Sealant and adhesive manufacturer Polyseam has achieved the ultimate design accolade for the rebrand of its GRAFT product range.

The Yorkshire-headquartered company and its branding agency The Engine Room were both presented with a gold design impact trophy at the glittering DBA Design Effectiveness Awards in London.

But the GRAFT project also went on to scoop the ultimate recognition of the evening when it was announced as the Grand Prix winner of winners at the end of the night.

Since GRAFT’s launch in 2014, annual sales have increased by a staggering 744% and export levels have risen by more than £1million. In fact, this transformational business exercise has played a significant part in Polyseam now building an 82,000sqft factory which is expected to create a further 50 jobs by 2020.

It was this bottom line impact that impressed the line-up of high-profile judges, which included Andy Palmer, CEO of Aston Martin; Josh Berger, president and managing director of Warner Bros; and renowned entrepreneur Deborah Meaden.

Commenting on the win, Polyseam’s marketing manager Olando Salina said: “The evolving challenges in the manufacturing market mean we must continually innovate to drive growth. We therefore focused on the development of an environmentally friendly, all-in-one adhesive and sealant created using our own in-house expertise.

“This high-performance technology was already award-winning in its own right. But it didn’t achieve the traction we sought, which is why we engaged The Engine Room to help clarify our market position, overhaul the branding of this product range, and craft the communication materials we’d need moving forward. The Engine Room team has specific expertise in this field, and we were therefore delighted when GRAFT was ‘born’. The project success is a testament to the collaboration of these forward-thinking business and design brains.”

The Engine Room’s managing director Lesley Gulliver added: “The building, construction and manufacturing sectors are perhaps not renowned for their design prowess. But this project goes to show that strategic creative thinking is about much more than just what looks good. The overhaul of this product range and the development of the GRAFT brand has helped to revolutionise Polyseam’s entire business.”

Polyseam has been independently manufacturing first-class brands for the majority of the world's leading suppliers since 1993. The company manufactures more than 150 different products, and exports to 21 countries globally.