EcoQube C Shipping Update
about 9 years ago – Tue, Oct 06, 2015 at 11:14:01 PM

Hey Friends, 

Hope you’re all doing great! We just wanted to give you guys an update on where we currently stand in the manufacturing and shipping process. As of now, over 2000 units have already been complete and are on their way to our North American fulfillment center. Although we have 5000 more units to produce, we are on pace to finish all EcoQube C back orders by November!

Here are some pictures of your EcoQube C’s at our manufacturing center:

In case you haven't seen our updates along the way, you can see the recap of our journey here. Check out our Kickstarter updates

Make sure you follow us on Instagram for the most updated news on the EcoQube and awesome pictures celebrating sustainability @Designadi_ . 

We look forward to getting each and every one of you your own personal piece of nature. Thank you for giving us the chance to do this! 

- Team ADI

Good News!
about 9 years ago – Sat, Sep 12, 2015 at 12:38:28 AM

Hey Backers,

We wanted to put out this update to give you guys some awesome news, in addition to addressing several of your guys’ concerns.

As mentioned in a previous update, we were having issue with the filters so we decided to delay the VIP orders by month to guarantee that every single of our backers receives the best EcoQube possible. We are delighted to announce that all these EcoQubes have had the new pumps installed and have passed all quality control tests. The VIP orders are now on their way to our fulfillment facility. From this fulfillment facility, shipping out to the VIP backers (without stronger LED, UV, or remote) will occur and expected arrival is end of September if there are no delays in customs!

As for all our other wonderful backers and remaining upgraded VIP orders (with stronger LED, UV sterilizer, or remote), your EcoQubes are on track to arrive to your addresses in November!

Check out the update directly preceding this one to see the awesome new pumps right HERE

Backerkit Logistics 

As you all have noticed, the backerkit orders have been locked down and charged. We now have the final number of order counts so we can order all add-ons. Backers still have ability to change shipping address so please message us AS SOON AS POSSIBLE if you have recently moved or need to change your shipping address.

We’ve recently noticed that a few of our backers have claimed that their cards have been charged twice once the Backerkit orders were locked down. If this has happened to you, please send us a personal message via Kickstarter or send us an email ([email protected]) describing the problem and we’ll get it sorted out as soon as possible. Sorry for any inconveniences you guys have experienced and we’ll do our best to get everything sorted out.

Blog Updates 

We bet you guys didn’t know that our website has a blog where you can read up on EcoCube maintenance, tips, and general aquarium knowledge! We also have an Instagram Account, which we highly recommend to follow if you want to be up to date with all the recent EcoQube C developments. It also has a lot of cool pictures that promote our favorite topic: sustainability!

We’ve recently added some entries that will keep you occupied while you wait for your EcoCubes:

Here’s one about setting up ecoqube that you can find HERE

One on EcoQube heater add-on setup

Check out the new changes to our support page for videos on EcoQube C and remote HERE

Make sure you follow us on Instagram for most updated news on EcoQube development and the most updated news for ADI @ Designadi_

Thank you all for your patience and being such a great group of backers.

Lots of love,

Team ADI

Final Manufacturing Update
over 9 years ago – Mon, Aug 17, 2015 at 11:05:08 PM

We can’t say it enough. The EcoQube C’s quality is our highest priority. We’re continually striving to improve our product.

Early this week, we had several finalized ecoqubes with the new pumps delivered to our office via air freight to ensure the quality is top notch with the new pump changed. (Talk about speed!)

Check out the awesome result of our proprietary output design that we injection molded ourselves!

Instead of having the water from the pump flow directly out, this attachment spreads the water around the aquarium more evenly, creating a swirl on the surface of the water. There are 2 benefits to having a swirl:

The first is that it removes surface water scum--protein that floats to the top because it is less dense than the water by pulling it back into the water column and allowing the aquaponics filter to remove it.

Second, it gives the fish, that would otherwise avoid the pump, more space to swim freely.

Lastly, we wanted to show you the final glass cover with GORGEOUS aluminum pegs to keep it in place.

Since plastic does not have a high heat capacity, it bends easily. Glass on the other hand stays straight because of its higher heat capacity and has a nice finish.

That’s it for now! Once again we are truly grateful to work with such a dedicated and amazing manufacturing team. We’re very glad we made the quick decision to work with them or else none of this would’ve been possible.

