Our Level 3 Engineering students were fortunate to be visited by Fred Mow from Community Playthings UK. Community Playthings UK are a manufacturing company based in Robertsbridge who produce solid wood furniture and play equipment to support children’s play and creativity throughout their early years of education.
Fred delivered an in-depth presentation on strategic design, covering several important points including the key elements behind a design team, the importance of flexibility and clear channels of communication between all elements of a business, the design approach, product design specification, and dealing with constraints and compromises.
This was a fantastic opportunity for the students to gain valuable insights into the business and consumer aspects of their course, with emphasis on how cohesive relationships between multiple areas of an organisation (e.g. design, sales, marketing, management) plays a vital role in the success of a product.
During the second part of his presentation, Fred specifically spoke about two products. The first was a mattress for cots which now has to achieve the new standards applicable both internationally and to the EU as well, including the banning of anti-flammable sprays which can have cancerogenic deposits and compatibility with the latest Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) recommendations and regulations. Examples of the original mattress and the newly-designed mattress were brought into the College for the students to observe.
The second product was a modular children’s furniture structure, where potential entrapment concerns came to light despite being extremely unlikely. Although the furniture holes were constructed to international standards and the design considered fit for purpose, it was decided that the design would be modified to eliminate the issue completely, as safety in design is a number one concern.
Linking directly with the second part of Fred’s presentation, the students were then set a pair of challenges for their work-related learning projects.
The first; to design a mattress that passes the flammable extinguishing standards but does not require anti-flammable sprays and has a compression ratio when squeezed within the SIDS guidelines. Additionally, the students will need to focus on ways of reducing the cost and weight whilst maintaining the companies ethical and sustainable commitment.
Next, the students will be asked to create a temporary solution for the modular furniture that addresses the entrapment concerns and can be solved on site (i.e. schools/nurseries), and re-design the modular furniture to overcome potential entrapment issues, whilst maintaining the furniture qualities in terms of design, materials and sustainability that can be manufactured on sites. In their groups, the students will need to work effectively to create a report which is professional, precise and provides an analytical and concise representation of the design process and the research behind it.
The College would like to thank Fred for taking the time to attend and support the students with his knowledge and expertise, which will undoubtedly go a long way towards helping them with their challenges, studies and future careers.
