We started with identifying the importance of design and style. ‘In a reasonably crowded market, for the past 30 years Spinlock has chosen to stand out from its competitors through the design and style of its products, marketing and brand representation,’ answered Hall.

‘Whilst performance and safe operation are fundamental to the products, the design brief for new products are driven very much from the company values of designing innovative, interesting, attractive products, using high quality materials, capable of operating faultlessly in the marine environment.

‘In the design process, careful attention is given to the aesthetics, to help customers identify and understand the value of the product and to see the value added benefit to their boat or their enjoyment of it. Complementing the design style with high quality materials and custom finishes allows the products to set themselves apart from the competition.’

I asked Hall to give an example of this: ‘More recently Spinlock has challenged the traditional design of lifejackets as a safety product. By taking a fresh approach to the design and choice of materials, the Deckvest is positioned more as protective sports equipment than a safety product; compact, lightweight, perfectly fitting and stylish, using current sports materials.’

Hall summed up the process: ‘The attention to design style and detail is an ethos continued through whole organisation; marketing and presentation, including exhibition displays, promotional materials and in the workplace ensuring a consistency and clear understanding of the values by all our stakeholders.’