Much love,

Team ADI

Follow us on instagram @designADI_

Ecoqube C Manufacturing Update
over 9 years ago – Fri, Aug 07, 2015 at 10:23:17 PM

Hello Everyone! 

As you already know, our first shipment of EcoQube Cs are complete! Overall, everything looks incredible! However, we were notified on Friday about a small setback that our manufacturers have encountered. 

The first 600 Ecoqube Cs for the VIP backers were on track to be loaded onto the container in the next couple days. However, during the final round of quality testing about 5% of the pumps in the EcoQube C started to make minor grinding noises when the water level is lowered. 

To limit the possibilities of potential issues from outside vendors, we’ve already brought most of production and assembly in-house as you saw in the previous update, we even purchased our own machines to ensure quality, but the one piece (the pump) we’re purchasing from a vendor, has a very minor 5% defective rate. 

Luckily, we were prepared and have other vendors for the pump lined up and we’ve made the decision to swap out ALL the pumps to avoid any potential issues that may come up. This time, we’ve even sent someone out to the location for quality assurance to test EVERY single pump for even the smallest sounds before installation. 

Because producing high quality pumps and THOROUGH testing requires additional time, we’re expecting our first container with the VIP backer orders to arrive in September. As soon as the container arrives, they will be IMMEDIATELY shipped out. 

The normal backer orders are still on track to arrive at your doorstep as promised by the end of November. 

Other than the pump, the rest of the Ecoqube C is ready to go. We’re extremely sorry about this delay and not meeting our August VIP deadline. However, when our manufacturing team contacted us about this issue, we refused to settle with a 95% passing rate. As you saw in our previous update, the Ecoqube C’s quality is our highest priority and we will do our utmost to provide you with the best Ecoqube C possible even if it’s a few weeks late. 

We’re extremely grateful to have such amazing and hard working manufacturing team working with us to fix all issues. Manufacturing a complex 20+ piece product has been quite a journey and challenge. Without these guys, the Ecoqube C wouldn’t be where it is today. 

Once again, we apologize for the delay. Thank you so so much for your patience, understanding, and continued support! Here are the completed EcoQube C’s!

Best,

Team ADI

Behind the Scenes Look at the Manufacturing of the Ecoqube C
over 9 years ago – Wed, Jul 29, 2015 at 03:32:41 AM

Hello Friends! 

Hope all your weeks have been going splendidly so far. 

We have lots and lots to update you all with! We've all been working night and day the past month to ensure everything goes according to plan. 

We’ve been hard at work getting everyone’s orders sorted out and ready to ship for the past few weeks, but your guys’ constant support, and kind words have helped make things go so much smoother. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! We’ve said it before, but we just want to let you all know how blessed we feel to have such an AMAZING community of backers. 

We just wanted to give you all an update about where we currently stand in the fulfillment process, in addition to a behind-the-scenes look at the Ecoqube C’s manufacturing process. 

Backerkit surveys are being locked down soon 

We've got the majority of survey responses, but we still have a few stragglers out there. If you haven't filled out your survey, please take a couple minutes to complete it. We are nearing the final stages of production and we need your responses to make sure we order the right amounts from our factories. 

We will be locking down surveys by the end of the week, after this you won’t be able to change the shipping/payment information or the add-ons in your shopping cart. 

We will not be able to ship your Ecoqube C to you without your complete Backerkit survey information.

Ecoqube C Production

First production of the Ecoqube C has begun as of July 1st and is currently underway! As specified on backerkit, if you are a VIP backer who ordered a UV sterilizer, stronger LED light, and/or remote control you will receive your EcoQube C order in November. Large scale production for the remaining 6000+ Ecoqubes and in-house add-ons (such as the UV sterilizer and LED lights) will continue from now until mid-September.

On Manufacturing

Manufacturing is tough. We’ve spent a full eight weeks in Asia. Of those eight week, 5 full weeks were spent at the factory itself to work with the dozen suppliers, engineers and production line workers to come up with the best methods to create the perfect EcoQube C. Now they’re coming off the production line looking like a work of art.

We worked night and day (literally) and were reminded how hard it is to create a gorgeous product for the masses. Everything we use today is manufactured to near perfection and we take so much of it for granted (ourselves included) but it wasn’t until we produced our first product 15 months ago that we got a better understanding of the complex nature of mass production.

