Update: Innovation Direct™ receives response regarding submission of new product ideas from Texas-based manufacturer contacted yesterday…

Hello, Juan C. Blanco, Innovation Direct™’s Director of Product Licensing, checking in with an update on one of the situations we’d reported on yesterday (“Innovation Direct™ reaches out to multiple National Hardware Show 2008 exhibitors regarding Innovation Direct To Industry™ program…“). Friday afternoon, the Innovation Direct™ representative that had reached out to multiple companies from the 2008 edition of the National Hardware Show as explained in that posting received an e-mail reply from a Texas-based kitchen gadget and home and storage organizational products manufacturer from that group that he’d left a message for.

The company’s Director of New Product Development sent our aforementioned colleague an e-mail detailing the company’s prospectus for accepting new product submissions for the coming months, as well as the criteria they wanted Innovation Direct™ to adhere to when considering concepts to send them. The gentleman explained that because of the economy, there was currently a moratorium on new product development within the company, but that they would be willing to consider any inventions submitted in the coming months for inclusion in their 2010 product lines.

Additionally, he requested that we abide strictly by the product categories already displayed on their website, and that we try to submit items that could be grouped together as a “family” of products.  He went on to explain in his e-mail that in their experience, retailers tend to shy away from single items that they fear may get lost on the shelves amongst larger categories of like products.

We are certainly pleased that this manufacturer has expressed a willingness to receive invention information from us on an ongoing basis, even if it will be some time before they can realistically consider any of the items we send their way. We will update you when we do put together our initial Innovation Direct To Industry™ package for this company, here on the Innovation Direct™ Blog. Check back often!