A case study on how Kowide Outdoors helped customer Launching Pad develop and bring to market their new innovative backpack.
Launching Pad - Ready for Ignition Backpack
Introduction
Launching Pad is introducing a new backpack designed to help parents and children unplug and promote cognitive development, social skills, and self-entertainment. To bring their vision to fruition Launching Pad partnered with Kowide Outdoors to manufacture their new product.
“When my son was younger, he developed anxiety and had some pretty tough moments in public. His therapist recommended that I help support his play therapy by engaging in play sessions with him in new environments.” - Mario (Launching Pad)
Play therapy really helped Mario’s son in these moments, providing much-needed stimulation while calming down his anxiety. This came with some problems for Mario though. Every time he would leave the house with his son, Mario would have to bring with him multiple bags.
Ever being someone who loves solving problems and product development, it did not take Mario long to formulate an idea for how to solve his multiple bags issue.
“I looked online and found nothing that could help me meet his needs. So, I knew I needed to develop something to make this easier so I thought, “Why not make a playmat backpack”.” – Mario (Launching Pad)
Using his supply chain degree and experience in manufacturing, Mario spent two years designing an all-in-one backpack.
“…I knew I had to design a product that could be the all-in-one solution I needed. Now, after two years of development, we are excited to release our answer to this problem:[the] Launching Pad [backpack].” – Mario (Launching Pad)
Already with their first prototype, they saw positive results:
“This product is so meaningful because as we used it, our son benefited from it. But, also, other children came to play with him and they really enjoyed it. Then I realized that this product is great for all kids.” – Mario (Launching Pad)
This drove Mario to further develop the design and find a manufacturer who could mass produce the Launching Pad.
Kowide worker cutting the playmat fabric for the Launching Pad backpack.
Main Product Objectives
There were a few key characteristics that The Launching Pad backpack had to fulfill:
Quality Construction: The backpack had to be durable, comfortable to carry, and safe for kids and parents to use.
Ease of use: A modular construction allowing for compartmentalization of different items, easy access to both the main compartments as well as accessory pockets, and easy to clean.
Engaging: The backpack should keep kids engaged, to promote cognitive and social skills, as well as give parents confidence in the product.
“…we needed a high-quality product that meets the needs of parents. I wanted to have something that wasn't just durable but also had functionality beyond just a bag for toys. A focus on value and having something [] multipurpose is a hit in my book.” – Mario (Launching Pad)
Prototyping
The design process started with a cardboard box and some fabric. Trying to visualize what would work best to make his vision come true, Mario quickly realized that there were a few criteria that would make this backpack function best.
The backpack needed to separate children’s toys and anything else a parent might need to bring with, for themselves and their kids.
A mat for the kids to play on, which, in turn, would also make it easier to put all the toys back into the backpack.
Additional pockets for laptop, tablet, books, drinks, and so forth.
Extra wide comfort shoulder straps to make carrying it stress-free.
High-visibility reflectors for extra safety.
With a design in hand, Mario found a manufacturer in Vietnam (not Kowide Outdoors) that would make the first prototypes.
“During our sampling process, we took our bag out to test. Nearly every time, a child with a screen would put their phone or tablet and come play with our son. It was a beautiful thing to see.” – Mario (Launching Pad)
During this prototyping period, Mario realized there was one more feature that would make this backpack even better: It needed to be able to stay standing upright, once the toys and playmat had been taken out. This would allow the bag to become a part of the playtime and not be another nuisance in the room.
“The challenge we had was making sure our bag was able to stay standing, support a load in the top, and not fall over or collapse.” -Mario (Launching Pad)
It was, while trying to achieve this, that Mario realized that his current manufacturer was not up to the task.
“[Coupled with that,] the communication was terrible [with our] previous supplier. [They] made countless mistakes and did not want to be held accountable for those mistakes. When working with a manufacturing company overseas, a small mistake can set you back [quite considerably], so clear communication is critical.” – Mario (Launching Pad)
Mario knew he needed a supplier that would not only be up to the challenge, with a proven track record of working on technical bags but would also provide clear and honest communication.
Production
At Kowide Outdoors, we brought our over 50 years of experience in making very technical backpacks to the table. Between our globally connected sourcing department, vastly experienced production floor, and talented prototype department, we were able to help attain all the product design criteria.
