On April 1st, over 40 students and professors from design schools such as NCSU and App State, enjoyed a rare studio tour at Techtronic Industries (TTi). Located in Anderson South Carolina, TTi is home to powerful brands including Ryobi, Milwaukee, Ridgid, Homelite, Baja, Dirt Devil, and Hoover.
Those who took advantage of the event spent the afternoon learning about tool design, TTi's design process, and the multitude of steps required to bring a product to market. What makes TTi somewhat unique is having all aspects of product design under one roof. Surrounded by tool displays and mock-up Home Depot aisles, the group listened to presentations by both the Senior VP of Concept Development and the VP of Product Development - discussing the roll design plays within the organization while reiterating the urgent need to hire more qualified designers. Good news for those looking for employment!
After lunch students were given the opportunity to share their portfolios with professional designers, searching for their next interns. Afterwards, participants were given the opportunity to tour key design areas within the company, including the ID Studios (CCi) and CCi Model Lab, TTi's in-house Photo Studio, Packaging Studio, and Advanced Concept Design Studio.
Many thanks to those that were able to attend, as well as those that made this tour possible.
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