Light catering equipment specialists, Mitchell & Cooper has announced the creation of a purpose-built Research & Development centre within their Uckfield-based factory.
The centre, which has already become the core hub of the factory, will be the catalyst for new product innovations, whilst also being the test bed for products in the final stages of development.
In addition, it will provide the company with the perfect facility to put all products through their paces, as they did recently when a range of the new Bonzer portion control tools were operated 500,000 times in order to prove their ongoing accuracy and durability.
The R&D centre will feature many recognisable brands from Mitchell & Cooper’s extensive light equipment portfolio, including the award-winning Bonzer can openers, as well as Mitchell & Coopers first in-house manufactured appliance, Crustastun, which is already making waves as the only humane way to despatch of lobsters and crabs.
Led by Mitchell & Cooper’s all-female design team, who are responsible for all of Mitchell & Cooper’s product development, the R&D centre will work assiduously behind the scenes of the company to obtain expert knowledge which can be applied to their portfolio of products and services.
Co-owner and Creative Project Director at Mitchell & Cooper, Kat Cooper, explains how the Research & Development will benefit the company, “At Mitchell & Cooper, we are constantly looking for ways of improving existing products, as well as creating exciting new product developments.
'New product development is a huge process which requires copious amounts of trials and testing. From initial concepts of new product lines, to the technical feasibility, safety and usability of products, each step of the process presents its own challenges.
'Our new R&D centre will therefore act as the hub for product analysis, exploration and experimentation to ensure that we continue to manufacture high quality, durable, British designed and built equipment which has been put through vigorous testing before going to market.”