The Back Story
A snowboard and apparel company was racing past its competitors by combining high product quality with an esthetic that has created a passionate following. With a new ski season approaching, the brand faced performance challenges with two major products: a new snowboard binding and a new universal disk to make its bindings compatible with other snowboard manufacturers.
The Strategy
To resolve these two product issues quickly, the global brand contacted Boston Engineering to:
- Pinpoint the source of the issues via failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA), tolerance analysis, and additional research
- Redesign the following parts to improve performance:
- Toe spring retention mechanism
- Ankle pin retention mechanism
- Ensure that re-engineering does not impact part designs or manufacturing requirements
The Impact
Within two and one-half months, the Boston Engineering team:
- Identified and eliminated all product issues through re-engineering
- Developed design modifications without impacting material or manufacturing costs
- Met the client’s aggressive re-engineering deadline in order to meet product launch schedules
- Identified multiple design improvements for future binding models
Based on the success of the projects, the company has turned to Boston Engineering for additional product engineering support.