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Hardware & Housewares Review Tuesday, May 8, 2018 2 2 For Nifty Home Products, Constant Innovation is Key to Success Nifty Home Products continues to impress with its constant innovations in the housewares industry. Its innate sense of solving problems found in the kitchen has been somewhat legendary. It all started with the invention of the Turkey Lifter Roasting Rack. Innovation has evolved over the years to solving storage and display issues for single serve coffee pods. This year is no different. Nifty is releasing two versions of the Countertop Appliance Rolling Tray. Nobody likes clutter on their counter tops, and moving heavy countertop appli- ances such as blenders, coffee makers and mixers has always been a thorn in the side of consumers. Nifty has once again come to the rescue of the everyday con- sumer that spends a lot of time in the kitchen. The rolling tray's unique design allows for you to simply press down on the lever and roll the appliance out from under the cabinet when in use and back easily for storage when finished. The built-in safety and breaking mechanism will engage to stop the tray from rolling off the countertop. The larger of the two trays being released will easily move a 25 pound mixer. For more information, go to www.nifty homeproducts.net. BeraTek Industries Turns Ideas into Profit BeraTek Industries is paving the way for a new standard in manufacturing. As a product design and manufacturing com- pany, BeraTek has mastered the art of developing innovative processes and solutions to get your product to market quickly and cost-effectively. "The high cost and long lead time of getting a physical product to the market is what led me to open the doors of BeraTek," said Gerald Beranek, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of BeraTek. "We started out creating our own con- sumer products which led us to develop a simplified solution to designing, manu- facturing and marketing a product. This quickly motivated us to fill a need in the marketplace and ultimately share the resources we've built to support our product brands and help other companies create their own products." BeraTek has developed a vertically integrated system that improves efficien- cy and communication and saves cus- tomers time and money. BeraTek has a portfolio of expertise in just about every step of the product development cycle. The BeraTek team can take your initial idea and help guide it through the processes of industrial design, engineer- ing, prototyping, mold manufacturing and production, all the way to the ship- ment of the prod- uct to retailers and/or direct to your consumer. BeraTek offers the freedom to manufacture at low volumes and/or high volumes so customers can grow and scale their business as needed without having to sit on too much inventory. This strate- gy is truly what sets BeraTek apart from competitors. If you have an idea you want to turn into a product, Gerald offers this advice, "the biggest thing you can do is to take action. I recommend getting your idea out there quickly without overthinking your product or brand. Just get going. You will learn along the way. If you have ques- tions, give us a call and we can help guide the way." About BeraTek Industries BeraTek Industries is a product design and manufacturing company based in Iowa. BeraTek Industries designs and manufactures its own products, as well as offers its services to other entrepreneurs and businesses. The company mission is simple: turn ideas into sellable products quickly and cost-effectively. For more information, go to www.beratekindustries.com, call 844.237.2835 or email info@beratek -industries.com. This New Cleaning Tool Disrupts the Toilet Brush Category Better Living announces its revolution- ary entry into the toilet cleaning category with the game-changing introduction of LOOEEGEE™, the Hygienic Toilet Squeegee. Toilet brushes have had the same design for over 80 years. They can clog up with bacteria and rust, they retain water that drips on the floor and pools in the holder, they tangle with toilet paper and waste, they require harsh chemicals to clean, and lastly, they can fail to reach under the rim. Now, thanks to LOOEEGEE, the days of cleaning a toi- let the conventional way are finally over! Instead of traditional stiff, plastic bristles, LOOEEGEE has a flexible, non- stick silicone pad that swipes a toilet clean while repelling bacteria. Unlike a typical bristle brush, LOOEEGEE has no crevices or hiding places for bacteria to accumu- late, making it a gunk-free cleaning tool that actually stays clean itself. With 30 micro squeegee blades built-in, LOOEEGEE's powerful ribbed design quickly removes stubborn stains with less scrubbing and its flexible nature allows for easily reaching under the rim, ensuring spotless results while saving time and effort. One of the most commonly dreaded aspects of cleaning a toilet is the dirty water that drips from the brush. A traditional bristle brush holds excess water that can end up dribbling on the toilet seat, floor or even worse, collecting in the bottom of the brush holder. LOOEEGEE's water repellent sili- cone quickly dries and prevents drips. With a couple of quick shakes after cleaning, most of the water sheds straight into the bowl, preventing drips as well as bacteria from building up in the holder. The LOOEEGEE Hygienic Toilet Squeegee is also long lasting and sustainable. Its durable silicone pad outlasts a regular bristle brush and does not require regular replace- ment, saving consumers' money and the environment. LOOEEGEE has a stainless steel handle that is rust proof and it is also backed by Better Living's five year warranty. Say goodbye to dirty bristles, germs and drips and say hello to LOOEEGEE, the Hygienic Toilet Squeegee. For more information, visit www.betterlivingproducts.ca. The Metal Ware Corporation and Chard International Merge Fifteen months after the merger of The Metal Ware Corporation (NESCO and Open Country Campware brands) and Chard International (Chard Products and Carey), the pieces are set- tling into place. Back in November of 2016, 97 year old Metal Ware combined with nine year old Chard to create the new Metal Ware Corporation under the lead- ership of President Rick Carey and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Ross Niemi. A major challenge with the merger was bringing together two companies with different cultures and history, but company leadership worked to take the strengths of each company and blended them. Together, it created an environment in which employees are empowered to think innovatively. Rick Carey attributes a large part of the success of the merging companies to being privately held. "One of the benefits of being privately held in this 'renaissance period' is that we see our visions five to 10 years out – where do we want to be? We think in terms of genera- tional aspirations as opposed to quarterly returns for our stockholders." And Metal Ware certainly is thinking long-term. It has recently announced its plans to open another 200,000 square-foot distribution and plastics facility to increase domestic and hybrid production. With newly added roto molding capabilities and increasing metal pro- duction, the manufacturing departments of the company have doubled in the last year, and according to Carey is expected to at least double again within the next two years thanks to increasing second and third shift production. This is some- thing that's very important to Metal Ware employees as well as customers, as it allows for greater ability to respond to fluctuation in demand – an ever- increasing struggle for companies in today's landscape. Most importantly, it allows greater quality control – Carey cites workers' pride in making quality products the largest pillar in success for the company. Merging two companies with a wide gap in culture, history and capabilities is never an easy task, but that isn't holding Carey and Niemi back from building "upward and onward" in all three ways. For more information, visit www.nesco.com and www.chardproducts.com.