Gaurang Gaurav: Head - Design, Product Development in Sai Kung, HK

(Travel Goods, Bags) Merchandising & Sourcing

Industrial Design & Product Development

Focus on creating high value products w.r.t. to the competition offering. Maximize geographical industrial benefits & expertise of the product development process. Understanding both the local (Culture, Cost & Quality) and Global contexts to deploy best tactics for the business. 2 Design highlights • Project management: Product Design of Travel goods- Start to the end of the process. • Oversee Manufacturing and Development in context of Design. • DFM & DFA adherence (Design for Manufacturability and Design for Assembly) • Illustration and prints design for multiple products (direct and via team management) • Soft and Hard case design including, colour trims and finishes. • Contributed directly to over 20 Styles of designs, and 100+ styles of product development, with cumulative purchase of 250+ mil USD in my tenure. • Leading Design Research & Innovation in the category, utilizing the in-depth know-how of the cross disciplinary industries. • Innovation by application and technical exploration at component level in castor wheel (stop-go brakes), Non-TSA FCB lock with retractable cables, Smart locks with Integrated USB/ Bluetooth/fingerprint, anti-cut slash-guard fabrics, R-Pet based fabric & Hard cases as Eco-options, Bio-degradable PLA based plastic to reduce the impact of plastic on industry's consumption, Anti- bacterial lining material for sanitized interiors of luggage, the proposition of Veggie leather as an alternative to existing Polyurethane & PVC usage in industry. • Implementing a RM/HW database and logic matrix for component cost facilitating faster design to cost. • Delivered the company's first, Thin Aluminium frame Hard case & the Lifetime Warranty Project. The project was driven by innovation and design interventions at stages of rendering, prototype, & sample validation. • Designed individually over 300 styles of travel products including bestsellers, most-advertised, and award-winning ranges. Sourcing & Product Development Specific Highlights • New Product Development (Merchandising + Sourcing) • Jointly with my co-team I sourced over 250 million USD travel and accessory goods from mainland China for various retail markets from the year 2015-2020. • Developed new vendors and built their skill capabilities to match the product requirements. • Regularly evaluated and monitor the performance of existing and new vendors. • Lead and developed the organization's procurement strategy with clear understanding of market, supplier sourcing, and risks involved. • Negotiated with suppliers for trading terms, product costs and other promotional offers, in sync with fluctuations of international currencies, volumes of purchase and raw material prices. • Oversaw and gated the quality parameters for new product development. • Maintained a heathy and strong relationship with network of suppliers across brand portfolios. • Developed cost & feature grid, for smooth product development and price forecasting before actual sampling.

Design Project Management & New Product Development of multiple brands, including the design development of reputed Carlton Edge travel luggage with Lifetime Warranty. • Mentoring the design team by guiding essentials of Designs, sketching and visualization & managing development & merchandising team, delivering the finest range of India's #1 backpack brand Skybags. Over 1.2 million pieces a year for 60 styles were sold. • Competition benchmarking by market research, delivering sturdier, lighter cases at lower costs. 3

India. • Design of some of the finest luggage led to receiving the notable G-mark award for the lightest ever luggage in the category, in 2015. • Designing a mixed portfolio of Backpacks, Soft luggage, and Hard cases, across brands and price range. • Make Technical Drawing sheets; 3D modeling, prototyping, and Sampling. Handmade modeling.