the pedal flusher

MIAE 380 - Product Design and Development Instructor: Dr. Gabriel Taraboulsi

The Pedal Flusher Final Term Project Report

Team #2

Marc Aprahamian (40106701) Zachary Belanger (27468180)

Ren Bicong (27849060) Racha Bilen (40090690)

Ikhtear Goldar (40127972) Trevor Langford (40050427)

Rina Nastas (40033843) Daniel Ortega (40022926)

Fall 2020

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Table of Contents Abstract 6 1.0 Introduction 7

1.1 Initial Role Breakdown 7 2.0 Analysis and General Environment 7

2.1 Market Research 7 2.2 Analysis of Customer Needs 8 2.3 Analysis of Customer Behaviour 8 2.4 Competitor Analysis 9 2.5 Availability of Materials and Suppliers 10 2.6 Price Analysis 10 2.7 Definition of Specification 11

3.0 Preliminary Design 11 3.1 Functional Analysis 11 3.2 Concept Definition / Preliminary Sketches 12 3.3 Alternative Selection 13 3.4 Design for Manufacture Analysis 14 3.5 Design for Assembly Analysis 14 3.6 Analysis of Make vs. Buy Strategies 15 3.7 Material Selection 16

4.0 Final Design and Schedule 17 4.1 Design Review 17 4.2 Supply Chain 18 4.3 Final Cost Estimates 19 4.4 Payback Analysis / Return on Investment 19 4.5 In-service Support Analysis 20 4.6 Quality Control 20 4.7 Testing Definition 22 4.8 Drawings 23 4.9 Deployment Plan 23

5.0 Review and Future Market Opportunities 23 5.1 Marked Feedback Analysis 23

5.1.1 Future Growth Opportunities 24 5.2 Conclusion 25

5.2.1 Lessons Learned 26

Appendix 27 A0.0 Role Breakdown 27 A1.0 Introduction: 29 A1.1 Role Breakdown 29 A2.1 Market Research 30

A2.1.1 Problem Description 30 A2.1.2 Quantitative and Qualitative Research 32

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A2.2 Analysis of Customer Needs 41 A2.3 Analysis of Customer Behaviour 44 A2.4 Competitor Analysis 46 A2.5 Availability of Material and Suppliers 48 A2.6 Price Analysis 53 A2.7 Definition of Specification 56 A3.1 Functional Analysis 56 A3.2 Concept Definition 58 A3.3 Alternative Selection 64 A3.4 Design for manufacturing analysis 66 A3.6 Design for Assembly Analysis 68 A3.6 Make vs. Buy Strategy 71 A3.7 Material Selection 73 A4.1 Design Review 77 A4.2 Supply Chain 79 A4.3 Final Cost Estimates 85

A4.3.1 Order costs 85 A4.3.2 Manufacture cost estimations 86 A4.3.3 Effect of material selection on cost 89 A4.3.4 Effect of bulk quantity on cost 90 A4.3.5 Assembly costs 92

A4.4 Payback Analysis/Return on Investment Analysis 93 A4.5 In-Service Support Analysis 95 A4.8 Drawings 96

A4.8.1 Visual Representation of the of the handle assembly 115 A5.1 Market Feedback Analysis 120 A5.2 Conclusion 125

References 128

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List of Tables and Figures Figures

Figure 1. Pedal Flusher Functional Diagram 13 Figure 2. The OOT OPERATED FLUSHER FOR TOILETS OR THE LIKE 26

In Appendix Figure 3. Quantitative Analysis Q1 33 Figure 4. Quantitative Analysis Q2 35 Figure 5. Quantitative Analysis Q3 36 Figure 6. Quantitative Analysis Q4 37 Figure 7. Quantitative Analysis Q5 38 Figure 8. Quantitative Analysis Q6 39 Figure 9. Quantitative Analysis Q7 40 Figure 10. Graph of Cost per part vs. Quantity [13] 55 Figure 11. First Concept Design 59 Figure 12. Second Concept Design for standard toilet 60 Figure 13. Second Concept Design for public toilet 61 Figure 14. Third Concept Design front view of base 62 Figure 15. Third Concept Design side view 63 Figure 16. Third Concept Design handle connection 64 Figure 17. Cost of producing 250 pedals using CNC machining using Haizol [18] 65 Figure 18.Cost of producing 250 pedals using laser cutting using Factory [18] 65 Figure 19. Steel Cable [28] 67 Figure 20. Final Design: Base 77 Figure 21. Final Design: Base section view 78 Figure 22. Final Design: Handle connection 78 Figure 23. Final Design Assembly 79 Figure 24. Parts we order vs. manufacture 81 Figure 25. PERT Critical Path Chart 83 Figure 26. Pedal order 87 Figure 27. Pulley order 87 Figure 28. Base Order 88 Figure 29. Hook order 88 Figure 30. Top Cover order 89 Figure 31. Pedal Costs by Material 90 Figure 32. Pedal Costs vs. Bulk Size 91 Figure 33. Cost vs. amount of parts manufactured 91 Figure 34. Mechanical drawing of the Main Base Block (Part #1) 97 Figure 35. Front view Mechanical drawing of the Main Base Block (Part #1) 98 Figure 36. Top view Mechanical drawing of the Main Base Block (Part #1) 99 Figure 37. Right side view Mechanical drawing of the Main Base Block (Part #1) 100 Figure 38. Mechanical drawing of the Top Base Cover (Part #2) 101

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Figure 39. 3D design of the Anti-Slip Rubber Padding created using Solidworks (Part #3)102 Figure 40. Mechanical drawing of the Hooked Pedal (Part #4) 103 Figure 41. 3D design of the Pedal Spring created using Solidworks (Part #5) 104 Figure 42. Mechanical Drawing of the Pulley (Part #6) 105 Figure 43. 3D design of the Crimping Loop Sleeve created using Solidworks (Part #7) 106 Figure 44. 3D design of the Elastic Band created using Solidworks (Part #8) 107 Figure 45. Mechanical Drawing of the Hooked Metal Band (Part #9) 107 Figure 46. 3D design of the Adjusted Clamp created using Solidworks (Part #10) 108 Figure 47. 3D design of the standard Philips Screw created using Solidworks (Part #11)109 Figure 48. Image of the Reinforced Metal Wire (Part #12). Source: Amazon.ca [28] 110 Figure 49. 3D design of the Velcro Looped Strip (Part #13) and Velcro Hooked Strip (Part #14) created using Solidworks 111 Figure 50. Image of the Reinforced Metal Wire assembled with the Crimping Loop Sleeve from Amazon.ca [28] [34]. 112 Figure 51. Assembly representation performed using Solidworks, of the main pedal product which includes the Main Base Block, two Fixable Pulleys, the Hooked Pedal, four Pedal Springs, the Anti-Slip Base Padding, and the Top Base Cover. 112 Figure 52. Section view of the assembly representation performed using Solidworks, of the main pedal product which includes the Main Base Block, two Fixable Pulleys, the Hooked Pedal, four Pedal Springs, the Anti-Slip Base Padding, and the Top Base Cover.113 Figure 53. Different angle of the section view of the assembly representation performed using Solidworks, of the main pedal product which includes the Main Base Block, two Fixable Pulleys, the Hooked Pedal, four Pedal Springs, the Anti-Slip Base Padding and the Top Base Cover. 114 Figure 54. Yellow sticker that will be attached to the Top Base Cover. 115 Figure 55. Step 1 of the handle assembly. 115 Figure 56. Step 2 of the handle assembly. 116 Figure 57. Step 3 of the handle assembly. 117 Figure 58. Step 4 of the handle assembly. 118 Figure 59. Step 5 of the handle assembly. 119 Figure 60. An image that was created to represent our final product. 120 Figure 61. Final Quantitative Analysis Q1 122 Figure 62. Final Quantitative Analysis Q2 123 Figure 63. Final Quantitative Analysis Q3 124 Figure 64. Final Quantitative Analysis Q4 125

Tables Table 1. Make vs. Buy 17 Table 2. Materials Selected 18 Table 3. Final Cost Estimate 20 Table 4. Quality Control Table 23

In Appendix 28 Table 5. Customer Needs Mission Statement 42 Table 6. Customer Needs Interview 42

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Table 7. Customer Needs Relative Importance 43 Table 8. Customer Needs Quantify Importance 43 Table 9. Customer Needs 52 Table 10. Metrics 52 Table 11. Marginal and Ideal Values 53 Table 12. 3D Printing vs. CNC Machining [13] 54 Table 13. Cost of Raw Materials [13] 55 Table 14. Functional Analysis 59 Table 15 DFA Analysis 70 Table 16. Parts Manufactured internally or externally 80 Table 17. Parts required by order 82 Table 18. Order Costs 85 Table 19. Manufacturing Cost Estimates 86 Table 20. Assembly Costs 92 Table 21. Maximum time payback analysis 94 Table 22. Minimum time payback analysis 95

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Abstract

COVID-19 forces the world every day to change and redefine what is normal. One aspect of life that is ever-changing is sanitation. There has been an incredible effort put forth by government officials and individual business owners to provide a safe working and living environment. An area that has seen incredible difficulty in meeting pre-existing and now new sanitation requirements is public washroom facilities. Our team has identified a vital step in washroom behavior that needs to be adjusted and that is in the way toilets are flushed. The Pedal Flusher is a product that provides a cheap, hands-free flush as a retrofit attachment to any style of toilet with a handle flusher. The Pedal Flusher will soon become the norm for how all toilets will be flushed. To achieve the full development of the product, thorough marketing, design, and manufacturing analysis have been done

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1.0 Introduction

Public washrooms prove to be a terrible place for spreading germs and are known to

be dirty. One of the primary culprits for spreading unwanted germs is the toilet flushing

handles. Generally, people wipe, flush the toilet, open their stall door, turn on the knob of the

sink, and then wash their hands (that is if they wash their hands). We have identified a crucial

problem in that nightmare of a germ spreading chain, and that is the toilet handle! Our

product allows the user to only need to step on a pedal, where a mechanical linkage system

will then flush the toilet. The solution benefits all members of the public as it eliminates the

first point of contact after wiping.

