"Conserve Water, Performance, Money, and the World"

Product Design | ULF Performance | 3D CAD/CAM | Plumbing Standards | Independent Integrity

5D SERVICE INFUSIONS

5D COMPANY INFO

Sanitaryware Independent Product Design

ULFT Water Conservation

CAD Design Services

Plumbing Product Inventor Services

New Invention Ideas
- Venture Capital Wanted

Dave Berge (B.I.D.)
Founder & President
5D Infusion Canada Inc.

Dave Berge has always been driven by his passion to find clever solutions to achieve predefined goals or to expand future horizons. His bachelor's degree in industrial design was instrumental in honing his problem solving instincts because it focussed on mastering the 'design process' which specifies a series of steps that enables the most effective, innovative, and realistic solutions for any type of problem.

Before founding 5D Infusion, Dave Berge worked many years inside the sanitaryware industry for plumbing fixture manufacturers (American Standard and Crane Plumbing) and has a proven track record in the new product concept development and launch of over 20 high performance ULF toilets and urinals in Gravity, Pressurized, and Vacuum-Assist Flushing Technologies.

Dave Berge has also been an influential participant in the development of North American Plumbing Standards. He has served multiple terms as the Chairman of the CSA B45 Technical Committee for Plumbing Fixtures, as well as Chairman of the Canadian Contingent of the North American Plumbing Standards Committee (NAPS) for the harmonization of plumbing standards between the U.S.A., Mexico, and Canada.

• 4 'D's -- CORE COMPETENCIES
  • Product Design Expertise
  • ULF Performance Expertise
  • 3D CAD/CAM Expertise
  • Plumbing Standards Expertise

• + 5th 'D' -- INDEPENDENT INTEGRITY

 

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5D Infusion Canada Inc., founded in 1997, has many distinct advantages over our sanitaryware / water closet design and ULFT water conservation competitors.

The breadth and depth of 5D Infusion's expertise is truly world class since it was earned through many years working inside the plumbing industry for plumbing fixture manufacturers (i.e. American Standard and Crane Plumbing).

As an industrial design professional, I have personally been responsible for the entire new product concept development, toilet performance engineering, 3D CAD/CAM integration, plumbing standards testing and certifications, etceteras, of many different types of plumbing fixtures in many different sanitaryware manufacturing processes.

Through strategic combinations of 5D Infusion's 4 core competencies and our independent integrity, we have tailored services to the following sectors:

• Sanitaryware Independent Product Design Services
• ULFT Water Conservation Services
• CAD Design Services
• Plumbing Product Inventor Services
• New Invention Ideas - Venture Capital Wanted
  

Please feel free to use the 5D Contact Info to reach me directly and discuss how my company can provide a '5D' infusion of our highly specialized expertise to help you to maximize the effectiveness of your sanitaryware design and water conservation projects.

 

Sincerely,

Dave Berge (B.I.D.)
President

 

 

4 'D's -- CORE COMPETENCIES

Americast Silhouette Series
of Kitchen Sinks
- American Standard

Modular Toilet System
(partial sampling)
- Crane Plumbing

Cadet III Bidet
- American Standard

• Product Design Expertise
• ULF Performance Expertise
• 3D CAD/CAM Expertise
• Plumbing Standards Expertise

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PRODUCT DESIGN EXPERTISE
(also see Sanitaryware / Water Closet Design Services)

• Systematic Design Process to design and innovate for value

• New product concept development of the Silhouette Series of Americast Kitchen Sinks for American Standard, which has achieved sales of 200,000 /yr since its launch in 1992 (patented worldwide)

• Invented the "Modular Toilet System" for Crane Plumbing which revolutionalized theToilet Tooling Development of their ULF Toilet Conversion Program (i.e. converting 16 litre/flush toilets to 6 litres/flush):
  • Saved four (4) years of new product development time to market
  • Saved $500,000 of product development costs
  • Increased manufacturing productivity (bowls/man/shift)
  • Reduced overall manufacturing costs
  • Actually created twenty-five (25) ULF toilet models in the same time period (i.e. eight (8) more than the originally targeted seventeen (17) toilets)

• New product concept development and launch of over 30 plumbing fixtures in vitreous chinaware, acrylic vacuum-forming, FRP, enameled steel, and brass casting

• Responsible for the product design development engineering and prototyping of all new products and upgrades to existing products, including B.O.M.'s, E.C.O.'s, Testing and Certifications to CSA and ANSI plumbing standards, Component Specification, & Sourcing

• Creative new product concept development approach on Cadet III Bidet saved $20,000 and 6 months of new product development time to market for American Standard

• Product patent search experience, including registered Industrial Design Patents on the new product concept development of nine (9) original plumbing fixtures

• Co-ordinated multi-disciplined teams to reduce costs and increase manufacturing productivity while maintaining or improving the overall quality

• Bachelor of Industrial Design (B.I.D.) from Carleton University, Canada
  
  
  
  

Gravity ULF
Toilet Technology
(Floor Mount Toilet)

Vacuum-Assist ULF
Toilet Technology
(Floor Mount Toilet)

Pressurized ULF
Toilet Technology
(Flushometer-Valve Type
Wall Mount Toilet)

Pressurized ULF
Toilet Technology
(Flushometer-Tank Type
Floor Mount Toilet)

ULF PERFORMANCE EXPERTISE
(also see Toilet Performance Engineering, and ULFT Technical Support)

• Researched, designed, & developed unique high toilet performance Gravity ULF Toilet Technology

• Pioneered and perfected the world's first Vacuum-Assist ULF toilet performance technology for residential or commercial installations

• Toilet performance engineering of ULF pressurized toilet technology for high usage commercial installations

