Design from start to finish
Combining a rare blend of entrepreneurship and design, The Shrunks Team engineers all products from start to finish – from research and development to conceptual design, all the way to production and onto the store shelves. We focus on design, striving to achieve the perfect blend of form and function. At The Shrunks, we believe that products that we come into contact with on a daily basis have to be intuitive and easy to use. They have to be appealing to the eye and to the touch of your hands. Everyone at The Shrunks loves what they do. We go to work to dream, play and explore, but most importantly we put action to our thoughts and ideas.
Our mandate is to focus on the user experience from an outcome perspective. What does this mean? User-friendliness is a result, not a tactic. Intuitiveness is a quality, not an approach. We develop guidelines in order for us to ensure our products are user friendly. One of the keys to creating a successful and smart design solution is knowing which effect and perception you want to achieve. For example, in designing our beds:
We want kids to feel safe, secure, and protected, and enjoy the comforts of home as much as possible,
especially when they are away from home.
To achieve this, we designed the beds with side rails to help prevent kids from rolling off the bed. You can also use standard crib sized sheets and blankets to tuck into the inner mattress part of the bed, creating a snug, cozy environment for the little ones.
Technical design and research information
We utilize information from various sources including parents, psychologists, educators and other child development specialists. These sources help our designers understand what consumers are looking for when they purchase merchandise. Children will also test The Shrunks products in focus groups and or at home to determine the durability, age-appropriateness, play patterns and marketability.
The Shrunks researches the juvenile industry at the retail level to see what is currently on the market. Visiting as many outlets as possible that sell juvenile merchandise, including large toy chains and small, local boutique stores; discount, department and variety stores; catalog showrooms; bookstores, etc. Observation on how merchandise is sold: categories, pricing, packaging, product displays and the amount of retail shelf space devoted to each category.
All Shrunks products are designed and engineered in our headquarters in Vancouver, beautiful British Columbia, Canada.
No phats, please
The Shrunks air beds were the first on the market to offer Phthalate-safe designs; assuring families a safe and secure night’s sleep. The Shrunks products were also the first on the market to offer air beds constructed of PVC containing less than 0.1% phthalates; complying with the State of California’s legislation restricting the use of PVC containing more than 0.1% phthalates for children’s toys and child care products.
Production and manufacturing facilities
The Shrunks products are manufactured in a combination of factories throughout the world. These factories have been selected very carefully to ensure the highest quality and workmanship. They have also been chosen for their attention to detail and stringent testing capabilities.
Our relationship with the factories spans over 15 years and we have built a network of reliable partners as a result. David Cirjak, The Shrunks founder, has over 20 years of experience in the manufacturing and product development industry. Our Technical Director in Asia oversees quality control, production processes, inspection, logistics, order fulfillment and factory liaison.
We believe that how a product is manufactured is more important then where!
Testing and verification
All of The Shrunks products are tested by SGS, the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company for Consumer Products. SGS, recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity, has achieved international recognition.
SGS has global capabilities with offices and labs in over 130 countries worldwide. SGS is the partner of major manufacturers and importers and helps them comply with regulatory standards, quality standards and performance standards.
Laboratory testing covers intrinsic product safety and performance criteria. These services help you incorporate critical construction criteria and compliance requirements from the design stage to the end of life-cycle. The applicable regulations and standards are identified for each specific product and target market. Testing and production assessment are the basis for certification marks which are mandatory or crucial selling points. SGS provides these services through local, accredited laboratories to help faster market access.
To learn more about the testing standard, please follow the links below:
SGS – The world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company for Consumer Products
EN71 – European standard EN71 specifies safety requirements for toys. Compliance with the standard is legally required for all toys sold in the European Union.
ASTM – ASTM International, known until 2001 as the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), is an international standards organization that develops and publishes voluntary consensus technical standards for a wide range of materials, products, systems, and services.
BSI – BSI Business Information has published an update to European Standard BS EN 71, which is aimed at making toys safer to use and to help manufacturers meet the ‘essential requirements’ set out by the EC directive for toy safety.
CPSIA – The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) authorized a variety of new regulations and testing requirements for children’s products and some non-children’s products. The CPSIA fundamentally changed how product safety is regulated in the United States.
Intertek – Intertek is an industry leader with more than 33,000 people in 1,000 locations in over 100 countries. Whether your business is local or global, we can ensure your products meet quality, health, environmental, safety, and social accountability standards for virtually any market around the world. We hold extensive global accreditations, recognitions, and agreements, and our knowledge of and expertise in overcoming regulatory, market, and supply chain hurdles is unrivaled.
CE – The CE marking is required for many products. It states that the product is assessed before being placed on the market and meets EU safety, health and environmental protection requirements.