See Appendix A1.0 for further information.

1.1 Initial Role Breakdown

Project Manager: Trevor; Tasks Include: Schedule and team management.

Business Department: Daniel, Rina, and Racha; Tasks Include: Marketing, sales, and cost

analysis.

Design Department: Ikhtear and Marc; Tasks Include: 3D CAD drawing and simulations.

Manufacturing Department: Ran and Zachary; Tasks Include: Production, sourcing, and

evaluation.

Refer to Appendix A1.1 for full task descriptions.

2.0 Analysis and General Environment

2.1 Market Research

The market research is important as it is essential to our business case and helps

determine whether or not the product is worth developing. Quantitative research has been

conducted by a survey and a qualitative analysis section has been added to support our

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product solution. In total, we received 242 responses but unfortunately, the following data

shows results of only 153 responses because we were restricted by the software of analyzing

the rest of the responses.

Here are some of the results we got :

1. 52.3% of the 153 responders go daily in a building that establishes over 50 toilets.

2. 40% of responders use their hands to flush.

3. 49% of responders said that the way facilities keep the washrooms clean is disgusting.

4. 94.1% of responders answered that they rather use only their feet to flush.

With the above, we could proceed with a customer's needs analysis.

Refer to Appendix A2.1 for a full description.

2.2 Analysis of Customer Needs

The most important customer needs were the ability to flush without needing to touch

the toilet with your hand, the device needs to reduce the collection of dirt and promote

cleanliness, and finally, it must work in a way that prevents the transfer of germs. The toilet

flusher must be easy to install, and it needs to fit the existing toilet. It needs to be recyclable,

easy to use from a comfortable position, while still being affordable. The ability for the Pedal

Flusher to fit on the existing toilet, and prevent the spread of germs scored the highest on the

relative importance survey.

Refer to Appendix A2.2 for full description.

2.3 Analysis of Customer Behaviour

After analyzing key aspects of customer behavior, such as the country of operation of

the customers, the number of toilets they own, the public or private nature of said toilets, and

which handle their toilet models have, the team concluded that there are three main types of

customers to consider. The first customer to prioritize are commercial businesses. These

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potential customers own establishments with a high number of public toilets, and they would

benefit from the Pedal Flusher retrofit. The second most important type of customer is the

governmental institutions. They also possess multiple high and private toilets in their

buildings and their hygiene norms favor the installation of Pedal Flushers during this

pandemic and beyond. The last type of customer is the household owners. For many reasons,

individuals would like to be able to install a Pedal Flusher in their homes as has been proven

by conducted market research. These customers are directly linked to the sales of the product

to homeware and hardware retailers.


2.4 Competitor Analysis

The Pedal Flusher is a product that stands ahead of all competition. Simply put, the

Pedal Flusher offers a hands-free flush so we analyzed other companies and products that

offer the same benefit. Products that offer a hand-free flush are either retrofit attachments,

like the Pedal Flusher, or a completely new toilet design. The competitors from a retrofit

design are the Kohler Touchless Toilet Flush Kit that sells for CAD 177.88 [6] and the Wave

Touchless Toilet which sells for about $800. [7] Both of these retrofits use a motion sensor

installed in the toilet that flushes when activated. These are very expensive products with

terrible reviews online and are known to malfunction. The main competition that the Pedal

Flusher faces is the American Standard motion sensor toilet design. These toilets are already

common and have a relatively large market in North America. A motion sensor toilet usually

costs around $230 and a toilet installation costs $150 making the total cost roughly $380 for a

hands-free flush. [8] The Pedal Toilet Flush costs $55-60 and can be installed by any

layperson making it the obvious product to purchase when wanting a toilet with a hands-free

flush.

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2.5 Availability of Materials and Suppliers

The goal of the Pedal Flusher is that it must be inexpensive while providing quality. It

needs to provide rigidity, withstand bending, and good strength. It needed to be aesthetically

pleasing. It must also prevent mold formation. It must not slip when using it. We also

consider North American-based suppliers to provide us with the materials required to develop

our product.

Materials that we initially considered in the early stage of the development of the

product were polymers, stainless steel, steel, aluminum, titanium, and brass. In the later stage

of development, we have kept, added, and discarded materials that will be used for the final

product which can be found in section 3.7 Material Selection.

Our initial consideration for suppliers was from North America. Specifically,

Canadian based such as Polymershapes, Plastic Silgan Canada inc, Les Plastiques Laird Inc.

Berlin Packaging, and many other possibilities The decision for suppliers depended on

several factors. Some of them include the quality of their goods and services, quality of the

organization as a whole, positive impact for our organization, cost. Decisions for suppliers

were finalized in the later sections of this report.


2.6 Price Analysis

There are many possible manufacturing processes that have to be taken into account

such as welding to assemble metal parts and threading if screws are needed for the assembly

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but because we do not have a designed prototype we are unable to estimate exact costs for

our project.

However, based on research at this point in our prototype development, CNC

manufacturing is the most compatible with our needs. CNC machining has many advantages.

It has a lower cost of production, as less labor is required (only one operator has to monitor

the machine during operation and look at its outputs). It is very precise and accurate and can

create parts with complex geometries and different textures. Furthermore, it is an automated

machine so its final products are consistent and with high levels of quality control.

Refer to Appendix A2.6 for Full description.

2.7 Definition of Specification

Product specification is a process that translates customers' needs into measurable

terms. The table of customer needs, table of the established metrics and units for toilet flusher

pedal, and table of assigned marginal and ideal values are shown below in the appendix parts.

There does not exist a toilet design similar to toilet flusher pedals; as a result, the competitive

benchmarking is unnecessary for our project. All the values and specifications are estimated

right now, more accurate data will be added when we continue to improve our design. The

toilet flasher pedal is an “average” product because the design is not very complex because

one of our main ideas is easy to install; therefore, our product does not need multiple options.


3.0 Preliminary Design

3.1 Functional Analysis

As seen on the functional diagram below, the Pedal Flusher has three main

components: the base, the wiring system, and the handle assembly on the original toilet valve.

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The base is the main element of the design in which the primary goal is to pull down the wire.

When the users press on the pedal, the springs are compressed and pull down the wire. The

base also provides stability (from the anti-slip rubber padding) such that the pedal does not

move. The wire system is simply composed of the cable which pulls down the handle valve.

The handle assembly provides connectivity to the cable and toilet hand valve.

Pedal Flusher

Figure 1. Pedal Flusher Functional Diagram

To provide more details to each sub-component, Table __ in Appendix A3.1 has

details of their dimensions shown in a DFA table.

3.2 Concept Definition / Preliminary Sketches

Our team determined the scope of our project within our first team meeting in late

September 2020. We all agreed on making a simple mechanical mechanism that flushes a

toilet by a foot pedal. We came up with the very first concept drawing during that meeting.

(see Figure 11) The first concept design consists of a large pedal with a connection to a steel

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rod which is linked to a second rod connected to the toilet handle. The team did not further

define any other aspects of the mechanism like material, size, etc. at that time.

On October 28th, our team presented the second concept to the Concordia MIAE 380

Fall 2020 class. (See Figure 12) This second design concept consists of a large thin metal

base plate with a pedal attached to it. The pedal would be connected to a thin wire that can

flow through a thin metal tube. The metal tube would have a few holes in the side of the tube

at the standard toilet handle heights where the wire would come out and connect to the toilet

handle. Our team received great feedback from the presentation and we realized we needed to

massively improve upon the design.

On November 5th, our team met online to finalize our design concept. We revisited

our Analysis of Customer Needs as well as identified some important additional

considerations. We fully finalized our design concept from base to handle. The third design

concept operates when the pedal gets compressed. The cord gets pulled down at the same

distance as the pedal in the base. The cord's downward motion gets translated to horizontal

motion moving towards the pedal due to a pulley. Another pulley translates the horizontal

motion to vertical again traveling downwards. The cord is connected to the toilet handle by

our custom design and pulls the toilet handle downwards causing the toilet to flush. The

custom design connection from the cord to the toilet handle can fit any style of toilet handle

flusher. (See figures 14, 15, and 16)


3.3 Alternative Selection

Between all possible alternatives, one thing must remain constant, the Pedal Toilet

Flusher must fit all types of commercial toilets. We considered many materials for parts of

the product but after careful consideration done in the upcoming sections, the most effective

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material was chosen for that desired function. Many manufacturing alternatives can be done,

but the most effective one was chosen by comparing costs without hindering final product

quality. There were alternative ways of designing the pedal valve but these options were not

chosen because they weren’t as feasible. (See concepts 1 and 2 from section 3.2 Concept

Definition)


3.4 Design for Manufacture Analysis

The main idea of manufacturing analysis is reducing production costs and

strengthening the supply chain without sacrificing product quality. Our product can be

separated into three parts: rubber padding, pulley and cable, and body. We achieve design for

manufacturing by reducing the number of components, reducing the difficulty of assembly,

reducing the use of additional equipment, and choosing appropriate transportation and storage

methods for these three main parts of our product.


3.5 Design for Assembly Analysis

The steps to assemble the Pedal Flusher are split into two different parts: a partial

assembly performed in the company facility before shipping, and a final installation

performed by the customer on their toilets. A DFA is conducted and the results are compiled

in a table that can be found in the Appendix. The found efficiency is 80.214%, and the total

operation time equals 93.5 seconds, which can be broken down to 37.5 seconds for the partial

assembly and 56 seconds for the installation. There are a total of 25 parts minimally required.


