Roof Mounted Ladder Carrier

The client is an established manufacturer of after-market vehicle accessories. One of their competitors had recently brought out a new product for sliding and securing ladders onto a van roof, putting them ahead in the market. The client wanted to bring out their own ladder slider to regain market share and asked Hillside Product Design to develop a comparable product which would have advantages over the competitor’s in both design features and manufacturing costs.

The competitor’s product was evaluated, and areas were identified where improvements could be made. One of the key points was to develop an extruded aluminium profile that would have a lower material content, and therefore cost, than the rival product, without compromising functionality and still delivering a fresh and unique aesthetic.

Sketch concepts were then presented to the client with a small selection being developed as 3D CAD models. A final concept emerged after this process and was prototyped using a combination of the client’s in-house facilities and Hillside Design’s 3D printing facilities. The product has now been put into production and launched into the marketplace.