Vacqua
Company background:
Vacqua is a recently established brand which has evolved from more than 15 years’ experience of the installation, service and sales of central vacuum systems throughout the island of Ireland and the rest of the UK. Since 2006 they have been mainly associated with Drainvac, a Canadian based company of more than 35 years and have also worked with other brands such as Cyclovac and Vacuflo.
Challenge:
The company are currently developing a product that enables the user to wash and vacuum all hard floor surfaces, while using the power of their own vacuum whether that be a central or portable system.
Solution:
To assist with the development of their concept, Vacqua made contact with North West Regional College (NWRC) Business Support Centre (BSC) who supported them through the InnovateUs programme which is funded by the Department for the Economy.
NWRC Engineering Technical Consultant, Jonathan Steele, provided 60 hours of upskilling support in SolidWorks 3D CAD, including Solid & Surface Modelling and SolidWorks Assemblies.
Impact:
On completion of the project the company had refined a concept for their vacuuming product and produced a 3D CAD model allowing them to develop marketing materials to attract investment for further product development. This power-driven device will help make floor maintenance a much faster and more pleasurable experience, achieving much better results than existing floor cleaning methods.
Matthew Mallon, Owner of Vacqua, described the benefits of working with NWRC’s Business Support Centre via the InnovateUs programme:
“I have been very impressed in both the quality and the efficiency of the work I received from the NWRC, coupling that with the training in CAD modelling it has been without doubt the best programme I have been involved in during the course of this project.”