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3.6 Analysis of Make vs. Buy Strategies

Part Number

Part Description

Process Materials

Unit Cost

Quantity

Units Total Cost

G.M Precision

Main Base Block

CNC Machining - 150s

Steel $

11.50

1 part $ 11.50

G.M Precision

Top Cover CNC Machining - 22.5s

ABS Plastic

$

5.54

1 part $

5.54

1370N55 Anti-Slip Padding

Cut to rectangular shape - 60s

Neoprene Rubber

$

2.78

1 part $

2.78

74985A71 Glue Disperse on the bottom of the base

Cyanoacrylate

$

29.68

0.14 fluid ounce

$

4.16

G.M Precision

Hooked Pedal

CNC Machining - 23s

ABS Plastic

$

8.90

1 part $

8.90

9657K173 Pedal Spring Assemble Zinc-Plated Spring-Tempered Steel

$

0.78

4 part $

3.12

G.M Precision

Fixable Pulley

CNC Machining

ABS Plastic

$

0.60

2 part $

1.20

3633T2 Crimping Loop Sleeve

Clamping Aluminum 1/16"

$

0.21

2 part $

0.43

88225K68 Elastic Band Assemble Elastic Latex Fabric

$

0.07

2.5 inches $

0.07

G.M Precision

Hooked Metal Band

Assemble -12.5s

Carbon Steel

$

2.81

1 part $

2.81

G.M Precision

Adjustable Clamp

Assemble Stainless Steel

$

1.53

1 part $

1.53

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Table 1. Make vs. Buy


3.7 Material Selection

The following table provides the list of the final materials used for each component of the

Toilet Pedal Flusher.

91420A018 Clamp Screw

Assemble Zinc-plated Stainless Steel

$

0.04

4 part $

0.14

3321T11 Reinforced Metal Wire

Cut to length - 3s

Steel Rope

$

1.95

30 inches $

1.95

9273K14 Velcro Hook and Loop

Assemble Nylon Fabric & Acrylic Adhesive

$

0.04

0.25 inches $

0.04

Total $ 44.17

Part Material

Anti-slip rubber padding Neoprene Rubber

Pulley Thermoplastic

Cable Steel Wire

Casing/Main Body Thermoplastic

Top Cover Thermoplastic

Hooked Metal Band Carbon Steel

Pedal Thermoplastic

Adjustable Perforated Clamps Stainless Steel

Springs Zinc plated tempered steel

Philip screws Zinc-Plated Stainless Steel

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Table 2. Materials Selected


4.0 Final Design and Schedule

4.1 Design Review

The final design of the Pedal Flusher can be seen in Figure 23. Our design became

perfected and finalized on November 28th, 2020. This final design takes into account all of

the research done to provide the most effective, safe, and cheap Pedal Flusher possible.

The final design of the Pedal Flusher resembles and operates as explained in the third

Concept Design (See section 3.2 Concept Definition) with a few improvements. For starters,

a vertical bar was added to the base to allow for the entire housing to be locked by a standard

bolt lock to ensure the security of the mechanism. Circular hole indents were made in the

base under the pedal to ensure proper spring alignment. The housing design was improved to

ensure efficient and cheap manufacture and assembly of the product. A yellow sticker saying

“STEP TO FLUSH” with an arrow pointing to the pedal was added to ensure proper use of

the product. An elastic band was added to ensure a tight grip on any size toilet handle.

All material used and supply chain has been defined to ensure the most effective price

for the product without jeopardizing performance.

Refer to Appendix A4.1 for images.

Elastic Band Elastic Latex Fabric

Crimping Loop Sleeve Aluminum

Hook strips Nylon Fabric And Acrylic Adhesive

Loop strips Nylon Fabric And Acrylic Adhesive

Glue Cyanoacrylate

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4.2 Supply Chain

The supply chain of the final design shows the flow of parts from the beginning of the

line of production till its distribution in the form of a complete unit. The design contains a lot

of standard parts that can be bought in bulk by suppliers, other parts require to be

manufactured in large amounts as they are exclusive. In this section the Production PERT

chart is located demonstrating every path of all the elements till the final assembly


4.3 Final Cost Estimates

Referring to section 3.6 Make vs Buy decisions, cost estimation was divided into

bought part costs, manufactured part costs, and assembly cost.

The parts that were more practical to buy are listed in Appendix A4.3.1 along with

their costs. The provider for our bought parts is McMaster-Carr Supply Company. Using this

supplier, the cost of all the bought parts is found to be 14.22 $ per Pedal Flusher.

The manufacturing cost estimates were made based on instant manufacture quotes

given by the companies Fractory and Haizel as seen in Appendix A4.3.2. These quotes

provided a point of reference for cost estimation. The manufacturing process and material

selection were appropriately chosen to fit the purpose and design of each part. The impact of

material selection on price is further explained in Appendix A4.3.3. The quote contains an

order quantity of 1000 per part manufactured. In all manufacturing processes, the quantity

greatly affects the unit price. Therefore we expect our actual prices to be less than the ones

given in the quotes. Once our company begins buying in bulk the prices of manufacture per

part will drop according to the graphs seen in Appendix A4.3.4. Keeping this in mind, the

estimate for the manufacturing price of one part is 29.35$ when the bulk quantity is 1000.

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The assembly time previously calculated in section 3.5 was used to find the cost of

assembling one part. An assumed hourly rate of 15$/hour was multiplied by assembly time to

determine that it would take 0.9$ to assemble one part. These calculations are tabulated in

Appendix A4.3.5.

After taking the sum of the cost of bought parts, cost of manufactured parts, and

assembly cost, it's estimated that it would cost 44.476 $ to manufacture 1 Pedal Flusher in a

bulk quantity of 1000. With the understanding that this price would drop once order sizes

become greater.

Table 3. Final Cost Estimate


4.4 Payback Analysis / Return on Investment

The Pedal Flusher costs $44.5 to make one unit. Our team has decided to sell our

product at the following rates: 1-99 units at $60/unit and the cost/unit continues to decrease

by $1 every 100 units until our lowest price of $55 for 500+ units. As stated in Section 2.2

Analysis of Customer Needs, we aim to enter 5% of the market in one year. This totals to

about 1,250,000 units. Our total expenses of manufacturing for one year would be $44.5/unit

x 1,250,000 units = $55,625,000. Our maximum possible revenue would be if 1,250,000 units

were sold at $60 giving us a revenue of $75,000,000 and a profit of $19,375,000. Our

minimum possible revenue would be if 1,250,000 units were sold at $55/unit giving us a

Total cost of parts pre-ordered in one assembly $ 14.22

Total cost of manufactured costs in one assembly $ 29.35

Total cost of assembly for one assembly $ 0.906

Total cost $ 44.476

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revenue of $68,750,000 and a profit of $13,125,000. Our revenues each year are enough to

cover manufacturing costs, but to pay for supply chain, purchasing bulk material and

machines, employee training, and all other product development expenses, we would require

a loan of $150,000,000. We assume no interest on the loan because interest loans in Canada

are currently very low and we would push for incentives from the government to allow us no

interest because our product benefits public health. The maximum time to pay back the loan

would be 12 years and the minimum would be 8 years assuming all profit goes towards

paying off the loan.

Refer to Appendix A4.4 for full description and payback analysis tables.

4.5 In-service Support Analysis

Once the product has been launched, in-service support will need to be considered.

When it comes to customer relations, a warranty and insurance policy will be created by the

legal team to guide said relations and avoid any unfortunate events and risks. Although the

company does not plan to perform any installations, a Manual of Installation will be provided

to every customer. Spare parts will be available for purchase. Additionally, a corporate

website will be created and a customer support hotline and email address will be set up to

ease communication with customers and users. Although construction or renting of

warehouses is not in the plans for the first year of operations, a continuous improvement team

will be put in place to achieve a leaner production efficiency.


4.6 Quality Control

Quality control is a process through which a business seeks to ensure that product

quality is maintained or improved. Quality control requires the business to create an

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environment in which both management and employees strive for perfection. A quality

product is created from a precise process and well-trained staff. A detailed manufacturing

process was constructed, with the expertise of knowledgeable manufacturing professionals,

and the process was optimized to produce quality products, and save on time. Every new hire

will be given a process sheet that lists all of the assembly steps. The new hire will be trained

by their supervisor on the first day of the job. The supervisor will continue to monitor the

process and spot checks random assemblies to make sure every employee is following the

same process.

See assembly procedures in the design for assembly section 3.5.

Another important aspect of quality control is product benchmarking, several

measurements will be taken for a sample of five Pedal Flushers daily. The sample will be

taken at random and it will be the responsibility of the supervisor to take the measurements

and record them in a daily log. Every week the measurements will be reviewed to check for

any trending deviations.

Part ID

Measurement ID

Date Description Measured Value (mm)

Nominal Value (mm)

1 1 2021-01-01 Base Width

114.30

1 2 2021-01-01 Base Height

96.40

1 3 2021-01-01 Base Hole Position

32.00

1 4 2021-01-01 Pedal Width & Length

101.60

1 5 2021-01-01 Pulley Diameter

16.51

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Table 4. Quality Control Table

4.7 Testing Definition

The inspection will be divided into two categories. All devices will be visually

checked by-product inspectors, this will not be the same person that assembled the product.

Inspectors will be provided with a list of descriptions of unacceptable product defects such as

cracks or defects, and their job is to separate any Pedal Flushers that do not meet the visual

requirements.

- Misassembled product

- Cracks or abnormalities

- Finish is rough or dirty

The second category of testing will be destructive, two Pedal Flushers will be tested

daily by applying repeated force to the pedal with a small pneumatic press. Small application,

low force presses are available online from distributors for $1000-2000. They are also

available in secondary markets like Kijiji, a good condition example is around $500. The

inspector will measure the linear motion of the cable, if the pedal maintains the same amount

of linear motion from one hour of repeated 200 lb downward force applied then it passes the

inspection. The inspector will record any flaws or damage. The reports will be summarized,

and any failures will be reported back to the supervisors.

