OTTAWA, June 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Design 1st, one of the most trusted full-service product design-engineering firms across North America, today announced a series of custom products that are seeing an increase in niche-market demand as families engage in summertime activities. The products, co-developed by Design 1st, include Lily Chillers, an easy-to-use lily pad pool covering that saves energy, keeping pools cooler as the outside heat index rises; toddlermonitor™, a portable child safety device to keep kids safe during family travel; and Planet E’s Food Cube, a patent –pending, multi-purpose lunchbox that is perfect for meals on the go for kids heading off to camp and family camping trips.
“It’s wonderful to see families begin to emerge from the pandemic and start enjoying the summertime activities we all know and love, from camping to traveling to a favorite destination,” said Kevin Bailey, CEO at Design 1st. “We take great pride in all our client projects and it’s incredibly rewarding to see their product and business success. toddlermonitor, Lily Chillers and Planet E are no exception and we’re thrilled to see the positive results of our design partnership where all Intellectual Property is transferred to our clients at zero cost.”
All-In-One ‘Litter less’ Lunch Box
The Planet E ‘Food Cube’ lunch box is a perfect summer camp item for kids as it features multiple compartments, dividers and removable trays to store entire meals – from snacks, drinks, sandwiches and desserts – all from one box. Children and families enjoying camping trips benefit from the slow lid openers to keep messes at bay, split-lids for easy snack grab-and-close, and an included insulation ice pack to keep all meal items fresh until you’re ready to eat. “Design 1st was the perfect partner fit to guide us through end-to-end development and manufacture, particularly as this was our first time taking on a fully custom product in this category,” said Joe Assi, vice president of sales, Travelway Group. “Since going into production a little over a year ago, we’ve sold over 200,000 products and have received incredible interest from large retailers all over the world. We recently did a formal launch in North America and look forward to growing success in this market.”
On-the-Go Child Safety Monitor
toddlermonitor™ is a child safety device that was inspired by a mom’s scary discovery that her two-year-old had left the house undetected at night. At the time, no product existed to monitor and alert parents to movements of toddler -aged children. Available in market since 2018, toddlermonitor is a next generation monitoring device that addresses a market need for parents. The product hangs on any doorknob and senses motion to alert parents on their iOS device if their child is on the move. toddlermonitor uses the latest Bluetooth LE technology to keep parents connected and children safe and can be easily taken with you when travelling. Co-designed by Design 1st, toddlermonitor is cute, lightweight, and portable. As families reach their travel destinations this summer, they can feel confident their young children are being safely monitored by their toddlermonitor. According to toddlermonitor co-founder, Krista Teare, “We wouldn’t have been able to get to market without Design 1st. They delivered the necessary design, engineering, manufacturing and market readiness expertise that let us get quickly and successfully to market.”
Keeping Pools Cool Despite Soaring Temperatures
The demand for families looking to install a new swimming pool soared during the pandemic, with consumers reportedly on waiting lists well into the first quarter of this year. With an existing and growing demand for pools, and higher energy costs, a product introduced to market last year and co-designed by Design 1st, Lily Chillers, targeted an untapped market need for a product that keeps pool water refreshingly cool despite soaring seasonal temperatures outside. Lily Chillers allows families to enjoy pool time year-round without having an expensive system to cool the pool water. Designed as a durable, light weight covering that floats on top of the water and is easy to store, it features a unique heat-blocking system to ensure heat from the rising temperatures outside doesn’t affect the cooling relief of keeping a lower water temperature in your pool. It also helps customers save money on pool chemical costs by eliminating the chemical burn factor caused by UV rays. During the cooler months, Lily Chillers can be used as a “warming mechanism” to retain heat and heat up your pool 50% faster than a traditional pool heater. “Design 1st helped us bring a product to market that keeps pool water 10 degrees cooler than without it,” said Lily Chiller Founder, John Smith. “Sales for the product were unprecedented during the summer of 2020 and we look forward to continued growth.”
Additional Resources
- To learn more about Design 1st client projects, visit: https://portfolio.design1st.com/
- To learn more about Travelway Planet E’s Food Cube product, go here.
- To learn more about toddlermonitor, go here.
- To learn more about Lily Chillers, go here.
- Read the Design 1st blog at: https://www.design1st.com/blog/
About Design 1st
Design 1st is one of the most trusted full-service product design firms across North America, with a seasoned team consisting of diverse technical expertise, over 1,000 projects developed, and 130 client patents secured. From Startup to Enterprise, we enable companies to quickly scale capabilities throughout their new product development programs by leveraging our core competencies in industrial design, mechanical engineering, electronics engineering, embedded firmware, and manufacturing setup. Design 1st's plug-in experienced team has helped clients transform their physical ideas into commercialized hardware products across a variety of industries and influenced millions of people globally. To learn more, visit www.design1st.com.
Media Contact:
Lisa Williams
lwilliams@design1st.com
+1 (339) 788-0067