We've been keeping ourselves busy over the last few months, working alongside some extrordinary Bay of Plenty businesses to develop their exciting products. Luckily some of these projects have reached the stage that we're ready to share them with the world, and what better way to be recognised than to enter an award.
The Best Awards are just that - a collection of the very best of New Zealand design across a range of categories, including print, branding, websites, spatial design, typography, and our favorite, product design.
This year we entered four of our latest projects to go in front of the judges, and are honoured for all four of them to make it into finalist standing. Here's a little about the products that will be vying for the prestigious gold pin.
Launching and retrieving a power boat at the loading dock can be a stressful and dangerous process. Often multiple people are required to help or a solo boater will be driven to destructive (and increasingly illegal) power loading.
With the dream of hassle free launch and retrieval of trailer boats, the Balex Automatic Boat Loader (ABL) was born. Many years of developing prototypes and testing various configurations led to a powered roller system that will automatically launch or recover a boat on to a trailer.
With enough torque to pull up to 2,500kg (5,500lbs) of boat, the ABL system operates quickly and smoothly in all weather conditions. No pushing, shoving, ropes, hooks, or winches required. It can be easily assembled onto any new or existing wobble-roller trailer without adding any attachments to the boat. The Hydraulic Drive Units replace the rear wobble arms, while the Power and Pump Assembly, housed in a durable casing, is connected to the winch-end of the trailer.
Standard farm bikes and 4x4’s are loud, heavy machines that burn through fuel and are often a burden to the user. Two e-bike industry pros put their heads together to create a disruptive piece of technology that redefines the term ‘farm bike’: a quiet, lightweight, emission-free, off-road 2x2 that can carry tools and be used in an agricultural environment.
Their first prototype debuted – still unpainted – at the 2014 Fieldays, receiving over 200 expressions to pre-order, winning two Innovations Awards and garnering some real media coverage. Realizing the widespread interest in their creation, they worked to test and improve their design to re-launch at 2015 Fieldays with Ubco, The Utility Bike.
Ubco aims to smash transport limitations and integrate seamlessly into daily work and leisure life. It has a powerful, lightweight ‘SuperX’ frame design and dual electric drives, for bulletproof, ultra quiet, low-speed control for stock handling as well as rural and urban jobs.
The unique design means improved handling and excellent performance in all terrain conditions – slippery, muddy and unpaved roads are no longer limiting. With no clutch or drive chain, maintenance issues that standard farm bikes may run into are eliminated.
Research shows that the ideal temperature for dogs is between 10º and 26º Celsius; low housing temperatures can stress your dog out. A warmer kennel means better rest and a happier, more productive dog.
Kelvin captures and retains dogs’ body heat through quality insulated walls, floor, and door and can keep a dog up to 15º warmer on a cold winter’s night. This insulation also keeps them cooler through a hot summer and reduces noise, too. The kennel fixes securely to the ground and can attach to most run cages currently on the market, making it a perfect fit for farms and homes around New Zealand. Alongside this, the kennel is designed to pack flat - making storage, delivery, and assembly incredibly easy.
High temperature hair styling tools transmit over 200°C into the hair fibre explosively evaporating the inner moisture causing permanent damage to the inner structure. Unlike heat treatments that anneal the hair fibre, and chemical products that coat or modify hair structure, the Inverse Ice Core Conditioning System uses sub-zero temperature to induce a natural conditioning effect and is set to be the biggest haircare market disruptor since hot tongs.
The Inverse Conditioning System locks in moisture, making the hair healthier and softer with increased shine and definition. The removable, Ice Cores are frozen to set the sub-zero temperature. When run through the hair (like a traditional hot tool) the cold temperatures lock in moisture resulting in temporal and longitudinal conditioning effects that build over time.