1 6 2021-01-01 Pulley Shaft Diameter

4.00

1 7 2021-01-01 Spring Length

76.20

1 8 2021-01-01 Spring Diameter

12.70

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4.8 Drawings

All of the 3D designs and mechanical drawings were created using Solidworks. The custom

externally manufactured parts have their mechanical drawings while for the standard ordered

parts, Solidworks 3D design screenshots were provided to represent those parts.


4.9 Deployment Plan

The main target of our product is household toilets and the toilet in public places. In the

beginning, we will sell our Pedal Flushers from a large shopping mall in the city center of a

large city in Canada. Next step, we will promote our product to public places such as airports,

universities, and government buildings. Due to the increase of users, we can get more

feedback. This feedback will help us to continue upgrading our product and developing a new

product.


5.0 Review and Future Market Opportunities

5.1 Marked Feedback Analysis

Assuming that the product has been successfully deployed and has been used for a

certain timeline, a market feedback analysis has been conducted. To know how the public

feels about the Pedal Flusher, a short survey has been conducted. In total, there were 33

responders which is a drastic change in number from the market analysis survey, hence the

qualitative analysis may not be as accurate. Here are some of the results:

1. 32 responders said they are more satisfied that establishments are adopting the Pedal

Flusher such that it gives a more sanitary environment.

24

2. 87.9% of responders said that it is easier for them to use the pedal rather than their

hands.

3. 30 responders said that they rather still see the Pedal Flusher in small public areas.

4. One-third of the responders said they do not wish to install the Pedal Flusher in their

household.

With the above, we could proceed with a future growth opportunity analysis.


5.1.1 Future Growth Opportunities

Currently, the primary market of the designed Pedal Flusher is big establishments and

commercial areas where thousands of people attend daily. The big establishments include

airports, schools, libraries, etc. Commercial buildings include malls, the cinema, downtown

office buildings, etc. Now that the team has successfully helped to develop a product that

avoids the spreading of bacterias and germs, to what extent can that action be taken? As seen

on the market feedback survey, responders say that they would feel more comfortable using a

foot pedal system to flush within a small business. The next step would be to deploy the

Pedal Flusher to all small businesses that have public bathrooms. By deploying the pedal

valve to all public washrooms, it would decrease even more the chance of spreading germs.

Nonetheless, to drastically decrease the spread of germs, ideally, the Pedal Flusher would

also be installed into residential areas, but that is rather a personal choice of the consumer.

Furthermore, the toilet system is different, and must then design a new pedal valve that would

be suitable for household toilets. The FOOT OPERATED FLUSHER FOR TOILETS OR

THE LIKE created by Charles W. Rehback, Orcutt, Calif is an example of the many proposed

pedal valve flushers suitable for residential toilets. As seen in Figure 2, it is a device that can

be installed on the existing toilet, just like this project’s design.

25

Figure 2. The OOT OPERATED FLUSHER FOR TOILETS OR THE LIKE

created by Charles W. Rehback [1]

There is a wire road connected to the base. The user would simply press on the pedal

where spring is compressed and the rod will then pull down the hand valve. There is therefore

a possibility of creating a pedal toilet flush valve that is similar to the commercial one

developed in this project. A new design with similar materials would be constructed to

accommodate the house’s toilets. This second opportunity is set to not be soon as there

should be first enough data and analysis on how the consumers feel about the usage of the

pedal valve in public areas. Lastly, the Pedal Flusher has a target deployment in North

America only. However, if deemed successful, government health officials in other parts of

the world may consider the idea of implementing it. This can drastically increase sanitary

conditions, especially in highly dense living areas where thousands of people commonly use

the same public washrooms.

5.2 Conclusion

To help avoid the spread of germs, a team of engineers from varied fields created a

Pedal Flusher. The idea of developing the flusher valve comes from the covid-19 pandemic

26

and the usual contraction of disease through touching the valve and spreading the germs onto

further objects if not properly washed hands. The primary market targets are the commercial

and institutional establishments where hundreds of people attend daily. The competitor is the

development of motion-sensor toilets, where it flushes by movement. The pedal is composed

of a rubber padding, a cable, a pulley system, a casing that houses the pulleys, spring, and

wire. The forecasted demand which satisfies 5% of the Canadian toilets market share is 1 250

000 units of Pedal Flusher with a cost of 44.5$. It was determined that the maximum profit is

$19,375,000. Although the team hopes to develop a residential Pedal Flusher, we will first

aim to market the idea of implementing the Pedal Flusher in all public places.

5.2.1 Lessons Learned

The project of developing the pedal toilet valve has been an extensive task whereupon

the team faced many challenges. The product had to be designed and developed from scratch

and its cost, marketing, manufacturing, and deployment analysis were done. Below lists

some of the lessons learned from this project.

1. The team must keep continuous communication to keep everyone updated with tasks

and knowledge. A google drive has been created where files and folders were sorted

into each task to keep track of the improvements of the project. Furthermore, a group

chat of the teammates has been created for instant communication. Consistent

meetings were done to ensure that the project is going well.

2. To conduct milestones, the person in charge of the assignment must do thorough

research (from scholars, reliable articles) beforehand such that there will be an easy

flow of accomplishment. The resources must also be cited in the text.

3. To do a proper design, materials and part assembly must be sketched beforehand and

detailed mechanical drawings will be easier when using AutoCAD or SolidWorks.

27

Appendix

A0.0 Role Breakdown

In regards to percentage of work done, Team 2 was very efficient the entire semester

with communication and completing work on time. We always stayed ahead of schedule and

made it our mission to complete this final project report to the best of each of our abilities.

Everyone bought in to our mission, everyone contributed, everyone pulled their own weight

and then some. To prove we all agree on this percentage of work done scheme, we imputed

our initials and date.

100% of work / 8 people = 12.5% / person

Marc Aprahamian (40106701) = 12.5% - MA - 2020/12/01 Zachary Belanger (27468180) = 12.5% - ZB - 2020/12/01 Ren Bicong (27849060) = 12.5% - RB - 2020/12/01 Racha Bilen (40090690) = 12.5% - RB - 2020/12/01 Ikhtear Goldar (40127972) = 12.5% - IG - 2020/12/01 Trevor Langford (40050427) = 12.5% - TL - 2020/12/01 Rina Nastas (40033843) = 12.5% - RN - 2020/12/01 Daniel Ortega (40022926) = 12.5% - DO - 2020/12/01 This percentage was agreed upon by everyone in our team!

TASK DESCRIPTION TEAM MEMBER IN CHARGE

SUPPORTING TEAM MEMBER

Document Assembly & Formatting Trevor Everyone

Abstract & Introduction Trevor & Ikhtear --

Market Research Racha --

Analysis of Customer Needs Zach

Analysis of Customer Behavior Daniel --

Competitor Analysis Trevor

Availability of Material and Suppliers

Ikhtear

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*No table number because technically this is out of our report and only for Dr. Gabriel

Taraboulsi.*

Price Analysis Marc & Rina --

Functional Analysis Racha --

Concept Definition Trevor

Definitions of Specifications Ren

Design for Manufacturing Analysis

Ren

Design for Assembly Analysis Daniel --

Alternative Selections Rina Racha

Make vs Buy Strategy Zach

Material Selection Ikhtear Daniel

Design Review Trevor

Supply Chain Marc Daniel, Racha

Final Cost Estimates Rina Zach

Payback & ROI Analysis Trevor Daniel

In-Service Support Analysis Daniel --

Quality Control Zach

Testing Definition Zach

Drawings Ikhtear Marc

Deployment Plan Ren

Market Feedback Analysis Racha --

Future Growth Opportunities Racha --

Conclusion Racha --

Team Leadership Trevor Daniel

Presentation Slides Formatting Racha Everyone

29

A1.0 Introduction:

We are targeting our solution towards large-scale public washrooms in North America

like schools, malls, venues, etc. but the attachment would fit on any style of toilet. Concordia

University has a desirable washroom layout for the benefits of the “Pedal Flusher”. It will be

a cheap retrofit attachment that can be bought in bulk and be easily installed by any layperson

on the majority of toilet designs in North America.

Our biggest competition would be the auto-flush designed toilets in public washrooms

that rely on motion sensor technology to flush the toilet. We are providing public washrooms

a faster, cheaper, and more reliable alternative to hands-free flushing rather than uninstalling

all the current manual flush toilets, and then installing the auto-flush toilets.

The “Pedal Flusher” will be an excellent product that can easily become a standard in

today's world as the public is becoming increasingly conscious and careful of spreading

germs. It will become a normal part of public washrooms and our team is confident in

developing the safest and most effective “Pedal Flusher”.

A1.1 Role Breakdown

The project manager is Trevor and they are responsible to overlook all the departments and to

make sure that the product development activities are on schedule.

Rina and Daniel are responsible for market research and the marketing of the product.

The marketing team will be responsible for how the product will be advertised, meeting

current competition levels, and informing the project manager of the recommended time

delivery of the product.

Racha will be responsible for the finance department which will look into the price

analysis of the materials needed, the cost of labor, the cost of sale, and will do a cost analysis

on the whole project.

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The engineers that are in charge of the design will be Ikhtear and Marc. The design

will include sketches, a SolidWorks drawing, and will work closely with the manufacturing

department.

The production engineer responsible for the manufacturing department will be Ren

Bicong. This department will produce the product most efficiently. The test engineer is

Zachary Belanger and they will be responsible to make sure that the final product meets the

design expectations. They will run quality-control tests and work closely with the

manufacturing and production department.

A2.1 Market Research

The market research is important as it is essential to our business case and helps

determine whether or not the product is worth developing. To analyze the Pedal Flusher, first,

the problem of the bacterial chain is thoroughly explained and how standard hand flushers are

the main reason for spreading germs. Quantitative research has been conducted by a survey

and a qualitative analysis section has been added to support our product solution. Once our

case has been built, the Pedal Flusher must be marketed and our aimed customers are owners

of any kind of business that have small or big establishments as well as government health

officials.

