Sundberg-Ferar

Detroit-founded in 1934 by American fathers of design, Carl Sundberg and Montgomery Ferar, Sundberg-Ferar has been creating iconic product designs that have influenced culture and human experiences throughout the home, around construction sites, on the rails, and on the road.

Today, we are a full-service Product Innovation Studio including Industrial Design, Innovation Strategy, Design Research, Engineering, and Prototyping - all under one roof in Metro-Detroit Michigan. With our multi-disciplinary team, we blend art and science to create meaningful products that drive value and fulfill core user needs. We design with purpose, innovate with emotional and functional intent, and deliver real, manufacturable solutions.

Some recent projects include Hyundai’s walking car concept, ‘Elevate’, at CES 2019, SproutsIO: a start-up product that is revolutionizing the garden-to-table movement, Affinity Tool Works’ ‘Speedhorse’: the world’s fastest deployable sawhorse, and more.

Together we identify the “right kind of different” to drive your business growth and maximize profitability potential. Whether your product is a consumer durable, medical device, mass transit system, automotive or mobility service, we help you bring your product to life in a way that is emotionally compelling, functional, and beautiful!

Clients

Ames True Temper
Artic Cat
Brass Craft
Canadian Tire
Carrier
Chrysler
Club Car
Coca-Cola
Conair
Ditch Witch
Electrolux
Haier
Hyundai
IBM
Ingersoll Rand
InSinkerator

Johnson & Johnson
Kenmore
Long Island Rail Road
Magna
Master Lock
Medtronic
Nalgene
Newell Brands
Proctor & Gamble
Sea Ray
Stryker
Terumo
ThermaTru Doors
Toto
Whirlpool
Wiss

Services & Capabilities

Industrial Design
Product & Service Development
Innovation Strategy
Design Research
Usability Testing
Ethnographic Research
Use-Case Development
Future Scenarios Design
Engineering
Robotics
Prototyping / Model-Making
Graphic User Interface
Human-Machine Interface
Storyboarding
Trade Show Property Design

Project Portfolio

Hyundai CRADLE : Elevate

Sundberg-Ferar and Hyundai’s CRADLE team worked together to develop the Elevate concept, which blends technology found in cars and robots to create the first UMV, the Ultimate Mobility Vehicle. Transportation has focused on ‘Last Mile’ solutions in recent years, but this project focuses on the ‘Last 100 meters,’ no matter where they are.

Sundberg-Ferar started by leading a strategic innovation approach and design research studies to ascertain what mobility solutions for the last 100 meters might look like. After uncovering a large market opportunity for a vehicle that could “walk”, Sundberg-Ferar, together with the CRADLE team mapped out the future scenarios and many potential use cases that lead to the “Elevate” concept. The Sundberg-Ferar team then developed a 1/5-scale articulating model of the UMV as well as a 1/8-scale working proof-of-concept robot. Both were unveiled and demonstrated live at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
SproutsIO

SproutsIO is an award-winning automated indoor growing system that enables year-round access to fruits, vegetables and herbs. It optimizes indoor growing with an app-based program allowing the user to control the system’s growing conditions from anywhere at any time.

Sundberg-Ferar worked closely with the SproutsIO startup in developing the product’s basin architecture accommodating a rich feature list including aeroponic growing functionality, fully compostable and cost-effective disposable seed discs, integration of tomato-cage style plant supports, and water proofing of the complex sensors and electronics within the basin needed to support the accompanying app.
Affinity Tool Works: Portacube Miter Saw Work Station

The Portacube PM-8000 STR Miter Saw Work Station is a compact, portable miter saw workstation and storage center. Designed as a space-saving solution for small workshops and off-site projects, this workstation can serve as a compact or extended worktable and offers temporary or permanent miter saw or table top tool storage.

Sundberg-Ferar collaborated with Affinity Tool Works to develop this Portacube workstation as a response to persistent problems in the portable work stand category: ease of portability, overall adjustability, vibrational stability and increased work surface area. Together the Sundberg-Ferar and PortaMate teams have made huge strides forward in this category with user-driven research and design approaches.
Dannar: Mobile Power Station 4.0

Sundberg-Ferar collaborated with Dannar to design the company’s latest Mobile Power Station (MPS) in tandem with their visual brand identity. The Dannar MPS 4.0 is a zero-emissions vehicle integrated with high-capacity lithium ion battery packs, making it capable of powering multiple hydraulic tools, or powering a city block, and more. Dannar’s primary goals were to completely deviate from the conventional look of construction and agricultural equipment, and to create a look that would be strongly recognizable even from a mile away to ultimately become an iconic image for the brand.

Sundberg-Ferar built the full-scale, fully functional prototype of the MPS in their prototyping shop. Designed as a modular platform with real-time interchangeable components, Dannar 4.0 can be configured with or without an operator cab, body enclosures, and platform decks. It is also interchangeable with forklift masts, dump beds, scissor lifts, water tanks, portable light units and interfaces with all standard Caterpillar, Bobcat, or John Deere attachments.
Obi: Robotic Feeding Device

Obi is a robotic feeding companion developed for mobility-impaired individuals. Obi blends cutting edge technology, elegant design, intuitive controls, and personality to deliver a fun and dignified dining experience.

Sundberg-Ferar worked hand-in-hand with DESῙN, LLC, the creators of Obi, from early design and development all the way through final product confirmation, including conducting in-home qualitative observational research with their target users to discover and ensure the ideal user experience.
Got a project you want to talk with us about? We’d love to see how we can work together! Drop us a note at: hello@sundbergferar.com

Or contact Jeevak from our team directly. His info is below!