Design firm in big league after award

Christchurch product design firm InFact has found itself shoulder to shoulder with Boeing, British Airways, Ford, BMW and Mercedes-Benz after winning an international design award.

InFact has been awarded the Good Design award for designing and developing the Metro pay-and-display parking meters featured in Christchurch, Queenstown, Hutt City, Manukau City and Brisbane.

Hundreds of design firms and manufacturers from 33 countries entered the awards, run by the Chicago Museum of Architecture and Design.

Boeing's 787 Dreamliner plane won an award in the same category as InFact, along with British Airway's new sleeper seat and BMW's new Mini.

InFact managing director Nigel Sharplin said the award demonstrated the company's ability to rate alongside the world's best.

InFact designed the meters for Auckland's Cash Handling Systems, which won the $3.6 million contract to replace Christchurch's 1700 parking meters with 400 new machines in 2006.

Cash Handling Systems technical director Mark Oliver said the fact the Good Design award had been won by highly noted designers put into perspective the quality of InFact's design work.

"The Metro is today one of our best-selling products and it is exciting that InFact has achieved international recognition."

InFact, started in 1998, has partnered some of New Zealand's major exporters, including retail technology company Provenco, electronics company Rakon and wheelchair manufacturer Invacare, to create new products.

It has helped clients export more than $150 million worth of product.