A2.1.1 Problem Description

According to The Sun, a news platform in the UK, the average toilet handle has 83

types of bacterias per square inch. Depending on the type of business in public places, the

number can be larger given the dense population which attends the public toilets. Although in

some places they keep it regularly clean, it accumulates just as much as it gets clean and at a

faster rate. The handle to flush is an essential mechanism in the toilet seat to discard whatever

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mess the person did to keep it as sanitary and clean as possible. Commonly, almost everyone

touches the handle to flush and hence starts the spread of the bacterias. They open the stall

door by the stall handle, go to wash their hands and that is if they washed their hands. People

who do not wash their hands leave the washroom by opening the door and therefore

spreading germs on the door handle. After the washroom, the bacterias get spread everywhere

depending on the persons’ activities. The spread of germs and the almost termination of the

bacterial chain can be done by not only washing the hands (the user’s responsibility) but also

installing a Pedal Flusher (the buyer’s responsibility) which imposes people to flush with

their feet instead of with their hands. Our aimed customers are the government health

officials and business owners. For the government part, it is most likely very interested in

purchasing our product after the COVID-19 pandemic’s events and it is to impose it on

public places with large attendees. For example, Concordia University will have to install the

Pedal Flusher in all of its washrooms due to the government regulations. For business

owners, it is more difficult to get their attention depending on their impact on society. Larger

cooperation may purchase our product to promote sanitary precautions and build an image

over the consumer. The COVID-19 pandemic has given insight to people on how it is

important to be sanitary at all times. The world has witnessed a virus spread around the entire

world and thus, people’s behavior towards their hygiene has improved. An argument would

be that, since people are more cautionary after the pandemic, they can be careful dealing with

the place subject to the amount of time they are spending in the building (they may have to go

on a washroom break). For small business owners, they may not be interested in buying our

product because they tend to keep the toilets clean.

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A2.1.2 Quantitative and Qualitative Research

The purpose of this section is to gather data and do an analysis on whether or not

people are interested in our product. To gather opinions, a survey has been conducted. In

total, we received 242 responses but unfortunately, the following data shows results of only

153 responses because we were restricted by the software of analyzing the rest of the

responses.

To introduce the product idea and the context, the following paragraph has been put

before anyone could conduct the survey:

“A team of engineers has been tasked to develop a product which provides a more sanitary environment within a public establishment. The idea for this project is to produce a Pedal Flusher which will be a simple device that can be easily set up on regular toilet flushers. Although the idea comes from the COVID-19 pandemic, this issue has been present well before that. As such, to conduct the market research of the Pedal Flusher, the team asks you kindly to answer the questions. The context does not apply during the COVID-19 pandemic. This means that you must answer the questions as if we were not during confinement.”

The reason we asked responders to assume we are not during the COVID-19

pandemic is to have more accurate results. Since everyone is restricted to work and to study

from home, no one or little of the population has to use the public washrooms. Though we are

assuming we are not during the pandemic, the problem is still existent currently for essential

workers. They attend work daily for long hours and use the building’s washrooms where

other employees use them as well. Nonetheless, often private washrooms in a small

workplace do not have the commercial toilet which means it does not have the possibility of

the Pedal Flusher attachment. The following results to the survey questions show why public

establishments should purchase the product.

Question 1

Question and options: What is your occupational position?

a. Full-time student

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b. Full-time employee c. Full-time student, studying from home d. Full-time employee, working from home e. None of the above

Quantitative Analysis:

Figure 3. Quantitative Analysis Q1

Qualitative Analysis:

The purpose of this question is to estimate out of the responders, how many attend

daily for long hours an institution with a dense population. As seen on the graph, most of our

responders go to school. It is assumed that they attend a university where the toilets are used

frequently as there are thousands of attendees a day. The results also show that a bigger

number than expected of people studying or working remotely. This may be because they did

not understand the context and thought of the pandemic’s consequences. Regardless of the

full-time position of a person, it does not mean that they don’t partly attend public areas such

as the cinema, the mall, or other big public areas that have public toilets with standard flusher

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handles. This question provides insight into the users when the business case is made in front

of possible buyers and investors.

Question 2

Question and options: If you are a full-time student or employee, do you attend a building that establishes over 50?

a. Yes b. No c. None of the above




This is a follow up on the previous question to support our assumptions. As seen on

the chart, 52.3% of the 153 responders go daily in a building that establishes over 50.

Another assumption is that out of those percentages, they are students who answered

“Full-time student” in the first question. Though the question puts a fixed number of

attendees, it does not change the concept of a bacterial chain; no matter the number of

employees or students in a building. Nonetheless, this question builds an argument more

35

interesting to the government’s health officials. Small powerful business commerces

wouldn’t exactly purchase an attachment device (for budgeting purposes). However, if users

are well informed of the consequences of a standard flush handle, and know that in certain

small business buildings they do not have it installed, they might not be interested in dealing

with the business. In major public places such as schools, malls, etc, government officials

may impose the device and therefore owners of small businesses may also follow their steps.

As such, any public toilet will have a Pedal Flusher.

Question 3

Question and options: Are you a business owner with an establishment with public washrooms?

a. I am a business owner and have an establishment with public washrooms. b. I am a business owner but do not have an establishment with public

washrooms. c. I do not have a business d. None of the above




36

This question is a follow-up argument of the previous question. When making our

business case in front of the government health officials and potential investors, we will show

how many people may own a small business with public toilets and must impose the Pedal

Flusher. The idea of this question is that if people owned a business with a public washroom,

we would ask their point of view on the matter and we would also show that customers are

more attracted to a sanitary environment than otherwise. As seen on the graph, 120 responses

out of 153 said that they do not own a business. Only 8 out of 15 respondents that own a

business have a public toilet. Unfortunately, given our results, the question is nearly null to

our business case and might be discarded as an argument.

Question 4

Question and options:

When you use the public toilet, do you flush with your hand or use your feet to press on it? a. I use my hand. b. I use my feet. c. None of the above




37

The chart shows that over half of the responders use their feet to flush toilets and that

nearly 40% of responders use their hands. This question poses a paradox. When people

answer ‘I use my hands’, it either means that they are in a place that does not use toilets with

the standard commercial flush handle or they simply flush with their hands by ignoring the

complete consequences of the bacterial chain. When people answer ‘I use my feet’ it means

that they are aware of the consequences and avoid it. The bulk of our argument is: for

everyone to use their foot to flush, the Pedal Flusher must be installed such that everyone gets

the concept. As long as the standard one is installed, people will still somewhat use their

hands and pass on bacterias.

Question 5


How would you describe the public toilets in common buildings that you regularly attend and establish hundreds of people?

a. It is disgusting. b. It's “okay” to me, but I wish they could keep it clean. c. I don’t mind at all. d. It’s actually pretty clean. e. None of the above.


Figure 7. Quantitative Analysis Q5 Qualitative Analysis:

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Given the drastic mentality changes since the COVID-19 pandemic, this question is

tricky [3]. We know that people’s behavior towards sanitary precautions has evolved since

the confinement. They are more aware of viruses and bacterias and are more careful. Thus

when answered, people might have forgotten that they have to answer as if we were not

during a pandemic. Assuming this question provides insight into, the user's opinion of the

current worldwide situation rather than before the pandemic, our results may be a bit biased.

Before the pandemic, the cleaning facilities and departments weren’t as careful and thus 49

respondents answered ‘’It’s disgusting’’ whereas the majority (82 responses) said ‘’It's okay

to me but I wish they could keep it clean’’. It still provides support to the Pedal Flusher

because once the device is installed and ready to use, once again people’s mentality will

change and the answers will be in favor of ‘’It’s actually pretty clean’’ and to ‘’I don’t mind

at all’’. Hence when showing this question to buyers, we will show as well the results of the

next question and how they are related.

Question 6


Would you prefer to use a foot pedal system to flush public toilets/urinals instead of doing it with your hands?

a. Definitely! b. I rather use my hands. c. I don’t mind both ways. d. None of the above.


39



As observed on the chart, 94.1% of responders answered that they rather use only

their foot to flush. Hence, consumers will be more satisfied to see a Pedal Flusher and hence

when businesses install them in their washrooms, more of their customers will be attracted to

them rather than competitors. It projects an image of being extra sanitary by not allowing

anyone to put their hands on an area of bacterias. Furthermore, the data shows that consumers

are more driven to this product, which means that it is worth producing.

Question 7


Did you know that the average toilet flush handle can have 83 bacteria per square inch? a. Yes I did b. No I didn’t


40



As seen in the diagram, most of our respondents did not know that the average toilet

flush handle can have 83 bacteria per square inch. Regardless of their answer choice, they

either flush with their hand or feet. When they say no and use their hand to flush, they

unknowingly spread bacterias. When they answer no and use their foot to flush, it most likely

means that even though they are not aware of the number of present bacterias, they would

rather be precautious. When they answer yes and still use their hand, it most likely means that

there is no other way to flush, and so they must touch a bacterial surface. When they answer

yes and use their feet, it means that they are more comfortable flushing using their feet.

Having a Pedal Flusher would prevent any of these scenarios.

The principally aimed customers are owners of large or small businesses and the

government health officials. In the next sections, the analysis of customer needs, analysis of

consumer behavior, competitor analysis, and price analysis is described in detail. Overall, the

41

aimed dispatch area of the Pedal Flusher is in large public places that have public toilets in

North America. The North American market was chosen because of the ease of

implementation, as it is the geographical region in which Flushing Pedal’s company is

located. Further continents and markets will be explored later if the product is a success.

A2.2 Analysis of Customer Needs

A2.2.1 The Scope

Let's assume that there is one toilet per 2.5 Canadians, so 35,160,000 Canadians

divided by 2.5 Canadians per household we arrive at a number of 14,064,000 private

household toilets. There are 480,000 commercial businesses in Canada (Statcan, 2016).

Commercial buildings have an average of 21 toilets. In total, the market size is 24,144,000

toilets, 5% share in the first year is equal to 1,207,200 toilets.

