SMITHS COOKING SYSTEMS

The Client And The Brief

Smiths Cooking Systems is an Australian design and manufacturing company. For years it has made high-quality stainless steel and metal products for some of the leading European and Japanese appliance and BBQ brands, supplying the Australian and New Zealand markets.

Smiths engaged Concept Evolution to design and develop its latest portable stainless steel BBQ. The brief was clear: a compact and lightweight BBQ that "COOKS ANYTHING, ANYWHERE".

The Challenge

We wanted to create a portable unit without compromising on the quality or functionality of a traditional unit that Smiths is famous for. The new BBQ needed to be compact and light enough to carry to a campsite or a worksite, while maintaining the cooking ability and the versatility of a full-size unit.

The BBQ also had to be a certified gas appliance, so it could be sold and used safely and legally across a range of different markets. On top of that, Smiths wanted to include coloured SS options for customisation and branding opportunities, so the same BBQ needed to allow for the combination of different materials, not just a single fixed design.

What We Designed And Developed

In close collaboration with the team at Smiths, Concept Evolution designed a compact and lightweight BBQ that is easy to carry and simple to set up, suited to picnics, campers, caravanners, sporting events, tradespeople, truck drivers and more.

The design covered:

• A fully certified gas cooking system

• Support for a range of different cooking surfaces and attachments

• The option of different external finishes for unique styling and branding

As Smiths manufactures its own BBQs completely in-house, Concept Evolution worked closely with their manufacturing division to optimise the design to suit their in-house manufacturing and assembly capabilities (DFMA).

Key Design Decisions

Portability was a key driving factor across the product development process. Keeping the BBQ compact and light meant it could be picked up and moved by one person and stored easily, which is what makes it usable at a campsite, a game or a job site rather than only one fixed location.

The cooking system was designed to take a range of surfaces and attachments, so one BBQ can handle different types of food. This is what backs up the "COOKS ANYTHING, ANYWHERE" brief without adding separate appliances.

The gas system was carefully designed to be fully compliant with relevant regulations, so the product could be certified and go to market.

The ability to integrate different external finishes was built into the design from the start. Because Smiths wanted the ability to provide different finishes for customisation and branding opportunities, being able to re-skin the same BBQ was an important design feature as it opens it up to promotional and branded runs without redesigning the machine underneath.

Capabilities Used

This project drew on:

• New Product Development (/new-product-development)

• Design and Engineering (/design-engineering)

• Visual Design and Product Visualisation (/product-visualisation-visual-design)

• Prototyping and Manufacturing (/prototyping-manufacturing-services)

The design, engineering, and product visualisation were managed by Concept Evolution. All manufacturing files were also prepared by Concept Evolution for Smiths manufacturing division which managed all production and assembly in-house.

The Concept To Production Pathway

Development of the BBQ followed our typical path from idea to finished product. The brief was reviewed and refined, the design was developed in form and function (with close collaboration with Smiths), prototypes were evaluated, and the design was refined into a certified, production ready gas appliance suitable for mass production by Smiths.

The Outcome

The result is a compact, lightweight portable BBQ with a certified gas cooking system, interchangeable cooking surfaces and a choice of external finishes. It suits everyday outdoor users, from campers and caravanners to tradespeople, and it gives Smiths a premium product that can be branded and finished in different ways for promotional opportunities.