Madison Electric’s Sparks Innovation Center to Link Company to Contractor/Inventors

Supporting its strategic goal of tapping new product ideas developed by electricians and contractors on the job-site, Madison Electric Products, Bedford Heights, Ohio, has recently launched its Sparks Innovation Center on its website at www.meproducts.net/sparks.

This online resource offers information for inventors and an online questionnaire to submit a product idea. While Madison Electric Products obviously cannot promise that a product will make it to market, the company does carefully review every idea submitted, and said it will give a quick response as to whether the idea fits into its product development plans. If the product does, the inventor is contacted to continue the invention submission process; if not, the inventor is encouraged to join the company’s field testing staff, contractor focus groups, and to submit other ideas for future consideration.

Brad Weidt, who joined Madison Electric Products as company president 18 months ago, says working with electricians and others out in the field is a win-win for both parties because the company can provide manufacturing and marketing expertise that electricians and contractors don’t have, and they offer the company real-world solutions to job-site challenges. Weidt says internal product development can often take 18 months to two years when one factors in idea development, patent applications, third-party listings, testing and the other steps in the launch process, and that working with inventors can be a faster path to market.

As Madison Electric Products started working with inventors, Weidt said he realized earning their trust is a key part of the partnership. “It’s intimidating to some of these guys because that’s just not their background,” he said. “We tell them, ‘We are not here to own you or own your idea. We are not here to steal your idea. We want it to be a win-win and make you famous because this is your product. Hopefully, we will both make some money. You have the idea, we have the capabilities to get this to market.’

“We are already past the product concept. It’s a matter of us wrapping a great marketing program around it.”

He says the company is currently working with five or six product concepts it unearthed through this initiative. He adds that there seem to be lots of new ideas in the marketplace for new wire-pulling devices and wire management products because it’s a labor-intensive part of electrical installations.