Mission Statement - Pedal Flusher

Product Description Toilet flush mechanism retrofit

Benefit Proposition Simple to install, prevents the spread of germs, inexpensive, gives a good image to the installer

Key Business Goals

Product introduced in the first quarter of 2021. Objectives after 1 year: 30% gross margin on product 5% share of public toilets in Canada

Primary Market Public Toilet Owners (Commercial and Institutional)

Secondary Markets Residential

Assumptions Compatible with most existing systems

Stakeholders

End-Users Retailers Commercial Facility managers Government Facility managers Homeowners Pedal Flusher development team (team #2) Any potential investor

42

Table 5. Customer Needs Mission Statement

A2.2.2 Information: all of our data was gathered by interview.

Table 6. Customer Needs Interview

A2.2.3 Interpret Customer Data

List of Customer needs and relative importance

Question/Prompt Customer Statement Interpreted Need

What is the ideal way to flush a toilet?

94.1% preferred flushing with their feet.

The ability to flush without needing to touch the toilet with your hand.

What is the cleanliness level in common buildings that you regularly attend?

33% said it is disgusting, and another 80 people said they wish it could be kept cleaner.

The device must reduce the collection of dirt, and promote cleanliness in the space.

Did you know that the average toilet flush handle can have 83 bacteria per square inch?

77.1% did not know the average bacteria a toilet flush handle can have.

The device must work in a way that prevents the transfer of germs.

Importance Customer Need

*** Toilet flusher pedal is easy to install.

*** The Pedal Flusher works with my existing toilet.

** The Pedal Flusher is easily purchased, and affordable.

* The Pedal Flusher lasts a long time.

** Safe to use, no sharp edges.

* Resists dirt and dust.

* Exterior surfaces do not fade or discolor over time

*** It is recyclable at the end of its life.

*** Easy to use from a comfortable position.

** The Pedal Flusher control is precise.

** The device is easily cleaned.

*** It prevents the spread of germs from toilet handles.

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Table 7. Customer Needs Relative Importance

A2.2.4 Quantify Relative Importance.

Toilet Flush Pedal Survey: For each of the following features, please indicate on a scale of 1

to 5 how important the feature is to you. Please use the following scale:

1. The feature is undesirable. I would not consider a product with this feature.

2. The feature is not important, but I would not mind having it.

3. The feature would be nice to have, but it is not necessary.

4. The feature is highly desirable, but I would consider a product without it.

5. The feature is critical. I would not consider a product without this feature.

Table 8. Customer Needs Quantify Importance

A2.2.5 Reflect on the results and the Process.

*The following data was gathered from our Microsoft Forms survey which can be viewed

here.*

The survey mainly reached students who are attending buildings which establish more

than 50 people. We did not reach many business owners. Some of the potential customers are

essential businesses; such as grocery stores, meat processing plants, hospitals, transportation

offices. All of the team has reflected on the different customer needs. In the future, I would

improve the process by including more surveys and seeking more people who own

* No maintenance is required.

! No batteries or power are required.

Importance of Feature on a scale of 1 to 5

Product Feature

2.7 The Pedal Flusher is a cordless product, and batteries are not required.

4.3 The product prevents the spread of germs.

4.3 The Pedal Flusher works on my existing toilet.

2.3 The ability to use the pedal while sitting.

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=DQSIkWdsW0yxEjajBLZtrQAAAAAAAAAAAAa__ZuzS6hURVRDTlRUVDZBOUJYOU4xMFowNkJXS1VCNS4u

44

businesses.Online surveys and interviews were the primary data collection methods. The

survey data confirmed the primary customer need, and that is for the product to prevent the

transfer of germs. Also, it is important for the customer to easily install the product, and the

product should not be too expensive for the residential and commercial buyer. Secondary

needs were also identified; recyclable, easy to clean, product durability. As for the latent

needs, it was related to the product function, the product will need to operate without any

power source.

A2.3 Analysis of Customer Behaviour

The first step to understanding the behavior of our product’s potential consumers is to

specify the target audience. This segmentation is carried by understanding the objective of

our product, the needs it will satisfy and the specifications that consumers will most likely

fulfill. A proper identification of the key benefit of the product to each type of customer can

be carried more easily with segmentation, and the current context of a global pandemic will

need to be considered. After categorizing the customers, the following demographics can be

noticed in the target audience:

● Individuals

Individual end-consumers may be interested in buying a Flushing Pedal under certain

circumstances, such as if they have kids in the house, if there are people in the house

who forget to wash their hands, if they have a hand or arm disability or if they simply

prefer using their feet to flush the toilet. The product will not be aimed towards the

higher income class, as it is meant to provide an easy and cheap retrofit solution to

pre-existing manual flush handles. However, the middle and lower income individuals

constitute the core audience when it comes to individual consumers, as the price shall

45

be low enough and quality high enough to satisfy them. However, as important as

individual consumers may be, they are not the most important target audience.

● Public Facilities

Public facilities represent a category of customers defined as establishments managed

by the public function. For example, health facilities, schools, universities and other

governmental offices are included in this category. Because public facilities manage a

great amount of public toilets, they constitute with public businesses the most

important customers to our product. Public institutions work hard to keep the trust and

health of its workers and of the citizens they serve, which is why the hygiene of their

toilets is of utmost importance. By purchasing Flushing Pedals, the different national

or local governments around the world can announce a campaign of hygiene in order

to adapt to the new sanitary awareness. By installing Flushing Pedals in their toilets,

they can install trust in their employees’ eyes, and limit the spread of many pathogens

through the toilet handles, especially in places where individuals at risk have no

alternative but to use public toilets, such as residences, clinics and hospitals.

● Commercial Facilities

The second category which interests the Flushing Pedals company is that of private

businesses giving access to public toilets. It includes malls, supermarkets, corner

stores, amusement facilities and more. It is estimated that there are at least 193,747

public toilets in the world, according to a world public toilet database. [4] This

number, almost 200 thousand, includes toilets in all continents, and from both public

or private establishments. The government of Quebec ordered all public washrooms to

be closed during the first wave. [5] If the business sector is to have a proper rebirth

following the deadly effects of lockdown, it must ensure the seriousness of businesses

to comply with sanitary measures. Having a Flushing Pedal in public toilets can entice

46

government authorities to allow their reopening, as the biohazard that are toilet levers

will no longer be a transmission vector for COVID-19.

If the potential customers’ geography is categorized, it can be found that the most

important factor to consider is the gravity of the pandemic in the countries where Flushing

Pedals are to be sold. Indeed, a country hardly hit by the Coronavirus is more likely to

purchase a device that can increase hygiene in public restrooms. The inhabitants of an

affected country will feel that sickness is closer to their doors and will need little incentive to

buy the Flushing Pedals for their commercial or their institutional facilities. Additionally, the

low price of the contraption increases the attractiveness of the product in developing

countries, and the ease of installation provides an excuse for governments in major developed

countries to purchase the Pedals in bulk and give their population the image of a

hard-working government.

A2.4 Competitor Analysis

The Pedal Flusher acts as a retrofit to an already existing toilet technology. An

attachment like this proves to not be present in any North American toilet market making it

difficult to analyse competitors. There is one hands free toilet retrofit products like the Kohler

Touchless Toilet Flush Kit. This product sells for $177.88 CAD and has many negative

reviews. This product is not worth a competitor analysis as it is only available for “two-piece

toilets” which are toilets that have a tank attached to them and are not compatible with

standard public toilet design like the Pedal Flusher.

When looking at the benefits that the Pedal Flusher provides, which is a hands-free

toilet flush, there is one competitor product which proves to give the same benefit. The

product is a toilet that flushes due to a motion sensor picking up a person's movement and

flushing when the person has left. There are some retrofit products like the Kohler Touchless

47

Toilet Kit [6] and the Tripoint Touchless [7] which are installed on existing public washroom

toilets and allow a motion sensor flush. Both of these products sell for over $800 CAD and

are not adaptable to fit on a standard two-piece toilet which are commonly found in

residential buildings.

In order to narrow down the competitor analysis, we have determined the leading

competition in the market for providing a hands free flush experience which is the American

Standard motion sensor toilet. The retrofit products explained earlier are not commonly used,

are extremely costly, and do not have a large market presence. There are many companies

that produce both manual flush toilets, and motion sensor flush toilets. The company

American Standard is a perfect company to perform a competitor analysis with as they are

one of the most commonly used public toilet companies. Below is the cost for their manual

flush toilet and their motion sensor flush toilet.

Manual Flush listing: $165.43 [8]

Motion sensor listing: $233.95 [9]

The main differentiation of our product compared to the competitor is the fact that the

Pedal Flusher is a retrofit to an already existing technology and can be installed as a cheap,

effective, attachment. The motion sensor toilet technology is a new technology and is

extremely costly. The American Standard product has a 140% increase in price compared to

their standard manual flush model. The Pedal Flusher would offer the same benefit by

providing a hands-free toilet flush at an extremely cheaper cost compared to the motion

sensor. The Pedal Flusher has a clear advantage in regard to cost compared to the competition

of a motion sensor toilet.

Another advantage of the Pedal Flusher compared to the competition is the time and

cost of installation. There are no good estimations available as to how much installing a new

toilet would cost in commercial buildings, but for a household replacement, it can cost

48

roughly $150, not including price of the toilet. A skilled worker could install a toilet in

shortly under two hours. Large scale commercial buildings will have anywhere from twenty

to two-hundred toilets. The Pedal Flusher is cheaply and easily installed and can be done

without the need of a skiller worker / plumber. In regards to cost and time of installation, the

Pedal Flusher has a clear advantage.

In regard to the competition, the motion sensor American Standard product has an

advantage in durability and reliability. The Pedal Flusher can easily be manipulated and

altered as all components are exposed. The motion sensor toilet design is very contained and

doesn’t allow for any easy manipulation from the public. One could easily avoid

manipulation from the public by surrounding the Pedal Flusher mechanism within a small

cheap encasing.

