From Europe’s first special shape airtrampoline to a new PVC solution for loading and unloading lanes. At Sidijk, we are fully committed to innovation. Since last year, our innovation team has been working on large and small innovations. Our innovation manager Hedser Tijtsma tells you more about it in this interview.
Drawers, designers, sewers. The Sidijk innovation team brings different disciplines around the table. Hedser: ‘Together you can help each other. By sparring together, you discover that ideas that seem impossible beforehand are actually possible. In this way we have realized a number of minor and major innovations and improvements in a short period of time. Sometimes customers present us with the challenge. Sometimes we ourselves are the instigators.
Special-shape air trampoline One of those innovations is the special-shape air trampoline. Hedser: ‘An idea from the sales department. While air trampolines are usually round or rectangular, we wanted to investigate whether we could make organic shapes. This allows you to come up with much more creative shapes, offer more customization and air trampolines get more play value.’
Wedges of cake This challenge required all the brainpower of the innovation team. Hedser: “You have to leave the beaten track. Organic shapes, for example, require a different technique for processing PVC. Where you normally weld equal pie slices together to build a symmetrical shape, you now work with unequal pieces. The underlying construction also required a unique solution.’
The first in Europe After a period of brainstorming and testing, the first Sidijk special-shape air trampoline in Europe has been completed. The very first one can be found in the Duinen Zathe playground in Appelscha. Hedser: ‘And we are already receiving a lot of positive responses. It is incredibly cool to work together to create a product which makes a difference. We are very proud of it.’
Industrial applications This is not the only innovation to the team’s credit. Hedser: ‘For example, we devised a new PVC cover for a loading street with silos for Hoogland in Leeuwarden. In this we combined stitching with welding seams. This allows you to make a large surface area air and watertight with PVC fabric. A technique we discovered when we were developing a new type of fender for a luxury yacht.’
There are more interesting product innovations scheduled for the coming period. One of these focuses on trampoline parks. Hedser: ‘I cannot give away what we are working on precisely. But I can tell you that we will be launching a unique product again…’
Do you have a problem for which PVC may be the answer? Ask our innovation team, and they would be happy to provide some ideas! Email your question to sales@sidijk.com or call us at +31 (0) 566 – 625 700.
