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17-05-2018
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Rompa manufactures components for new flexible Britax child seat
The new Dualfix i-Size, produced by our partner Britax Römer, is a child seat that you can use to safely carry your child in your car from when they are a baby until they are four years old. This high-quality product was recently released on the market. After our first joint project, a bicycle seat, Rompa now manufactures the majority of the plastic components for the Dualfix i-Size. Read more about the ins and outs of this product and learn about its development and production process.
The Dualfix i-Size is an innovative product that meets the latest European safety standard for children’s car seats (ECE-R129). For example, the seat features optimised sideways collision protection. It can also be flexibly adjusted to fit children of different lengths and it can rotate 360°, which means babies can be carried facing backwards for longer (until they are at least fifteen months). This is the safest method to transport children in a car. According to the Dutch Consumentenbond, the forces on a child’s neck are five times lower in the event of a head-on collision when the child is carried in this position.
Advisory role during the design phase
Safety is a primary concern for Rompa as well. For years, we have been manufacturing products that meet the rigorous safety standards of the automotive sector. That is why Britax asked us to produce the plastic components for its Dualfix i-Size using injection moulding. Martijn Jansen, commercial director at Rompa: “It was good that Britax involved us in the project during the design phase. We were able to advise them on the feasibility of the various product components. The lifespan of the mould partially depends on the product design. We are experts in that regard. Furthermore, it is important to set up the production process in such a way that the quality of the components is guaranteed.”
Injection moulding, subassembly and printing
The collaboration is going exceptionally well. Every week, Rompa produces several thousand complete sets. “In addition to the injection moulding process, we also handle subassembly and the printing of some of the components,” Martijn explains.
Logistical operation
Since the plastic components are relatively large, this project makes for a challenging logistical operation for Rompa. Martijn: “We manufacture the plastic components for the Dualfix i-Size at our production site in the Czech Republic. We use moulds that were produced in China. We employ strict deadlines. In order to deliver the moulds to the Czech site on time, we transported them by plane and train. We transport the sets of components from the Czech Republic to Britax Römer’s own production site in Germany. All in all, this is a major operation! Of course, Rompa is always looking for ways to offer its clients an even higher quality of service. That is why we are currently preparing for the opening of our first production site in Germany.”