HeavyFoot Weight

The Client

HeavyFoot Weight is a manufacturer of recreational safety equipment, founded in 2019 by Della Washington from Sparks, NV. As a woman-owned, minority business, HeavyFoot Weight was created in response to a tragic incident at a children's birthday party, where a bounce house became airborne during a high wind event, resulting in the death of a child. In response to this tragedy, Della designed, patented, and now manufactures a range of HeavyFoot Weight products that ensure outdoor recreational activities can be enjoyed safely.

The Challenge

HeavyFoot Weight was experiencing significant challenges, including market acceptance and engagement because of its high price. This stemmed from an elevated direct materials cost and and ineffective supply chain. To compete against alternative products, HeavyFoot Weight recognized the need to improve these aspects of their business ad turned to Manufacture Nevada for help achieving its goal of reducing material cost, minimizing supply chain complexity, and increasing sales volume. To achieve this objective, HeavyFoot Weight and Manufacture Nevada identified an integral fastening component of the product responsible for driving its cost up.

The Solution and Manufacture Nevada's Role

With the help from Manufacture Nevada, part of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) National Network™, HeavyFoot Weight was able to create a game plan that enlisted the MEP Supplier Scouting platform. The Supplier Scouting program connected HeavyFoot Weight to the vast contacts and resources of the MEP network. The response was inspiring, within a few weeks 7 MEP centers from across the country had found suppliers that were eager to quote on this component. HeavyFoot Weight elected to partner with a Nevada-based manufacturer of centrifugal castings and precision machined parts. This new supplier relationship reduced the material cost of the targeted components by 60%, improved lead time, and almost eliminated transport costs. As an added benefit, this supply partner assisted HeavyFoot Weight in designing a new sensor-enabled version of their product line that expands their addressable market into new segments for sales and distribution.