DesignHouse

I recently reached out to Cari Ugent, founder of Safepole as I heard she had moved her manufacturing from overseas to Chicago and wanted to know more. But before I get into that, I have to tell you a bit about her business because it has a great story.

A few years back, Cari was hospitalized for a severe illness and had to be continuously connected to an IV Pole. The unbalanced weight of the pole made it difficult to do even the most basic tasks and she wondered if others had the same problem. As a journalist, her first instinct was to start interviewing the nurses and doctors at the hospital- it turned out they had similar experiences. They told stories of poles holding medication bags or precious blood tipping over or even poles not making it into the elevator with patients. She decided something had to be done and founded Safepole, with the goal of improving patient and nurse safety and quality of life.

When first starting out, Cari had all her parts sourced from Korea. As is the case with many start ups producing overseas, she ran into challenges- parts were delivered with errors and communication was difficult and led to high unexpected costs for her business. It was through a connection at DesignHouse that Cari was able to experiment with manufacturing in the US.

DesignHouse connected Cari with Skol, a sheet metal manufacturer in Chicago, who was able to collaborate with and redesign her most expensive part, the base. Originally the base was weighted with separate weights that had to be sourced, purchased and drilled into the base. Working with Skol, they redesigned the base into one simple part that was heavy enough to be its own weight, making the part as cost effective as Korea in the process. Though the part cost was similar, by moving this manufacturing to Chicago Cari was able to save money by spending less time managing the quality control and sourcing parts for her product. She has since moved the production of all Safepole parts to the Chicagoland area and is proud to say Safepole is fully US made.

We love this story because it dispels the myth that manufacturing overseas is always cheaper. There are many costs that go into producing products and factoring time, collaboration and design can affect the ultimate cost of your end product. Do you have a similar story about manufacturing locally that you would like to share? We’d love to hear it. Email us!

I recently reached out to Cari Ugent, founder of Safepole as I heard she had moved her manufacturing from overseas to Chicago and wanted to know more. But before I get into that, I have to tell you a bit about her business because it has a great story.

A few years back, Cari was hospitalized for a severe illness and had to be continuously connected to an IV Pole. The unbalanced weight of the pole made it difficult to do even the most basic tasks and she wondered if others had the same problem. As a journalist, her first instinct was to start interviewing the nurses and doctors at the hospital- it turned out they had similar experiences. They told stories of poles holding medication bags or precious blood tipping over or even poles not making it into the elevator with patients. She decided something had to be done and founded Safepole, with the goal of improving patient and nurse safety and quality of life.

When first starting out, Cari had all her parts sourced from Korea. As is the case with many start ups producing overseas, she ran into challenges- parts were delivered with errors and communication was difficult and led to high unexpected costs for her business. It was through a connection at DesignHouse that Cari was able to experiment with manufacturing in the US.

DesignHouse connected Cari with Skol, a sheet metal manufacturer in Chicago, who was able to collaborate with and redesign her most expensive part, the base. Originally the base was weighted with separate weights that had to be sourced, purchased and drilled into the base. Working with Skol, they redesigned the base into one simple part that was heavy enough to be its own weight, making the part as cost effective as Korea in the process. Though the part cost was similar, by moving this manufacturing to Chicago Cari was able to save money by spending less time managing the quality control and sourcing parts for her product. She has since moved the production of all Safepole parts to the Chicagoland area and is proud to say Safepole is fully US made.

We love this story because it dispels the myth that manufacturing overseas is always cheaper. There are many costs that go into producing products and factoring time, collaboration and design can affect the ultimate cost of your end product. Do you have a similar story about manufacturing locally that you would like to share? We’d love to hear it. Email us!

I recently reached out to Cari Ugent, founder of Safepole as I heard she had moved her manufacturing from overseas to Chicago and wanted to know more. But before I get into that, I have to tell you a bit about her business because it has a great story.

A few years back, Cari was hospitalized for a severe illness and had to be continuously connected to an IV Pole. The unbalanced weight of the pole made it difficult to do even the most basic tasks and she wondered if others had the same problem. As a journalist, her first instinct was to start interviewing the nurses and doctors at the hospital- it turned out they had similar experiences. They told stories of poles holding medication bags or precious blood tipping over or even poles not making it into the elevator with patients. She decided something had to be done and founded Safepole, with the goal of improving patient and nurse safety and quality of life.

When first starting out, Cari had all her parts sourced from Korea. As is the case with many start ups producing overseas, she ran into challenges- parts were delivered with errors and communication was difficult and led to high unexpected costs for her business. It was through a connection at DesignHouse that Cari was able to experiment with manufacturing in the US.

