Clarke Products Inc.

8 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 6 CLARKE PRODUCTS INC . totally neutral; it should be contemporary, very linear, and not look like a medical device. Part of the design criteria was to make the tub invisible in the American home – and they’ve done it. The product is made out of solid surface (akin to Corian), the material they use for their architectural division. It holds up beautifully long-term and is easy to install. “Then we did something really radical,” Clarke boasts. “We changed the way the door is mounted. As you can imagine, when you’ve got a door on a bathtub and there’s water inside, there’s always a possibility of leakage. The way most manufacturers solve the problem is with inward swinging doors and levers that put a lot of pressure on the door gaskets. Our design is an outward swinging door and it has no hardware to close it. The door is held in position by an electromagnet. There is an emergency switch button on the tub, where if a person should become distressed for any reason, even if they feel a bit light-headed from the steamy water, they can press that button and the door will fly open from water pressure. It will flood the bathroom but possibly save a life. That’s a unique feature that nobody has ever developed before. We see the Clarke One as being more universally used in homes than a traditional walk-in tub.” The second new group of products is called Iridess that are shower replacements. One of the remodeling trends in American bathrooms is to take out the small bathtub in a secondary bathroom and put in a functional shower. That’s what Iridess is about – done with a solid surface, three-piece construction and design, so that it’s contemporary and attractive to look at. The company has had great response when they’ve shown the Iridess line at trade shows, but had to hold up on manufacturing due to a shortage of resin. That being said, those products are now getting ready to go. Looking ahead, Clarke shares, “What I have made some temporary plans for is to start taking us into the medical area. The solid surface material is so well-suited for hospitals and care facilities because of its inherent anti-bacterial nature. Plus, it’s easy to clean and maintain, which is a problem in many of those facilities. So I see us coming forward with products related to a more medical approach. I’m not talking about hospitals per se, but secondary care facilities, maybe even retirement homes. As the population ages, there are more and more people who need that kind of facility and service that accommodates their needs. So I envision us developing products along that line and it being a natural evolution for us in the future.” Bathtub massage components manufacturer Tel. : 418 935.7075 | Toll free : 1 800.463.9927 WWW.CGAIR.COM More than a product, it’s an experience.