The Customer
This company has been a global leader in drinking water filtration products for over 30 years. Their product line includes water pitchers and refrigerator dispensers that use an activated carbon filter to improve water quality. When we worked with this company in 2014, filter life indicators were not common in home filtration systems.
The Challenge
- Develop a sophisticated filter life indication system
- Integrate seamlessly into the pitcher and dispenser
- Minimize power consumption so the system lasts for the life of the product
- Minimize cost to ensure commercial viability
The Solution
A dedicated project manager and engineering team worked in close collaboration with the customer from concept to manufacturing.
We first presented concepts to the customer to ensure alignment on vision. During this phase we established that a time-based filter life indicator would provide the best balance of cost effective integration and ease of use for the end user. We also established that an unobtrusive traffic light system with green, yellow and red lights would most effectively communicate filter status to the end user, and that a waterproof reset button must be available.
After ensuring alignment on this vision, we developed a detailed product specification with careful attention to manufacturing implications. At Trumeter, we recognize that every design decision must be planned with manufacturing in mind in order to effectively project and manage costs.
Our engineering team developed the first prototype leveraging our design expertise in low-power electronics for the LED system and control circuitry, and our industrial design expertise for custom housings and waterproof button.
At Trumeter, we are big on verification and validation, and these designs went through a comprehensive Design For Manufacturability (DFM) review to ensure we could manufacture them at the desired cost. Throughout the final manufacturing process, we worked closely with the customer to make sure they hit their market entry date on budget and with sufficient inventory.
The Outcome
Everyone wins with custom product development!
- End consumers know when to replace their filter, ensuring consistently high-quality drinking water
- The customer is selling more replacement filters, increasing recurring revenue
- The customer was able to differentiate their products from competitors with a new feature
- The customer has positioned their products in the premium sector, securing a higher price point