“[Kowide Outdoors’ representative’s] confidence in making our product work was refreshing. [They] approached our product with little doubt and worked diligently to gather accurate information about how to make the product work.” – Mario (Launching Pad)
Our sourcing department was able to introduce Launching Pad to other fabrics, ones that would help them achieve their design and meet their price point. The fabrics used in the construction needed to be durable, safe, and easy to clean yet strong enough to support the weight it needed to handle while remaining comfortable to carry and for kids to interact with.
“Finding the right material was absolutely essential and we were not aware of all of our options that could fit within our price point. We needed to balance quality and price to achieve a high-quality product.” – Mario (Launching Pad)
The vast depth of experience in our prototype department enabled Kowide to find the solution to the challenge of making the backpack stay standing upright while supporting a load in the top compartment, without collapsing. Kowide Outdoors was also able to improve on the design of how the playmat is attached to the backpack.
“Kowide was able to provide many options for the shell and the mats which was extremely helpful.” – Mario (Launching Pad)
Kowide Advantage
Bringing your first product to life is always a challenge with a steep learning curve. Designs often start as a vague idea, sketch on a napkin, or a Google Word doc. Our experienced customer service team, sample-making department, and patternmaker will be there to help you turn your ideas into reality.
“Kowide made the process more efficient and streamlined. They were very clear on expectations and challenges and always had an answer.” - Mario (Launching Pad)
For people starting out with their first product, and sometimes even for experienced designers, knowing which fabric, hardware, and trims best fit all your criteria is not easy. Kowide has a vast network of suppliers and can help find the right materials for your design.
“We did have another supplier and their samples were okay but the attitude and communication were abysmal. Promises were made but not kept which cost us a significant amount of capital.” – Mario (Launching Pad)
Language barriers can be a huge issue in manufacturing and can lead to misunderstandings, mistakes, and delays. For this purpose, we have built up a highly proficient multilingual team, to ensure that nothing gets lost in translation. This allows Kowide to accurately and in a timely manner translate all client communications, techpacks, feedback, and specifications, into Mandarin and Vietnamese, and vice versa.
We take great pride in being able to provide superior customer service to all our clients. In this extremely competitive business, we fervently believe that providing exceptional quality and customer experience is the ultimate competitive differentiator.
“Transparency and clear communication were key criteria [for] deciding to work together [with Kowide].” – Mario (Launching Pad)
At Kowide, we believe that through technical expertise, rigorous quality control, highest level of transparency, and clearest communication we can exceed our clients’ expectations to deliver unmatched customer service and products.
Part of the Launching Pad backpack.
Conclusion
A product born from a father’s desire to help make his son’s life easier and Kowide’s unwavering dedication to the highest quality manufacturing and customer service, the Launching Pad backpack is available for preorder currently on the ReadyForIgnition.com website and will start shipping on November 30, 2024.
“Kowide made the process more efficient and streamlined. They were very clear on expectations and challenges and always had an answer.” – Mario (Launching Pad)
Kowide Outdoors is built on trust. Through open communication and accountability, we provide the highest level of transparency from start to finish to deliver unmatched customer service and product build and manufacturing quality. In combination with our talented and experienced factory staff, we were able to gain Launching Pad’s trust and deliver them the highest quality product.
“Kowide is hands down the best supplier I could find. [] I would highly recommend Kowide to anyone looking for a manufacturing company in Vietnam.” – Mario (Launching Pad)
Kowide worker sewing the shoulder straps.
LAUNCHING PAD
Founded from a father’s instinct to make his child’s life a little easier, Launching Pad is all about providing children with more opportunities to grow, learn, and play wherever they go.
Providing families with a convenient, portable bag full of opportunities for play and growth time. Launching Pad’s approach is to encourage real-world interaction and traditional play as an alternative to screen time and help children develop essential cognitive skills, perfect to fit into a family’s active lifestyle.
Launch Pad - Ready For Ignition Website
KOWIDE OUTDOORS
Bespoke Backpack and Outdoor Apparel Manufacturer from Taiwan
A leading OEM manufacturer, with over 50 years of experience, supplying products to world-renowned brands across Europe, Asia, Australia, and North America. Our world-class production facility in Vietnam, situated within easy reach of Ho Chi Minh City, is ideally suited to cover all manufacturing needs, from R&D, sourcing, and prototyping, to bulk production.
Through technical expertise, ethical management, and rigorous quality control, Kowide Outdoors continuously strives to exceed client expectations and takes pride in helping clients achieve success by delivering the highest level of quality and unparalleled customer service. N is introducing a new bicycle cover to protect any bicycles from road and weather hazards while carried on a vehicle’s bicycle rack. To make their product a reality RADELN partnered with KOWIDE OUTDOORS to produce their vision.