Market and field research, industrial design and engineering, product mapping and launch, brand language, CMF, product collateral
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My collaboration with Masterack was to manage the new product development, design and engineering processes for the up-fitting of commercial vehicles. One rather large initiative being the ground-up design of a fully modular, universal and expandable mounting and storage system. One of the biggest challenges in designing a system like this is the number of sizes, differences and variations of the commercial vans and trucks and the ability for the components to fit and work with all brands of these vehicles. Customized layouts and fine adjustments were not only paramount in our design efforts, but led to a completely modular system that can fit all vehicles.
One of the most common complaints we heard over and over from our field research is the excess noise from current systems. In response, our design incorporates hard rubberized material incorporated into several of the system components. Silicone mats on shelves and drawer bottoms not only deaden excess noise and rattle but also keep stored items from sliding around.
Cut-away views of a van interior show the modular system installed on the roadside and curbside and the nice tight fit that anchors well to the wall and floor with full adjustability and for complete safety.
The systems we designed for pick-ups not only optimizes storage capabilities but also still allows for full 4x8 sheet storage between the wheel wells. Storage was designed to be locking, completely accessible and easy to install and secure safely.
Our design of a new state-of-the-art ladder rack was a huge challenge. The stage was set for this new product to provide safe storage of up to a 24' extension ladder and all sizes of step ladders. No matter the height of the van, the rack needed to fully accessible from the ground. With the rack open and extended down, the curbside sliding door needed to be able to be opened and closed without interference. To ease in the accessibility of stored ladders, the rear side slides further downward toward the user for easy removal and re-installation. Another major requirement was for the rack, installed on specific vans, to pass what is known in the industry as the "ship-through" test. "Ship-though" is when the van is loaded onto a railcar via a ramp system. There are tight tolerances and dimensions for this to clear the structural interior components of the railcar when being loaded and unloaded.
The weight of the required ladders can be upward of 52 lbs. Lifting up, cantilevering over the top corner of the van and slowly coming to rest on the side requires very heavy-duty dampers. The same applies to raising the ladder back up onto the roof of the van for storage and transport and so the ladder comes down smoothly and softly. This became a delicate balance as the more heavy-duty the damper, the more force is required to initially lift the front and rear crossbeams and set everything into motion. A great deal of research and testing went into the selection of the right damper. The most common replacement part needed for our biggest competitor is the dampers. This is not the case for the Masterack product and the result of our design even allows for the user to easily use one hand/arm to lower and to raise the ladder.
"Consulting for Masterack, Kevin led the NPD team to develop and launch new products to market for the Work Van and Truck industry. He spearheaded the design development of a completely modular up-fitting system and the final engineering and launch of a state-of-the-art new ladder rack for commercial vans and trucks. Kevin is fully capable of developing business strategies and leading teams to deliver results. I would highly recommend Kevin for potential opportunities."
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Vice President of Engineering, Masterack