DesignHouse connected Cari with Skol, a sheet metal manufacturer in Chicago, who was able to collaborate with and redesign her most expensive part, the base. Originally the base was weighted with separate weights that had to be sourced, purchased and drilled into the base. Working with Skol, they redesigned the base into one simple part that was heavy enough to be its own weight, making the part as cost effective as Korea in the process. Though the part cost was similar, by moving this manufacturing to Chicago Cari was able to save money by spending less time managing the quality control and sourcing parts for her product. She has since moved the production of all Safepole parts to the Chicagoland area and is proud to say Safepole is fully US made.

We love this story because it dispels the myth that manufacturing overseas is always cheaper. There are many costs that go into producing products and factoring time, collaboration and design can affect the ultimate cost of your end product. Do you have a similar story about manufacturing locally that you would like to share? We’d love to hear it. Email us!

I recently reached out to Cari Ugent, founder of Safepole as I heard she had moved her manufacturing from overseas to Chicago and wanted to know more. But before I get into that, I have to tell you a bit about her business because it has a great story.

A few years back, Cari was hospitalized for a severe illness and had to be continuously connected to an IV Pole. The unbalanced weight of the pole made it difficult to do even the most basic tasks and she wondered if others had the same problem. As a journalist, her first instinct was to start interviewing the nurses and doctors at the hospital- it turned out they had similar experiences. They told stories of poles holding medication bags or precious blood tipping over or even poles not making it into the elevator with patients. She decided something had to be done and founded Safepole, with the goal of improving patient and nurse safety and quality of life.

When first starting out, Cari had all her parts sourced from Korea. As is the case with many start ups producing overseas, she ran into challenges- parts were delivered with errors and communication was difficult and led to high unexpected costs for her business. It was through a connection at DesignHouse that Cari was able to experiment with manufacturing in the US.

DesignHouse connected Cari with Skol, a sheet metal manufacturer in Chicago, who was able to collaborate with and redesign her most expensive part, the base. Originally the base was weighted with separate weights that had to be sourced, purchased and drilled into the base. Working with Skol, they redesigned the base into one simple part that was heavy enough to be its own weight, making the part as cost effective as Korea in the process. Though the part cost was similar, by moving this manufacturing to Chicago Cari was able to save money by spending less time managing the quality control and sourcing parts for her product. She has since moved the production of all Safepole parts to the Chicagoland area and is proud to say Safepole is fully US made.

We love this story because it dispels the myth that manufacturing overseas is always cheaper. There are many costs that go into producing products and factoring time, collaboration and design can affect the ultimate cost of your end product. Do you have a similar story about manufacturing locally that you would like to share? We’d love to hear it. Email us!

One of our students from the VATech Chicago Studio team has launched a Kickstarter campaign.  In her words, Morgan Matt:  "My experience in Chicago with the Design House team has greatly influenced my summer and current endeavors. Not only was I addicted to Kickstarter walking away, but I grew attached to a few key concepts we held dear as a team: 

Supporting local manufacturing, living local (like the farm-to-table movement), and going green!"

Morgan's project originated in an architectural felting class where their only prompt was to create something modular.

"When we were throwing out a range of ideas I actually had a flashback to Big Delicious Planet.  I was really inspired by their backyard garden and fresh picked herbs growing vertically on fences everywhere."

In Blacksburg, Virginia, home of VaTech, the local farmer's market is very popular and, as a team, they wanted to highlight local, green living by bringing plants into people's homes.   

Their manufacturer is only 45 minutes from campus in Roanoke, called Cardinal Rubber. Everything is sourced from the U.S. and will be made in the U.S.  The local papers have picked up the story.

Local Designers Want To Bring The Outdoors Inside

Way to go Morgan and Team!  And thank you for carrying the DesignHouse mission forward.

Through our connections with hardware accelerator Catalyze Chicago, we were invited to 'pitch' at Technori on a cold February evening.  We chose to explain the Design House process and provide an example story to demonstrate how we go through manufacture research, the jam, prototyping and eventual launch. 

The challenge of the 'pitch' was to deliver the presentation in exactly 5 minutes, which calls for trimming the information down to the most important elements . Pam gave a great presentation and seemed very relaxed in her delivery despite the jam-packed audience of over 250 people.  

Pam Daniels was in invited by the International Housewares Association to talk about Design House and the ongoing trends that Design Hose is part of. Her talk was at the International Home and Housewares Show, the US's largest annual trade show for household products and trends. 

