NORSK DESIGNRÅD
How can design help your business?
Autosock doubled sales in two years.
There can be no doubt that design can help produce success, but few companies have experienced such great success as Autosock. Between 2004 and 2006, sales of the Norwegian invention rose from 200,000 to 450,000 units and the company doubled its sales, from NOK 50 million to NOK 100 million.
The product is considered to be so innovative that it is represented in the Museum of Modern Art in New York and has been awarded an Award for Design Excellence. The company has also been awarded a Gazelle Prize as one of the fastest growing companies in Norway.
About Autosock
The company Autosock AS was founded in 1998. The principal owners are the Fred. Olsen-owned companies Invento AS and AS Quatro. Responsible for the idea and for development of the Autosock product are founder Bård Løtveit, Autosock AS, Hareide Designmill and TÜV.
Success began with a good idea
Autosock is in all simplicity a “sock” that is put on a car tyre. The “sock” is made from light, durable textiles that provide high levels of friction on slippery surfaces. The purpose of the product is to help cars out of crisis situations, e.g. the combination of unexpected snowfalls and summer tyres.
Autosock can be put on the tyre in a few simple steps, and it is designed to be self-centring, which means that it positions itself precisely when you begin to drive. The product’s primary markets are Italy, Spain, France, Korea and Japan.
Extremely functional and user-friendly
The product designers analysed the user situation thoroughly, and focused on ensuring that production, distribution and logistics should be considered in a global perspective. The result is a product that performs well, weighs little, takes up little space and is very simple to use under difficult weather conditions.
Prestigious sales channels
The good idea and the patented end-product have been taken care of when it comes to sales and marketing. Besides being represented by most makes of car in Europe, the product has won the support of almost all car manufacturers in Japan.
Incredible numbers of potential customers
The market potential for this product is enormous. Each year an estimated 250 million cars in the world, equipped only with summer tyres, are subjected to unexpected winter weather conditions. Naturally, meeting this enormous demand represents a major challenge for Autosock AS. Merely shifting focus from product development to commercial operations is a challenge.
An exciting future
Autosock AS has carried out intensive research and development work in order to produce the current “sock”. Furthermore, this work will continue, in order to create an even more optimal product. At the same time, there is a huge potential in using the knowledge acquired about friction and safety, among other things, to produce other, innovative products, which are now under development.
