Craft Focus - Jun/Jul (Issue 73)

87 PROFILE How would you advise a retailer who is interested in stocking your products? We always welcome new business. Just get in touch and we can arrange to talk about your individual needs and requirements. We are a UK-based company with our own warehouse, so it is easy for us to form great working relationships with all our customers, offering a fast and efficient service. Remaining professional at all times, we never forget the human side of business relationships. We recognise that people enliven and enrich our partnerships. What’s coming up next? We have just launched a tech division, in association with our strategic partners Elried & Prismade Labs. Check out the website, edding.tech, to see the next latest innovations. As always, we are focusing on getting closer to our customers and consumers. In this way, new opportunities which are not always our original intention come to life. In fact, sometimes our initial concept for a product may evolve when in the hands of the consumer or our research and development department. We have had many fantastic recommendations and endorsements from individuals and organisations, sometimes a little weird and wonderful! For example, when we were asked to develop a marker for the aerospace industry, who would have thought that in the process we would make the discovery that the product was perfect for labelling plants? This is how the first CD/DVD marker was born. We also know that our paint markers are used by beekeepers to identify the queen; this is because our pen contains fewer harmful substances than others. After the German pole vaulter Anna Battke wrote ‘stop doping’ on her stomach at the 2008 IAAF World Championships (with an edding of course), we were asked by the German federal government to develop a skin-compatible baby marker to solve the issue of new-borns being identified and swapped by mistake. We are also recommended by the German Alpine Association for mountain climbers to mark their ropes, because no one wants to take risks at 3,000 metres! We invite everyone to get involved with our social media channels, particularly Facebook and Instagram. Get connected, share your creations, experiences and stories and you never know, you could be the inspiration for our next big idea. +44 (0)1727 846 688 edding.com