She started the presentation explaining the Design House process, presented using the case study of the Reveal frame (with Skol Mfg).  The Q&A and discussion that followed was very interesting, and we made new connections with some firms that are actively supporting local manufacture in different ways.  

In a previous post, Paul Hatch shared the origin story and mission behind DesignHouse, LLC.: to bring the power of design to small manufacturers. We spoke to him about the "Reveal," the non-profit organization's first product, which launched last week on Kickstarter. We had a chance to talk to Hatch about the product itself. Core77: Why did you choose to launch "Reveal" on Kickstarter? Paul Hatch: Kickstarter is the perfect medium for us to get the word out about

Display your photos as quickly as you take them, and join us in revitalizing U.S. manufacturing. Community designed and locally made.

We centered on one idea today: a simple new take on a photo frame. The concept was inspired by a few forms which emerged in Tuesday's ideation session, visible on the left below.  The first metal prototype is on the right.

Evolution of the concept in thinking & materials

​Simple flat metal frame; consumer bends it at perforation to stand. Will either be produced in powder-coated steel or anodized aluminum.  This is unfinished 0.038 inch aluminum.​

The object is a simple flat-pack frame that consumers fold out after purchase.  Photos no longer require the protection of glass since the real artifact is digital.  We just print copies; the framed photo is no longer the one & only version.  If coffee spills on it, we shrug it off and print another. With this design, we echo the corner mounts of old but keep the form super simple without any glass front. A new age calls for a much simpler form. 

Today's energies were spent creating files for a range of sizes expanding the initial 4x6 inch photo option to 5x7 and a 3x3 square.  We also began to think about finishes and materials.  We gave the prototypes a quick rub with steel wool and it dresses them up nicely.  

Polished & in place

Late in the day, files were sent to SKOL Manufacturing for a manufacturability review and initial price estimates.  There are still decisions to be made on finishes and any minor refinements required to make this manufacturable on a turret press (corner radiuses, tolerances on the small perforations, etc.).  But it's looking like we actually pulled this off.  We went from concept to product in just one week.   

Today, CAD file creation and rapid prototyping continue on a range of concepts.  We have a few photo frame options in the works, a colander for washing fruits & veggies, an rectilinear kitchen bowl, and a cylindrical wall sconce all being explored.

We kept playing around with design refinements in cardstock yesterday, thinking about how things would fit together and what obstacles might make fabrication a challenge.  Today the focus is on creating a digital file which can be sent to a laser jet or water cutter to see how the designs will play out in metal.  Ultimately, we will use a turret press and brake press to punch and bend the sheet metal to form our objects, but in the early stages it's about proof of concept, not the most economical ultimate production method.  

DesignHouse hosted a lab during Chicago Ideas Week, inviting the public to join us for a hands-on ideation session as we attempt to go from concept to product in just one week. On Tuesday morning, participants gathered at Catalyze Chicago to sketch, model, and brainstorm ideas during a two-hour mini design jam. Throughout the week, DesignHouse staff & students are filtering through and developing a few promising concepts which can be fabricated locally. The aim is to have a working prototype by Saturday night's CIW talk on the creative process. 

Our local manufacturing partner is SKOL Manufacturing, a metal fabricator in the Ravenswood corridor on Chicago's north side. Special thanks to Ray Skol for being available to answer any questions about the metal fabrication process and to Mike Slezak of Jane Addams Resource Corp for introducing us.

Design Jam 001 took place on June 26, 2014 and was held at TEAMS Design, an industrial design firm located in the Kinzie Industrial Corridor. Our kickoff event drew a talented bunch of about 40 participants from across Chicagoland. After dinner and a bit of socializing, we gathered to learn about SKOL Manufacturing, a metal fabricator and job shop located in the Ravenswood corridor with capabilities ranging from bending & brake pressing to cutting, welding, and stamping. Then we broke into ideation groups centered on three areas: lighting concepts, outdoor gardens, or Chicago-themed. Over ninety different sketches emerged within an hour and a half. We had an opportunity to come back together at the end of the night and share back what was imagined and get each others' take on what resonated most. 

A few of the most promising and doable concepts have now been mocked up and will be shared back with SKOL in the coming weeks. We'll learn what the manufacturing considerations are with each design and decide how to best move forward with one or more products.

The inaugural design jam received press covereage from the Chicago Tribune and has also been featured on the TEAMS Design blog. We are grateful to all our participants, whose names are listed below. It's exciting to be at the start of this journey together.

Design Jam 001 Participants: