SNUZA
Cape Town product development consultancy …XYZ has scooped three top places in the annual South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) Design Excellence Awards, plus the overall Chairperson’s Award. It’s mobile baby monitor (SNUZA), a self-service terminal (the Touchmart TAP) and an electronic cargo securing and protection bag inflator (Stopak Jumbo Inflator) all won design excellence awards.
…XYZ was founded in 1999 and now comprises 12 professionals including industrial, mechanical and graphic designers, electro-mechanical and industrial engineers and prototyping technicians. The company conceptualizes, designs, manufacture and implements products in local and international markets in sectors such as medicine, telecommunications and industry. It has delivered more than 71 products to the market since its inception. Clients include Mercedes Benz, Capespan, FNB, Pick n Pay, Shell and MTN. …XTZ is based in the broader Central City in the Cape Quarter.
This was the second year in a row that …XYZ took top honours. The company won three design excellence awards in 2008 for a modular filing system, a condom applicator and a modular traffic light.
“The SNUZA was overwhelmingly the first choice of the judges,” said Adrienne Viljoen, manager of the SABS Design Institute. The judging panel commented that it was a “well designed improvement on existing products” that had taken all facets of the problem into consideration.
“The Chairperson’s Award is a boost as it underlines our positioning as a company that competes internationally,” said …XYZ founder Roelf Mulder. “South African designers are good at taking a product through all the development stages – we really do deliver turnkey projects. This award will help build international recognition of our products, and is a further step in developing greater trust and faith in South African companies.”
Mulder said a key success factor of the baby monitoring device is its mobility ─ the monitor clips onto the baby’s nappy, instead of being located under a cot mattress. This has huge appeal given modern mobile lifestyles.
The device is made from hypoallergenic medical grade plastics and recyclable thermoplastic materials (PC and Monprene). Product features include a soft, flexible sensor that protrudes onto the baby’s stomach for superior sensing. A vibration stimulator helps reassert breathing if apnoea is detected, and an effective clip design results in good nappy grip. It also uses the latest ultra-low power microcontroller technology.
