We have a lot of experience here at Mid-West Screw Products, spread out across nearly every industry you can think of. This gives us the ability to see potential opportunities for our clients’ products in markets they may not have thought of entering.
We had one client who was developing a cane for the elderly that would act as a simpler, less awkward replacement for a walker. The cane was to have an anodized aluminum finish. For those who don’t know, anodized aluminum finishing is a process with a large color palette. We saw an easy-to-use device that could come in a rainbow of colors, and we thought that it might be fit not just for the elderly but for children as well. Often times when small children break a leg or sustain an industry that inhibits walking, crutches can be intimidating and difficult to use. The cane offered a much more age-appropriate alternative, and it could come in green, blue or pink.
This is just one of many examples. In July’s “Our Patented Approach to R & D” blog, we discussed an idea for a skateboard that went on to be used in instrument transportation as well. The valve developed as part of the fire extinguisher discussed in that blog went on to find a home in military applications. On another project we were able to modify a client’s firearm manufacturing process to produce different aesthetics to accommodate military and law enforcement agencies, all of which have strict aesthetic guidelines. We were able to modify that process in such a way that even though the manufacturing was more varied, there was no cost increase. We don’t just alert our clients to potential markets, we help them get their products there.
When you’ve spent so much time developing a product for a particular application, it can become difficult to see the forest for the trees. When you work with Mid-West Screw Products we make sure you’re aware of the world of possibilities that exist for your product.