Cambridge medical division to be built by Queen’s Award winner

Kinneir Dufort (KD), the Queen's Award winning product design company, is building a dedicated medical technology division in Cambridge.

Five additional staff will be added to the St John’s Innovation Centre operation in the coming months but there are plans to build on headcount and capability as the venture continues.

Greg Berman, who is head of medical for KD, said: “Having worked extensively with American clients I know that Cambridge has built a unique and world-leading technology product design cluster. Despite the red-hot competition for jobs we believe we will thrive in this environment. The life science scene is buzzing so Cambridge was absolutely the right springboard for KD’s long-term objectives in the medical arena.”

KD’s team is multi-disciplined, has ISO 9001 and 13845 accreditation and the company’s expertise was recognised in April with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise for International Trade. Overseas sales for the firm rose 41 per cent in 2012 and increased again by 95 per cent in 2013.

Tony Bedford, who leads KD’s medical business development, said: “We are working from the very earliest stages of market definition and consumer understanding through to electronic and mechanical product design and development, software, design verification and transfer to manufacture. Our medical work is underpinned by our extensive experience of user-centric design and human factors.”

The Kinneir Dufort Cambridge team has condensed its capabilities to what it regards as the major needs of the medical industry; Drug delivery, clinical diagnostics, surgical devices and general electromechanical specialisms.

Berman said: “The first couple of new recruits to Cambridge are coming on board very soon and we intend to grow as quickly as we can. We have the best of both worlds. In many respects we can operate as an ambitious startup but we have the expertise, the cutting edge inspiration and the faith of a globally respected parent business behind us.

“The Cambridge operation intends to draw on KD’s long-held heritage that the user comes first. User-centric design is a key differentiator for this business and we want to do for the medical sector what Apple has done in design terms in the field of computers.”

Dr Soraya Jones, Entrepreneur in Residence at St John’s Innovation Centre, said: “The Queen’s Award for Enterprise is given for the highest levels of excellence so we are immensely proud that our tenant, Kinneir Dufort, has been recognised. It is great to have them here with the intent to grow as fast as they can. We aim to help all the businesses at our centre to scale up by providing business advice and support in promoting their technology whenever we can.”