arising specifically from US clients. Ergonomidesign is already working for US clients such as Snap-On, DuPont, Procter & Gamble, Flir and 3M.

"The current financial crisis will not deter us from expanding across the Atlantic. The competition in the US design business is fierce, and with the current financial crisis it is likely to get even tougher. However, investing in developing new products and services is more important than ever in difficult times, and we intend to be here for our clients to help them succeed. We have a solid track record of delivering breakthrough designs over the last 40 years and we are delighted to be recognized by BusinessWeek and IDSA this year as one of the top four design consultancies," said Krister Torssell, CEO of Ergonomidesign.

Ergonomidesign is proud to announce that John Griffin has joined the company to head up the US office as US Regional Director of Business Development. John previously held the position as Director of Product Design and Development for Gillette/Procter & Gamble's wet shaving division. He has extensive knowledge gained through 24 years of experience in the design, development and implementation of breakthrough new products, including globally recognized market successes such as: Gillette Fusion, Fusion Power, Mach3 Power and Venus Vibrance, Breeze, and Embrace.

"This is a design firm with a diverse and talented group of designers, a user-centric focus, global appeal and unsurpassed expertise in ergonomics 'human factors' and research techniques. It has a proud history of identifying undiscovered user needs and transforming these insights into innovative designs that both exceed consumers' expectations and enhance our clients' business success. I am proud to have the opportunity to set up the first US Ergonomidesign office, and I am also looking forward to being able to add local design talent to this vibrant organization in the future," said John Griffin, US Regional Director of Business Development at Ergonomidesign.

Ergonomidesign is a full service design agency that has 40 years of experience in people-centered innovation. Its design DNA is based on in-depth knowledge of end users, and the company is world-renowned for its ergonomic expertise and distinctive aesthetic design solutions. Ergonomidesign's knowledge in interaction design, product design, strategic design and service design has generated 300 patents and more than 150 prestigious international design awards. The Boston office is the first step in establishing local representation in the US market, while planning for future expansion to meet business demand.