London 2012 Olympic Games: World class

Situation: Organisers of the London 2012 Games and its array of competitions needed the very best for what was to become one of the most successful Olympics and Paralympics events.

Through our relationship with the Federation of International Hockey and England Hockey, we were invited to apply as an official supplier with the challenge to provide products which improved upon the high standards of the Beijing 2008 Games.

Solution: After winning the contract, our aim was to provide a product range which exceeded all expectations.

Ten out of the 12 hockey products required were bespoke for the Games and each product had its own challenge, but, as Harrod UK Design Manager Mark Smith said: "Innovative ideas and designs was the order of the day once we had secured the contract."

We also supplied equipment for the Olympic football competitions, and for the wheelchair rugby event and 5-a-side and 7-a-side football tournaments at the Paralympics.

Outcome: All the tournaments for which Harrod UK supplied equipment proved a huge success and the new hockey playing equipment which we designed and manufactured is now the benchmark for international events.

It will be used as the standard for the hockey event in Rio Olympics in 2016.

Richard Chere, Training Venue Manager: "When Seb Coe addressed the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games he stated 'Finally, there are some famous words you can find stamped on the bottom of a product. Words that, when you read them, you know mean high quality, mean skill, mean creativity. We've stamped those words on the Olympic and Paralympic Games. London 2012 – 'Made in Britain'.

"This summarises better than I could about the extraordinary pleasure it has been working with Harrod UK in the build-up and during the Olympic Games."