Lifestyle

Outdoor

Head - Design, Product Development

Engineering & Production

(Travel Goods, Bags)	Merchandising & Sourcing

Director - Design Strategy

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.

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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.

Senior Manager - Product Development

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.

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Manager Design and Development

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.

Manager Design

Find out detailed information about Gaurang Gaurav, Head - Design, Product Development in Sai Kung, HK

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

Gaurang Gaurav