HOMEInterview: Solaseed Air Co., Ltd.
A sustainable premium item planned and designed by a mechanic, made by upcycling discarded life vests
- client
- Solaseed Air Co., Ltd.Mr/Ms
- Craft and range
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- Hame-patchi keychain
- Planning, production and assembly
- Processing method
-
- Production / design creation
- Full color UV inkjet printing
- Purpose of use/application
- Sale at the event
- Delivery
- 20 days
- lot
- 100 individual
- Quality standards
- There are no frays in the fabric and no fading in the print.
Could you tell us the reason for the commercialization and the background of your request?
Our airline was established as the wings of Kyushu and Okinawa with the brand concept of "sowing the seeds of smiles from the sky."
The airline is headquartered at Miyazaki Airport and currently operates 2 routes from two hubs, Tokyo International Airport (HND) and Naha Airport (OKA).
I am in charge of aircraft maintenance, striving to maintain the quality of daily operations and ensure that our customers can fly safely and securely.
As we carry out regular inspections and replacements to improve the safety and quality of our operations and ensure our customers' comfort during their flight, we wanted our customers to be able to experience the aircraft parts that are still usable but have reached the end of their useful life.
As a company that contributes to a sustainable society, we came to the conclusion that if we could upcycle waste and unused items that would otherwise be thrown away into new products, we would not only be able to reduce the environmental impact, but also be able to create sustainable premium goods that are unique to Solaseed Air.
In order to proceed with this project, we decided to first look for a company that would understand the materials and characteristics of our waste materials and would be able to work with us from the idea generation stage. While searching online, we came across your company's website and saw examples of other companies' production. We saw that you were making interesting products, and at the same time, there were many examples of you supporting customers who are not familiar with goods production from the planning stage. We felt that there was potential in this, so we contacted you.
I would like to ask you about the particular points of the product
They proposed a variety of ideas, including photo stands and paper stands using bolts and nuts, necklaces, straps using seat belts, key chains, and even made actual samples, so we were able to make our selections while considering the size and ease of use.
Among them, the idea of making amulet pouches for praying for flight safety from the fabric of a life vest was particularly intriguing, and we really wanted to commercialize it, but due to the size of the fabric to be used and challenges with sewing, we ended up enclosing the fabric in a sleeveless uniform-shaped acrylic life vest called a "Hamepatchi Keychain," and this is the original charm that has been completed.
The concept is based on our desire to inspire customers by the way the aircraft parts that have been directly involved in ensuring safety have been reborn to continue to convey safety to customers even after they have been retired from active service.
The key point we focused on was how to create a product that felt like a real life vest, based on the color, texture, and shape of the original life vest. We spent about a year and a half making prototypes and holding repeated discussions to find the best way to do so.
Then, when cutting into the shape of a key chain, we asked them to make sure that the part with the printed illustration would fit in so that it would be clear at a glance that it was a life vest.
In addition, as printing the aircraft we use (Boeing 737-800) and our company logo on the fabric would have crushed the details, we had them printed on the transparent part of the lid of the plastic frame to achieve a detailed expression with depth.
How was the response from customers?
The completed product was put on sale at Haneda Airport at the Sky Day event, where it quickly sold out in just an hour, and many customers who were unable to purchase it in time expressed their desire for it to be made available for sale again.
As this was the first attempt by our company to have on-site maintenance staff plan and produce goods, it took some time, but your company's staff patiently stuck with us until the end, which was very reassuring.
Furthermore, after fully understanding the materials we could provide, our budget, and our thoughts, they suggested many ideas and ultimately created a product that matched the image we had in mind, which led to the creation of a satisfying product that was recognized by both ourselves and others.
We would like to continue to use your know-how when planning and producing sustainable premium goods made from waste, so that we can develop products that are good for both the earth and our customers.
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