Onzo

Lightweight Medical, the Glasgow-based product development company, and Onzo, the leading designer of home energy management systems, have decided to pool their resources in a single company.  As a result all the Lightweight Medical team has joined Onzo and will be based at the company’s office and studio in central London.

Onzo was founded in February 2007 as a collaboration between Lightweight Medical, the ground-breaking sustainable design practice, Joel Hagan, who became Chief Executive, and More Associates, a design, communications and branding consultancy specialising in sustainable technology.  Lightweight Medical has been the design inspiration behind Onzo, researching, developing and designing its products and supporting service system.  Both companies have now resolved that their future potential and ability to take advantage of the global market can best be realised if they work together as a single entity.

Chief Executive Joel Hagan commented: I am proud that Lightweight Medical has decided to join forces with Onzo.  From the beginning I have been extremely impressed by what it has achieved.  It set out to do things differently, recruiting one of the most talented groups of young designers in the UK.  It has built outstanding processes and had outstanding results.  I am convinced that working together we will be able to build on our past individual successes, to cement our position as a world leader in in-house energy management systems.

Neil Farish and Neil Tierney, Founder Directors of Lightweight Medical, added: At the moment there are no greater design challenges globally than addressing high energy prices and tackling global warming.  This move puts a truly exceptional design team at the heart of Onzo and will hugely strengthen its already proven
ability to play a leading role in meeting these challenges.

Notes for editors:

Lightweight Medical was founded in 2003 and employed 15 people.  The team specialises in strategy, research and design, operating in the fields of technology, innovation and sustainability.  It is expert in turning complex technologies into usable, useful and compelling consumer products, involving the end user at all stages of development, from technology specification to manufacturing liaison and product packaging.  This unique approach has been recognised by leading business and design awards including:

• 2008 International Red Dot Product Design Award
• 2007 International iF Product Design Award
• 2007 UK Design Week Industrial Design Award
• 2006 Scottish Creative Entrepreneurs of the year
• 2004 UK Shell Entrepreneurs of the Year

Element Zero Six is Lightweight Medical’s consultancy arm.