The idea for Shapeshifter was born in founder Dr Hamish Dean’s university days. Pursuing his mathematics degree, Hamish was given an applied project for a cable company. The challenge was how to pack more drums of cable into a shipping container. He put his mind to it and developed a piece of software to solve the problem. As it turns out, the end of that project was the start of something much bigger.
A journalist got wind of Hamish’s project and published an article in the local paper. This was seen by Macpac, a well-known outdoor clothing brand, who emailed him with the offer of a PhD scholarship. Their challenge: find a way to pack our patterns onto fabric more efficiently. Fascinated by the problem – and aware of the potential – Hamish thought that if he could do a good job with this, then maybe, just maybe, he could start a business…
Years later, Shapeshifter, has gone on to become the world leader in production Fabric and Resource Hyper-automation. With customers in over 35 countries, the company has become synonymous with technical excellence, innovation and problem-solving. With its genuine beginnings in the mind of an ambitious mathematician, Shapeshifter continues to harness the power of applied mathematics to drive greater efficiency and planning capabilities for today’s businesses.
At Shapeshifter, we look at problems in a different way. It’s one thing to solve a problem, but to be truly effective you need to make sure you’re solving the right problem. Through on-going R&D, large scale customisations and close relationships with clients, we look deeper into businesses processes and workflow to understand the bigger issues they face. Then we can truly put innovation to work, looking for new technological solutions to create outcomes with real meaning and value.
In recent years the fashion industry has come under more scrutiny for the waste it creates and the resulting environmental impact. By making fashion businesses more efficient, we help them use less resources. That’s not just good for their bottom line – it’s good for the environment too.
Let’s talk about how Shapeshifter can create efficiencies for your business