• Toilet troubleshooting experience
  • responsible for 'pre' and 'post' launch field testing programs to resolve and document 1.6 toilet flushing problems:
    • residential ULF toilet troubleshooting
    • commercial ULF toilet troubleshooting

• Conducted grass-roots research to study the relationships between toilet bowl and trapway design parameters, and the resulting toilet performance requirements for all levels of installation environments

• Authored several ULF water conservation articles for Canadian Plumbing Industry:

• Heating Plumbing & Air Conditioning (HPAC) Magazine

• General Clarifications Concerning ULF Toilets & Urinals
• Commonly Held ULF Myths
• The Three Types of ULF Technology

• Canadian Water & Wastewater Association (CWWA) Briefing Book

• Water Efficient Toilets and Urinals
  
  

Two-Person Standalone Whirlpool
3D CAD/CAM Model

Two-Person Corner Whirlpool
3D CAD/CAM Model
(Shown with 2 Virtual Ergomen)

3D CAD/CAM ARTICLE
Written by Delcam as one of their first articles ever to describe how Dave Berge successfully adapted high technology 3D CAD/CAM tools to the very traditional low technology sanitaryware industry

3D CAD/CAM EXPERTISE
(also see CAD Design Services, and 3D CAD/CAM Product Design & Tooling)

• Benchmarked and Implanted 3D CAD/CAM at Crane Canada
  • successfully developed methods of applying this new Delcam 3D CAD/CAM technology to the complex and labour-intensive ceramic manufacturing process
  • streamlined new product development time to market by 25% to 75% for all manufacturing processes (i.e. Slip-Casting, Injection Moulding, Blow-Moulding, Metal Casting, Roto-Moulding, Vacuum-Forming, etc.)

• 3D CAD/CAM Project Examples

• Set of Oval and Round Vanity Basins
  • increased the aesthetic design sophistication by 3D CAD/CAM's ability to easily use complex arcs instead of traditional standard radii
  • decreased the new product development time to market by 75%

• Two-Person Standalone Whirlpool
  • One of the first whirlpools ever to fully integrate the complex surfaces required to meet the human factors in ergonomics specifications
  • Reduced the new product development time to market by 40%, even though it was the largest and most complex whirlpool design ever attempted by Crane Plumbing

• Vacuum-Assist Toilet Technology
  • 3D CAD/CAM was instrumental in resolving a critical design issue related to the successful pioneering of the world's first Vacuum-Assisted ULF Toilet Technology

• Two-Person Corner Whirlpool
  • Significantly elevated market appeal through sensual free-flowing surfaces which were made possible by the 3D CAD/CAM technology
  • Easily integrated human factors in ergonomics using 3D CAD/CAM to ensure support and comfort of users
    • virtually tested two (2) 97.5 percentile ergomen to ensure sufficient space and comfort of both users
  • Reduced the new product development time to market by 50% by using new techniques learned from the new product concept development and tooling of the Chequers Whirlpool

• Featured in the Delcam article for applying state-of-the-art DUCT 3D CAD/CAM technology to the very traditional sanitaryware manufacturing industry

• http://www.delcam.co.uk/info/case/crane.htm
• http://www.es.delcam.com/old_site_and_tests/2003%20site/duct5/dsan.htm
• http://www.es.delcam.com/old_site_and_tests/2003%20site/duct5/dnsan.htm
  

• Published in Design Product News (DPN) - 3D CAD/CAM Technology in Sanitaryware Industry
  
  

*
Chaired CSA B45 Technical Committee for Plumbing Fixtures for five (5) years and thirteen (13) years total involvement as a voting member

*
Chaired Canadian Contingent for the Harmonisation of North American Plumbing Standards (NAPS) for eight (8) years

*
Voting member of C.S.A. Strategic Steering Committee for all Plumbing Standards for eleven (11) years (highest governing body)

*
Voting member of ASME/ANSI U.S. Plumbing Standards for three (3) years:

A112.18.1M
Plumbing Fixture Fittings

A112.19.2M
Vitreous China Plumbing Fixtures

A112.19.5
Trim for Water-Closet Bowls, Tanks, and Urinals

A112.19.6
Hydraulic Requirements for Water Closets and Urinals

A112.19.7M
Whirlpool Bathtub Appliances

A112.19.8M
Suction Fittings: Swimming & Wading Pools, Hot Tubs & Whirlpools

A112.19.9M
Non-Vitreous Ceramic Plumbing Fixtures

A112.19.10
Dual Flush Devices for Water Closets

PLUMBING STANDARDS EXPERTISE
(also see Plumbing Standards Development and ULFT Plumbing Standards Support)

• Over a decade of experience in the development & implemention of ULF toilet performance plumbing standards

• Chaired the Canadian plumbing standards CSA B45 Technical Committee for Plumbing Fixtures

• Chaired the Canadian contingent of the trilateral committee to harmonize North American Plumbing Standards (NAPS) between U.S.A., Mexico, and Canada.

• Responsible for all plumbing standards and codes related issues, including plumbing fixture testing and certifications

• Plumbing Standards Proposal, and Publication of CSA B45 Toilet Retrofit Device Plumbing Standard

• Designed the only toilet to ever be certified with perfect score of 16/16 in the CSA B45 Toilet Performance Plumbing Standards

• Responsible for ensuring the Plumbing Standards and Codes acceptance of the world's first Vacuum-Assist Toilet Technology

 

5th 'D' -- INDEPENDENT INTEGRITY

 

• Independent and Unbiased

• Ethical Integrity

• Client Confidentiality

• Win/Win Relationships

• Passionate committment to your satisfaction!
  

Dave Berge (B.I.D.)
President