inCONVERSATION with Harris Brushes

You would think that a company who was formed in 1928 and since then has been manufacturing millions of paintbrushes per year would now know everything there is to possibly know about this particular household product.

You’d be wrong. Here is a Worcestershire company, who has held a Royal Warrant for the supply of painting and decorating brushes since 1961, that is putting innovation at the heart of its future product development.

WINN was fortunate to spend some time with Thomas Sutton, who is charged with leading the newly formed ‘Insight and Innovation’ team, at Harris Brushes, to explain what the future holds for this heritage brand.

… We know that decorating is seen as a hassle, a pain and we want to play our part in removing this…

As Thomas explained, “Innovation is at the centre of everything we do. We know that decorating is seen as a hassle, a pain and we want to play our part in removing this by helping people be increasingly proud of their home” he goes on to say that “People may change their cushions and soft furnishings every three months, why not their walls?” He does not see the legacy of Harris as any blockage to innovation, a scenario that has prevented many established companies from moving forward, instead he sees it as “an enviable foundation of user insight and feedback from which to innovate from”

Harris Brushes openly state their commitment to innovation with their current tag line being ‘Inspiration, Innovation, Decoration’, which gives a strong endorsement to the new mandate of Thomas and his team.

There is far more to a paint brush than many of us would think, it is a critical part in the process of helping consumers get the desired look in their homes. As Thomas points out that consumers are increasingly willing to pay high prices for a tin of high quality paint, but may skimp on the application technology, then ponder as to why the finish is not as expected. With Harris brushes retailing at the upper end of the market, consumers may be tempted to spend less, but will of course be getting an inferior product. Harris introduced a lifetime guarantee on their brushes and coupled with brush for life concept, means that buying lesser tools is false economy in the long term.

Not all brushes are created equal and innovation in the multiple product lines has to keep in line with the constant change in paint technology. For example, as a paints chemical composition changes the blend of material used to make of the bristles, or filaments of the brush has to change. At one time these were predominately made of pig hair, but as paints moved to being more water based, the hair actually absorbs the water, so an alternative had to be found. These alternatives are developed and then tested, with the widest range of paints, on the widest range of surfaces in the in house testing lab at Harris. Filaments now are manufactured with an extensive range of differing blends of synthetic material. 

Thomas explains that Harris is constantly re-looking at what to many is the simple process of applying paint to a wall, to see how their important contribution to this process can assist in making it a more pleasurable and rewarding experience. For example, during the process of painting, how often do you dip? This may have not crossed your mind, but it has crossed the minds of the team at Harris. Their designs have evolved to ensure that paint adhesion to the brush, is of greater volume, without drips, than lesser products. This in turn equates to less dips in the paint, meaning that even the most uninspired home improver will achieve more, with less effort, by simply using a Harris brush, as opposed to a budget product.

…technologies such as smart packaging, that would allow a customer to get greater information on the utilisation of a Harris brush, are being considered…

Thomas admits that there is still a long way for Harris to go and is looking at new ways to connect, communicate and educate the consumer. With such a wide variety of paint suppliers and paint finishes available the range of application tools can become bewildering. In order to assist this stressful process Harris are moving forward with online tutorial videos and educational schemes with their retailers to help build the end users knowledge. Moving on from that, technologies such as smart packaging, that would allow a customer to get greater information on the utilisation of a Harris brush, are being considered. A technology that Thomas came across being used successfully in the drinks industry.

Looking outside of their own industry norms is key to future innovation at Harris. As Thomas was keen to stress. The ‘Insight and Innovation’ team are getting out of the four walls of their impressive factory, to tour trade shows seminars and look at how other industries may had addressed similar challenges to those faced by Harris. Their remit covers everything from the consideration of materials technology, ergonomics, chemical science and product design.

… Buoyed by this discovery it was refined and applied to a new range of products…

One of their recent innovations that has come to market is ‘double dome technology’. This is where the head of the brush is dome shaped, but in two planes across the tip of the brush. Harris learned from long time users of their products how natural wear and in some cases manual trimming of brush heads to a particular shape aided with some of the trickier elements of decorating. Buoyed by this discovery it was refined and applied to a new range of products.

But what about the future? Where next for this Worcestershire based heritage brand? There is a stream of new products in the pipeline all designed to make painting easier, more pleasurable and getting consumers to the point where they can quickly easily and confidently change the colour of their rooms on a more regular basis. Harris want to see us all living in a world where it is far easier for us to freshen up and change the colour of homes to complement our ever changing lifestyles. 

Harris are proud that their roots in Worcestershire are deep and unshakable, and they wish to use the services of local companies wherever possible. Their factory is seen as a great asset to their brand and are considering allowing Google Street view to see inside the factory as part of their continuing drive to inspire their customers on the benefits of modern paint brush technology and techniques. 

Their passion, their enthusiasm and their continued desire to refine and improve the decorating process is inspiring. After spending time with Thomas and the team at Harris you come away with a new found respect for the humble paint brush and for us at WINN that was the greatest innovation of all.

www.harrisbrushes.com