In conclusion, the advantages of the Pedal Flusher greatly outweighs those of the

leading competitor. The Pedal Flusher offers the same benefit as a motion sensor toilet

flusher at a greatly reduced cost and time of manufacturing, purchasing, installation, and

maintenance. The Pedal Flusher is a superior product and should be the leading design for a

hands-free toilet flush.

A2.5 Availability of Material and Suppliers

The goal of the Pedal Flusher is that it must be inexpensive while providing quality.

Our product needs to provide rigidity to withstand bending and good strength such that it

does not break. Our work will also require to be aesthetically pleasing with good finishing. It

must also prevent mold formation since the product will be in an environment where

condensation, water leaks, flooding, and so forth can happen anytime. The Pedal Flusher

must not slip when using it. We will also consider North American-based suppliers to provide

us with the materials required to develop our product.

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Plastic:

Polymers can provide adequate strength, rigidity, and are durable. It is generally

inexpensive and lightweight, naturally odorless. However, most plastics tend to expand as

temperature increases and shrink if the temperature decreases. Plastics also hurt the

environment, are non-renewable resources, cause public health problems, etc. Molds can

form on certain types of plastics. Plastic can range between basic plastics to engineered

plastics. Basic plastics are non conducting inexpensive materials, while engineered plastics

are stronger and provide a diverse range of raw materials (Inverse Solutions Inc. 2018) [10].

Stainless Steel:

Stainless steel is favored for its strength, and it's incredible durability. Stainless Steel

provides modern aesthetics, able to withstand corrosion, scratch-resistant, and resistant to

water damage. However, stainless steel is not cheap and can sometimes be the most

expensive option to use as a material.

Steel:

Steel is corrosion and rust-resistant, recyclable, and durable. However, steel products

require high maintenance, are less resistant to high temperatures, which can reduce its

strength, and are heavier than other materials such as plastic, aluminum, and wood.

Aluminum:

Aluminum is inexpensive, has a high strength-to-weight ratio, and has decent

corrosion resistance, allowing it to be used in different environments. It is also very

lightweight, which can be beneficial in making products that need to be moved. Aluminum

also has high formability. Although aluminum has a great strength-to-weight ratio, according

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to Clinton Aluminum (2018) [11], it is not the strongest material and does not provide

corrosion resistance, such as stainless steel.

Titanium:

Titanium is one of the most durable and strongest materials on earth and has natural

corrosion resistance. However, it is more expensive than other available materials, and it is a

metal that is difficult to cast (Monroe, 2016). [12]

Brass:

Brass is a durable material and contains antibacterial properties. It is also aesthetically

pleasing. Brass, however, requires a great amount of maintenance; it is prone to tarnishing

Suppliers:

The Pedal Flusher will be developed in Montreal, Quebec. It will be wiser to connect

with suppliers that are near the area of Montreal. For example, suppliers such as

Polymershapes, Plastic Silgan Canada inc, Les Plastiques Laird Inc. Berlin Packaging, De

Luxe Packaging, Coroplast, Samuel, Son, and Co, Acier Lachine, EMJ Metals, Cff Stainless

Steels Inc. Hydro Aluminum Canada inc. Eagle Hydraulic and many other possibilities are in

or near Montreal.

The decision of who to have as stakeholders will depend on several factors. Some of

them include the quality of their goods and services, quality of the organization as a whole,

positive impact for our organization, cost, if the supplies asked for is provided in time, and so

forth. The decision will also depend on our own goals, for example, our budget and time.

Definition of Specification

51

Product specification is a process that translates customers' needs into measurable

terms. The table of customer’s needs is shown below.

Customer need:

Table 9. Customer Needs

1.The establish metrics and units for toilet flusher pedal:

# Importance Customer Need

1 *** Toilet flusher pedal is easy to install.

2 *** The Pedal Flusher works with my existing toilet.

3 ** The Pedal Flusher is easily purchased, and affordable.

4 * The Pedal Flusher lasts a long time.

5 ** Safe to use, no sharp edges.

6 * Resists dirt and dust.

7 * Exterior surfaces do not fade or discolor over time

8 *** It is recyclable at the end of its life.

9 *** Easy to use from a comfortable position.

10 ** The Pedal Flusher control is precise.

11 ** The device is easily cleaned.

12 *** It prevents the spread of germs from toilet handles.

13 * No maintenance is required.

14 * No batteries or power are required.

Metric# Need#s Metric Imp Units

1 1 Time to disassemble/assemble for maintenance *** s

2 1,2,9 Maximum width *** cm

3 1,2,9 Maximum length *** cm

4 1,2,9 Maximum height *** cm

5 1,2,9 Total mass *** kg

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Table 10. Metrics

2. Competitive Benchmarking:

There does not exist a toilet design similar to toilet flusher pedals ;as a result, the

competitive benchmarking is unnecessary for our team.

3. Assign Marginal and Ideal Values:

6 1,2,9 Size *** cm^3

7 3 Unit manufacturing cost ** US$

8 4 Cycles to failure * integer

9 5 Sharpness test ** pass

10 6 Cycles in mud chamber w/o contamination * k-cycles

11 7 Time in spray chamber w/o water entry * s

12 10 Stress test ** N

13 11,12 Microbe test *** # per mm^2

# Metric Units Marginal Value

Ideal Value

1 Time to disassemble/assemble for maintenance

s <300 <180

2 Maximum width cm <50 <40

3 Maximum length cm <30 <25

4 Maximum height cm <3 <2

5 Total mass kg <1.2 <0.9

6 Size cm^3 <4500 <2000

7 Unit manufacturing cost US$ 50 30

8 Cycles to failure integer >1200 >1500

9 Sharpness test pass pass pass

10 Cycles in mud chamber w/o contamination

k-cycles >20 >30

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Table 11. Marginal and Ideal Values

4. Reflect on the results and the process

All the values and specifications are estimated right now, more accurate data will be

added when we continue to improve our design. The toilet flasher pedal is an “average”

product because the design is not very complex because one of our main ideas is easy to

install; therefore, our product does not need multiple options.

A2.6 Price Analysis

Why we chose CNC Machining

CNC machining is a subtractive manufacturing process, it is commonly used of

metals, whereas 3D printing is an additive manufacturing process, meaning it builds a layer

over a layer and it’s usually used for thermoplastics (PLA and ABS are the most common).

The reason why we are not choosing 3d printing is because not all metals can be 3d

printable, on the other hand even for plastics, it takes a lot of time to 3d print one part, it has a

static cost that means the cost per unit remains the constant unlike dip or injection moulding

which are more practical for mass production.

11 Time in spray chamber w/o water entry

s >2500 >3500

12 Stress test N >50 >80

13 Microbe test # per mm^2 pass pass

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Table 12. 3D Printing vs. CNC Machining [13]

CNC Machining price analysis

As stated CNC machining is, upon further review, the most appropriate fit for

manufacturing of the toilet Pedal Flusher. This section will scope the price analysis for the

manufacturing of the toilet Pedal Flusher using CNC machining. Of course, once the final

design of the product is obtained a more representative estimate can be produced.

As previously discussed, ideally our product will cost under 30$ and have a marginal

value of 50$ in order to have satisfactory profit. Therefore, the sum of material cost, labour

costs and machine operating cost ideally would be limited to that constraint.

The 3 axis CNC milling machine has an operating cost of 40$ per hour. Depending on

part size and complexity, the time of production per part will vary from 1 hour to multiple

hours. On top of operating costs, human labor also needs to be taken into account. However,

for CNC the labour costs are relatively low. Unlike 3D printing, which requires a hands on

technician CNC is self sufficient. Therefore labor costs are relatively low.

The raw material used for the product as well as the bulk quantity produced will also

vary the cost of production. The most common materials used in CNC machining are

aluminium 6061 aluminum, 7075 and stainless steel 304 in metals. The most commonly used

plastics are ABS, POM ( Derlin) and Nylon 6. The machinery works ideally with these

materials and their prices are reasonable.

For a sheet of raw material dimensioned at 6’’x6’’x1 the prices vary as presented in

the table below.

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Table 13. Cost of Raw Materials [13]

Figure 10. Graph of Cost per part vs. Quantity [13] As a reference, an experiment was (by Alkaios Vartsis from Manufacturing Net) conducted

by measuring different costs per part using the four different raw materials. In the

experiment, the only thing that varied was the material of the four parts. The results of the

experiment are graphed.

The graph above shows that depending on the material and bulk quantity produced the

cost per part of production can be greatly reduced.

Taking all these factors into consideration, it is shown that: if bought in bulk, it is very

possible to manufacture the toilet Pedal Flusher within budget using CNC machining. This is

especially true when using cheaper materials such as the FDM plastic or Nylon. Once the

final design was created, we used these concepts to determine Final Cost Estimates. (4.3)

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A2.7 Definition of Specification

Product specification is a process that translates customers' needs into measurable terms. The

table of customer’s needs is shown in Table 9 above.

1.The establish metrics and units for toilet flusher pedal:

View Table 10.

2. Competitive Benchmarking:

There does not exist a toilet design similar to toilet flusher pedals, as a result, the competitive

benchmarking is unnecessary for our team.

3. Assign Marginal and Ideal Values:

View Table 11.

4. Reflect on the results and the process

All the values and specifications are estimated right now, more accurate data will be added

when we continue to improve our design. The toilet flasher pedal is an “average” product

because the design is not very complex because one of our main ideas is easy to install;

therefore, our product does not need multiple options.

