Case Study: Drywall Axe, From Conception to Market

Spark Innovations had the pleasure of designing and developing the Drywall Axe. From concept to the final product Spark’s team of Industrial designers and mechanical engineers worked on all the stages of the product design and development with the inventor Adam Pauze. If you have an innovative idea and you need help with the product development we can help. From an idea Adam had which was sparked from an accident until the Drywall Axe was ready to market here is the Dry Wall Axe Story:

I am Adam Pauze from Aurora, ON and the inventor of the Drywall Axe, a multi-function tool that makes cutting drywall and other materials safer and easier.

Two and a half years ago I was working on a drywall job when I accidentally took a slice out of my arm cutting a piece of drywall. Later that same evening I came up with the concept for the drywall axe. Not knowing how to bring the concept to reality I turned to the internet. Being new to the invention process I chose a well known down town Toronto company that promised me success, but after taking lots of my money they did very little to help my cause, no patent and a prototype that looked like it was forced out of a piece of wood with a jack knife.

Not knowing where to turn with my invention a good friend suggested I contact Robert Dickie owner of Spark Innovations, a 24 year old award winning Industrial Design company with over 220 issued patents located in King City, ON. After the introduction with Bob Dickie everything started to fall into place. Spark Innovations helped me file an excellent US utility patent which since has been issued and is pending in other countries, make me award winning prototypes, build my website www.pauzeinnovations.com , and take care of all the graphics for the two trade shows I attended last year.

The first trade show I attended was INPEX in Pittsburgh where I won a gold medal of merit for my display (Spark Innovations did the booth graphics). Second trade show was the Electronic Retail Association trade show in Las Vegas where I won inventor of the year in the new product search category for the Drywall Axe.

At INPEX Pittsburgh I was able to pitch my product to the Global Development manager of Stanley tools. He was very impressed and invited me to corporate head office to show my invention.

 

After showing my invention to a few Global companies they all came back with the same feedback that , the blade doesn’t retract, carpenter pencil would be preferred and the tape measure is too long. Taking their advice Spark Innovations redesigned the Drywall Axe with all the changes mentioned.

Spark then set up a meeting with Canadian Tire’s hand tool buyer, prepared a slick presentation, built a beautiful working prototype in Spark’s amazing Polyjet rapid prototype machine and pitched the product. In subsequent meetings Dickie negotiated an exclusive Canadian launch, negotiated and contracted tooling and manufacturing at Canadian Tire’s Asian manufacturer, designed all the packaging, managed the production and the Drywall Ax hit the shelves November 2013 with supporting video Under Canadian Tire’s profession line of tools Mastercraft Maximum brand. Spark has lots of experience with everything including negotiations and I would highly recommend to anyone, Spark is a one stop shop and tons of product development experience and successes, just check out their website. For more information see, Canadian Tire Mastercraft Maximum Drywall Axe.