Wellington lampmaker sees world in new light

A Wellington designer has earned a Government grant she hopes will help her export lamps worldwide.

Jenny Keate was delighted to learn last month that she would receive an Industry New Zealand Enterprise award to help her improve the manufacturing process of lamps she designs in her suburban home.

Made using fibreglass moulds, Keate's lily-shaped lamp sold for $400 in Wellington and Auckland.

The labour-intensive process and expense of manufacturing was slowing sales growth, but Keate said she saw potential for her lamps.

"I emailed a picture of my lamps to Tom Dixon, who is the buyer for Habitat [a global chain of homeware stores], and he emailed back, telling me, yes, he liked my lamp but could I supply them at a price he would pay, and if I could he'd take 2000 a year."

Keate applied for an Industry New Zealand grant for a product feasibility study.

Although she received only $507, it was enough to pay for a report on manufacturing options.

"I wanted to find new processes ... as I needed to be able to make more than one lamp a day," she said.

"Injection moulding will allow me to ... fill orders for thousands of lamps without too much trouble."

It could cost up to $100,000 to set up the process.

"We'll be able to recoup costs and make profits on sales volume."

- NZPA