Martin Hill and his wife Sarah were always creating innovative ways to make their home run more smoothly and efficiently. Martin is an engineer, so the solutions created were soundly designed. When baby number two came along, Martin found it challenging to maintain quality time with the family, while keeping up with the baby’s feeding schedule and taking care of the usual daily responsibilities and activities.
Necessity is the mother of invention, as the saying goes. One day, when faced with the need of feeding the baby while, at the same time, doing an activity with his son, Martin’s creative juices began to flow. He made a makeshift contraption that secured a baby bottle in place as he held the baby in one arm. This allowed him a free arm to be able to participate in the activity with his son at the same time.
Eventually, after some serious redesign, the contraption was patented and named the Beebo. The Hills soon discovered the invention not only allowed the baby to be fed using only one hand; it freed the other hand and also provided great bonding-time for their entire family. The Hills would take the Beebo prototype with them wherever they went, and used it in a wide variety of settings and circumstances. Not surprisingly, the Beebo soon attracted the attention of parents wherever they went, who loved the idea of feeding their babies and still having a hand free.
The response was such that Martin began to think of moving from the prototype stage to a fully-developed product available for sale to all parents wanting the freedom of feeding their babies and having a free hand. The question was how to do it? What would be the best way to get the Beebo manufactured and move from prototype to sellable product on store shelves?
Unfortunately for the Hills connecting with the right domestic manufacturer proved a much more difficult feat than initially imagined. High costs and the steps needed to get to where they wanted to be, seemed overwhelming to be an effective option for a single inventor. As a final effort, Martin began to look for alternatives and discovered manufacturing in China. It seemed like the way to go, but trying to conceptualize working alone while manufacturing in China was slightly intimidating. The language barrier, the unique business customs and culture, understanding prototype development standards, as well as, the need to fully understand the procedures and fees associated with shipping, Martin knew he needed professional help when it came to manufacturing in China.
The Hills began talking with the experts at ITI Manufacturing. Soon, even though the Hills did not initially dream of manufacturing in China, they gained the knowledge and confidence to realize manufacturing off shore would be their best option. ITI Manufacturing eliminated all of the barriers, negotiated a cost effective solution, maintained intellectual integrity, and led Martin through the entire manufacturing process with great success.
The Beebo proved to be such a useful and unique idea, that it was featured on ABC’s “Shark Tank” in 2015. Martin’s dream came true when he was able to obtain a mutually beneficial investment for the Beebo. Via the exposure on “Shark Tank”, the Beebo enjoyed the massive exposure and heightened consumer awareness it needed to push it to the next level, and make it the popular product it is today. Currently the Beebo is available in many retail locations, as well as online.
Learn and read more stories about manufacturing in China by speaking with the experts at ITI Manufacturing.
