There are many who have requested a Newborn Seat for Klapp high chair. The only reason we haven’t had this available yet is cost. As you may know, KAOS is a startup, and we’ve had to build brick by brick. The chair itself has cost us many investments, and developing molds of the size we are talking about now, means millions in new investments.
But in 2020, we made a share issue that gave us funds to invest in growth and further development. A lot of these funds went to clean up our structure; we invested in automated integrations and a new, global online store. In addition, we received funding from Innovation Norway to optimize our products and production lines, and this is thus earmarked “Newborn Seat” and “Tray” for Klapp high chair.
The first thing we started with was the Newborn Seat. We have worked with our designer, with engineers, and with sewing experts. The product has gone from the drawing board to digital modeling, to 3D printed prototypes in 1: 1 format, which we use for testing. Klapp Newborn seat must be certified in a laboratory to verify that we meet all safety requirements in Europe. This is incredibly important to us.
We didn’t pass the first test, and that is perfectly normal. The test results give us a starting point for adjustment and further work. We “only” had to adjust 4 points after the first test, which was done in January. Now we have just finished test # 2 of teh revised Klapp Newborn sample in the laboratory we use in Denmark. And you know what? Klapp Newborn has now passed the requirements for safety. Yes! It’s so satisfying and it’s such good news! This means that we can move on to the next phase: Making a mold.
Making a mold of this dimension takes time, from 12-16 weeks. We must find the right manufacturer and in parallel clarify what is the right material to use in the casting. Once the mold has been produced, it doesn’t make sense to transport it around. The mold is made of steel, and this will be a seriously large and heavy mold. A steel mold can produce around 300,000 units, so we need to make sure both cooperation and logistics between us and the manufacturer are well in place. All this we are working on stacking in place at this very moment!
As soon as the manufacturer and materials are clarified, the process of making the mold itself begins. The goal is to start this process in February. In parallel as the mold is being made, we will develop a beautiful cushion/cover and a harness. We will also need to prepare the last link in the production line of Klapp Newborn; the assembling and packaging.
Planned launch: The goal is to have Klapp Newborn on the market by the summer of 2021.
Many people have requested a tray for Klapp high chair. And we are ready to embark on this task as well! Once again, our eminent chair designer, Ole Petter Wullum, dived into the drawing board. As the project emerged, we realize that with an increased volume of Klapp high chairs being sold, it’s important we optimize costs to increase our margins to make sure we can keep doing what we do. The Klapp high chair simply costs too much to produce as it of today, the profit is too little given the business model we have chosen.
Now, the tray must be made in a form of plastic material that is both solid and easy to keep clean. Due to the need to optimize the overall chair production, it became natural for us to see how we could also develop the safety rail in plastic, as it is much more cost-effective than a rail made of molded veneer, which it is made from today.
We worked long to find good ways to attach a brand new tray to the existing wooden safety rail, but it turned out to be difficult. For this reason, we need to develop the tray + a new safety rail in plastic that are compatible with each other. This means that the tray will not be able to be attached to the existing wooden safety rail. “We simply can not please them all” and we had to choose.
The tray and new safety rail went from idea to the drawing board, to digital models – to printed 3D models in 1: 1 format! And in early February, we got the first printed 3D sample of the new safety rail with a compatible tray. One of the big challenges with a tray is all the requirements that must be met in terms of strength and stability. You will not believe the tests it will go through in order to meet all the requirements of the formal standards we follow.
However, the first 3D sample is beyond all expectations and an incredibly good starting point. Right now we are working on testing the 3D-model to check off all theories in practice. Fingers crossed!
We assume that we need to adjust something on the existing 3D-model and that we then will print a second 3D-model with revisions in place. These will then be sent off to testing in a laboratory we use in Denmark in order to verify we meet all the requirements in the given standard.
Once we have verified that everything is in accordance with the formal standard for certification, we are ready to produce molds. By this time we already have a good manufacturer in place (through the Newborn Set) and all materials have already been clarified. It should go smoothly. At the same time the lead time for mold development is what it is; it takes 12-16 weeks. Ack!
Planned launch: We are optimistic and plan to launch Klapp Tray also by the summer.
As we find the right setup of manufacturers, the materials, and get all costs on the table, we’ll see whether we’re economically capable of producing both projects at the same time or if we have to choose which comes first. Time will tell.
As always we will ask for your input. And we’ll keep you posted!