Design and two-shot tool development for Centrica’s Hive

DESIGN AND TOOL DEVELOPMENT FOR CENTRICA’S HIVE

Centrica Hive is the UK’s leading smart home technology provider with an ecosystem of innovative connected home products, services, subscriptions and solutions.

Hymid was commissioned by Centrica Hive to assist with the creation of a suite of new products to enhance and upgrade their connected home platform. This project included the Hive Hub 360 and the Hive Leak Sensor.

The Hive Hub 360 connects all the Hive devices in your home as well as listening out and notifying you of unexpected noises such as smoke alarms or glass breaking.

The Hive Leak Sensor monitors your house’s plumbing system and uses a Bluetooth app to highlight potential water leaks before they become a major problem.

End-to-end project control

Hymid implemented a commercial package of work across the two main product groups, with a structured project management process that smoothed the development journey and ensured that parts were delivered on time and on budget.

Working to a demanding schedule, Hymid managed a range of 21 parts through design and tooling development with all parts completed simultaneously.

While Hymid’s internal design and technical teams led the tooling project, the key to success was close collaboration with the client’s different design, development and assembly firms.

From DFM through to production

A project as complex and diverse as this had many challenges but key successes included:

Hymid’s involvement covered DFM (design for manufacture) through mould design, tool development, trialing, modification, sampling and subsequent production.
The standard of the cosmetic finish on the main body of the Hub was extremely demanding so Hymid developed a tool gating and runner cropping solution that achieved the required appearance standard without expensive post-mould painting operations.
Component design changes were commonplace throughout the project, but these were accommodated with a minimum of disruption to the timeline.
To achieve the client’s exacting colour requirements, Hymid had to work closely with colour matching specialists and carried out many development trials.

Outcomes

The Hive Hub 360 and the Hive Leak Sensor are both now available as part of Centrica Hive’s family of smart products that are designed to connect homes and make daily living easier.