To give you all some context, the first time around, we took months to create a prototype we were proud of and we thought that was a huge accomplishment. However, little did we know that you can't just take something functional, give it to a professional manufacturer, and expect them to make a thousand of them exactly the same. Since producing our first product, we’ve definitely learned to appreciate every single piece of plastic we see or use, because we have witnessed first-hand how making that one piece of plastic is literally an art-form.

The Art of Manufacturing

With the first EcoQube, we had to work with the manufacturer's engineers to alter the EcoQube to a "manufacturable shape". For example, if cavities are carved out of two pieces of steel and plastic is shot in, the two pieces of steel must come apart without damaging the plastic part. Usually this is done by altering the angle of a piece of plastic in a process known as "drafting". The two pieces of steel are carved individually by a machine but with incredibly skilled engineers highly involved throughout the process. Then sharp edges and minor mistakes made by the machine are literally cleaned up and fixed using hand tools that slowly carve sharp edges out or fix inappropriate angles. A mold (the inverted carved steel pieces) can take up to a few dozen iterations before the right shape is achieved. Then when you finally get it to the right shape, you have to make sure the machine functions correctly with the steel molds. 

Things like temperature, heat distribution/evenness of the steel molds and many other parameters are adjusted before every production because once production begins, it can't stop. Once the machines stop, everything has to be completely readjusted again. This is why there are minimum production runs. Oh, and when the production is finally adjusted and ready to go, you need a person sitting there taking out all the warm pieces of plastic to let it cool before placing on the assembly line, and making sure the plastic doesn't clog. Who knew? 

In addition to all these physical components, color also needs to be taken into consideration. There are literally HUNDREDS of different finishes and shades of black to choose from. Did you know how the glossy finishes or matte finishes were made on your printer, laptop, or any plastic object you might have? They are all sanded down to a certain gradient. For example, if you want a matte finish (what we're shooting for) you want a rougher finish and a coarse sanding of the surfaces of the steel molds. Crazy! 

Manufacturing Logistics 

We obviously knew that not every part of the EcoQube was going to be made in one place. With that being said, we had no idea how many places we would have to look through in order to source every single part and make sure that they all work with each other. The best analogy we can compare it to is cooking a meal. 

Imagine you're cooking for 1000 people and you have to find a grocery store that can supply each ingredient for the 1000 dishes you're cooking. Each ingredient is going to be from a different grocery store. All stores are different sizes and some don't sell in quantities of 1000 because some have require minimum orders of 10,000. You also have to ensure the ingredients from all the different groceries stores are of the best quality and consistent with each other. Then you gather the few ingredients you may need for each dish (if you can find exactly 1000 of each that are good quality) and make 1000 of exactly the same dish, ship it across the world and make sure everything stands up to the other country's standards hoping they don't keep it hostage for no reason (customs can sometimes do this). 

The Green Factor 

With every factory we visited and chose to work with, we paid extra attention to the way their factories are run, the way they dispose of their trash and how happy the employees working there are. We're extremely proud to be working with only factories that pay their employees above average wages and have sustainable practices. We literally spent an entire day researching whether the wood we're importing for our aquariums are sustainably harvested. Then we confirmed on using only recycled plastic and aluminum for the EcoQube C. We're super proud of this. 

After considering everything discussed above and our dedication to delivering a perfect product to everyone, we changed our original plans and made the move to be as vertically integrated as possible (from purchasing the machines to working very closely with a SMALL manufacturer in China) so we have FULL control over as many parts as possible and can create the very best product by being able to make changes on the fly to improve the EcoQube and deliver on time.

Here are some of the steps we took to make your EcoQube C’s awesome!

They’re cut just .1mm larger. Then EACH piece is trimmed down to its intended size. This guarantees the PERFECT measurements every single time.  

EACH piece gets a final polishing. A polished surface for gorgeous shine and for flawless binding.

Then each piece is individually checked to ensure we have the correct size (down to .01mm)

We then individually remove the just the edge of the protective paper on the plastic in preparation for gluing. We leave the center to protect the pieces from being damaged.

Thank you all for you patience, and for reading through this long update! 

Here’s a beautiful photo of the world’s 2nd largest planted aquarium for your to enjoy! (yes, the plants are real!) =)

Best,

Team ADI