Manufacturing
Page 30
Make, do and vend
San Francisco may be small in size, but it has always had big ambition. Now it’s leading the way by putting small manufacturers and retailers at the heart of its urban agenda.
Snappy happy
The Alpa is a cult camera for professionals, thanks to its razor-sharp detail. After disappearing in the 1990s, Monocle talks to the Zürich-based couple who decided to resurrect the iconic brand.
Making shelter
Housing manufacturers are providing prefabricated homes for those in areas worst hit by Japan’s tsunami. Monocle visits Rikuzen-Takata, where over a third of the town needs shelter.
Milling about
Amidst a shifting media landscape, northern England’s James Cropper paper mill isn’t just surviving—it's thriving. Unique colours and specialist papers have ensured healthy profits for the heritage brand.
Life craft
The Bosnian wood-working company Rukotvorine has survived many battles – literally. But now it is hoping to sell its Balkan crafts around the world.
Scrubbed up
Iris Hantverk makes brushes that are as good-looking as they are hard-working, using methods that date back to the late 1800s.
Design republic
China makes cheap products to order. Could it ever make well-designed ones too? Monocle looks at the companies who think it can and are leading the way.
Burning bright
Following a successful rescue reinvention by entrepreneur Ramdane Touhami, historic candle maker Cire Trudon has kept its flame alive and grown to become an industry leader.
The crème de la crème
A family-run company, Clarins’s business strategy is to improve products rather than discontinue them. This has won it a loyal following and set it apart from other cosmetics giants.
Beating the drum
Miele, the German appliance manufacturer, has thrived for over a century. Its success lies not just in high-quality products but in the family values upheld by four generations of Mieles and Zinkanns.