A3.1 Functional Analysis

Base

Housing & Top cover

Goal To provide protection to the inside mechanism

Materials ABS Plastic

Dimensions 203.2 mm

Part ID 1, 2

Pedal

Goal To compress the springs


Dimensions 101.6 mm

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Part ID 4

Pulleys

Goal To provide translation to the cable


Dimensions 16.51 mm

Part ID 6

Springs

Goal To pull the wire down

Materials Standard carbon spring steel

Dimensions 76.2 mm

Part ID 5

Glue

Goal To permanently connect the rubber padding to the main base

Materials Moisture-Resistant Instant-Bond glue

Dimensions -

Part ID -

Anti slip rubber

padding

Goal To provide stability to the base

Materials Rubber

Dimensions 304.8 mm

Part ID 3

Wire System

Cable

Goal To pull the handle valve down (to flush)

Materials Steel wire

Dimensions 750 mm

Part ID 12

Crimping Loop Sleeve

Goal Connects one end to the handle valve and one end to the springs

Materials Aluminium

Dimensions 25.4 mm

Part ID 7

Handle (toilet valve)

Goal To tighten the metal bands

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Table 14. Functional Analysis

A3.2 Concept Definition The first concept design consists of a large pedal with a connection to a steel rod

which is linked to a second rod connected to the toilet handle. The team did not further define

any other aspects of the mechanism like material, size, etc. at that time.

Elastic bands

Materials Polyester and Natural Latex Rubber

Dimensions 63.5 mm

Part ID 8

Hooked Metal bands

Goal To connect the flush handle valve to the pedal system

Materials Steel

Dimensions 76.2 mm

Part ID 9

Philip screws

Goal To secure the handle clamps together

Materials Zinc-Plated Stainless Steel

Dimensions 9.525 mm

Part ID 11

Adjustable Perforated

Clamps

Goal To tighten the handle contraption

Materials Steel

Dimensions 38.1 mm

Part ID 10

Hook and loop strips

Goal To provide rigidibility

Materials industrial-grade plastic consist of nylon and polyester

Dimensions 6.35 mm

Part ID 13,14

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Figure 11. First Concept Design

Throughout the rest of the school year, our team discussed many concept

improvements. We presented our second project proposal with our updated design on

October 28th, 2020. (see Figure __) This second design concept consists of a large thin metal

base plate with a pedal attached to it. The pedal would be connected to a thin wire that can

flow through a thin metal tube. The metal tube would have a few holes in the side of the tube

at the standard toilet handle heights where the wire would come out and connect to the toilet

handle. The presentation yielded great feedback and aspects to improve upon. One of the

main design improvements needed was stabilization and we were forced to analyze many

considerations like; how is the base plate secured to the ground? How is the tube going to

stay upright? How is the pedal connected to the wire? How is the wire connected to the toilet

handle? These questions left us speechless at the time and we realized that a big team meeting

was needed in order to finalize the design.

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Figure 12. Second Concept Design for standard toilet

Figure 13. Second Concept Design for public toilet

The team met online on November 5th, 2020 to fully define the entire function of the

Pedal Flusher. We identified the key aspects of the design that we considered to be necessary;

cheap, easy to install and uninstall, non-permanent or non-destructive, secure enough to

prevent theft, able to adjust to any height of standard flusher, and easy to step on. For each of

these necessary aspects, we figured out the best design that can accommodate the

requirements. In order to ensure a cheap product, we wanted to ensure the mechanism was

simple and made from a few standardized parts. To make it easy to install and uninstall we

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wanted to design the most efficient process of manufacturing and assembly. A

non-destructive design must not cause any damage to the per-existing space so we decided to

not screw the housing into the ground or into the toilet and not use glue that leaves residue,

rather, we use a simple adhesive and additional weight to ensure no slipping. This

non-destructive consideration made it tough to ensure that the Pedal Flusher is secure from

theft so we decided to add a lock on the connection to the handle and the base housing. We

made sure to design our product to fit any height and size of toilet handle so we made the

mechanism with a strong metal cord that is secured in the housing and can loop back and

secure to itself making it adjustable to reach any height. The last design consideration is for

the pedal to be easy to step on. This was accomplished by making the pedal large and away

from the wall. Since we decided to make the pedal not directly under the toilet handle, we

needed to add pulleys in the housing to ensure a proper toilet flush. (See Figure __ for the

concept drawings made on Nov 5th)

The base

The base is composed of the housing and the pedal. It has a sticky adhesive on the

bottom that leaves little to no residue if removed. The base has additional weight in the

housing to ensure that the flush pedal is secure and won’t slip when used. No dimensions of

the base were made at this time but the pedal is large and has a couple springs underneath it

to ensure the pedal pushes back to its original position after being used. When the pedal gets

stepped on and compressed, it pulls the metal cord towards the pedal. The depth of the step

depends on the radius of the toilet handle so we made the pedal able to compress up to a max

distance of 2.5 inches as that was slightly above the max radius of toilet handle we could

find.. A toilet with a smaller radius would simply prevent any further compression.

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FIgure 14. Third Concept Design front view of base

Figure 15. Third Concept Design side view

The cord

The cord is roughly 0.25 in thick steel fastened onto the pedal and weaved through a

series of pulleys. The material of the cord would be similar to that of a bike lock cable. The

pulleys allow for the pedal to be presented out from the wall and allow the cord to be directly

underneath the toilet handle to ensure an efficient flush. Using a cable to link the pedal to the

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handle was an excellent design upgrade as it eliminated the use of the thin metal tube from

Figure __ which was unstable. When the pedal gets compressed, the cord gets pulled down at

the same distance of the pedal in the base. The cord's downward motion gets translated to

horizontal motion moving towards the pedal by the pulleys. Another pulley translates the

horizontal motion to vertical again travelling downwards. The cord is connected to the toilet

handle by our custom design and pulls the toilet handle downwards causing the toilet to flush.

The handle

The handle contraption would wrap tightly around any size handle. Foam underneath

the metal “idk how to call them” ensures that the shape of the handle is fit and that the handle

itself is not damaged by metal. The elastic bands cover the front and the back of the handle,

tightening the metal bands above and below the toilet handle. At the end of an elastic band

can be found a long hook-shaped metal band, that clamps to the groove in the opposite metal

band after covering the whole handle, just like a wrist watch. After being adjusted, the handle

contraption is covered by two adjustable clamps to ensure the integrity of the contraption in

public places. With the clamps adjusted, the contraption is secured and will not slip or move.

Figure 16. Third Concept Design handle connection

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A3.3 Alternative Selection

The final design of the pedal toilet flusher fits all types of commercial toilets. The

product was standardized as much as possible such that we would be able to sell to most

establishments and to also open the opportunity for the users to have a more sanitary

environment. Furthermore the handle part of the pedal toilet flusher was designed such that it

could fit all types of handles. There were alternative ways of designing the pedal valve but

these options were not chosen because they weren’t as feasible. (See concepts 1 and 2 from

section 3.2 Concept Definition) For instance, as seen below, other materials could have been

selected but the cheapest material was chosen and it still gives good stability and quality.

When manufacturing these parts, we considered many options with differing material

selection and manufacturing processes before coming up with our final product. After careful

consideration, the materials were selected to best fit their desired functionality as well as to

be cost efficient. For parts like the pedal, where many different materials fit the desired

functionality, the cost of each alternative was compared. This comparison is visualised using

the bar graph in Appendix A4.3.3. In that example, the comparaison led our team to select a

thermoplastic above other Alternatives.

The cost of different manufacturing processes were compared in much of the same

way. When choosing between different processes to manufacture the same part, they were

compared on merits of meeting the need and cost. The comparison between using CNC

machining or laser cutting for the pedal is shown below. CNC machining was found to be a

better fit due to its precision and cost.

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Figure 17. Cost of producing 250 pedals using CNC machining using Haizol [18]

Figure 18..Cost of producing 250 pedals using laser cutting using Factory [18]

CNC machining and laser cutting can both be used when dealing with metals. Though

both can be used to manufacture the pedal, CNC machining is better known for its precision.

In both quotes above, the quantity was selected at 250 and the material choice was carbon

steel. However the laser cutting cost 8.67$ a part whereas CNC machining cost 6.64$ a part.

Therefore, for both functionality and cost, CNC machining was selected as the manufacturing

process for the pedal.

Our final design was chosen because it was more practical and cost efficient.

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A3.4 Design for manufacturing analysis

We hope to choose a manufacturing company in Quebec to produce all the parts

needed for our products. Because we first want to install the products in public toilets and

homes in Quebec, it can save time compared to foreign companies choosing local

manufacturers.

Rubber padding:

First, we choose rubber as the bottom of the product to prevent slipping on the smooth

floor of the bathroom. Compared to other materials such as PVC and polyurethane, rubber

can last longer and cheaper. To ensure the service life, the rubber pad cannot be too thin. At

the same time, to be beautiful, the size of the rubber pad must perfectly fit the size of the

base. Cutting the rubber pad to a suitable size and thickness can reduce the overall weight of

the product, while also saving the cost, difficulty and time of manufacturing. However, we

must make sure the service time of the rubber pad will not be reduced while cutting. The use

of strong glue instead of screws to fix the rubber pad and the body can effectively save the

number of overall components and reduce the cost time of assembly. Transportation and

storage of rubber pads need to be sealed in a water-free environment and protected from

sunlight. Apart from this, no other special means are needed, so we do not need to spend

extra money on transportation and storage.

Cable and Pulley:

We choose steel as the material of cable because it is cheap, light, and strong enough.

Furthermore, the steel cable is easy to wholesale purchase from the hardware store. The

pulley is made of ABS plastic by pressure molding because a plastic pulley does not have

complex structure. There are no additional parts required for the combination of pulley and

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steel cable. It is only necessary to cut the steel cable to a suitable length and weld both ends

to ensure that it will not fall off after being combined with the wheel changer. Therefore,

fewer screws and bolts can reduce the cost of our products. The storage and transportation of

steel and plastic products are similar. We should ensure a dry and ventilated environment,

and avoid contact with corrosive acids and alkalis. Like rubber mats, no additional special

means are required for storage and transportation. The structure of the steel rope is of 7x7

composite smaller wires, as shown in the picture below.

Figure 19. Steel Cable [28]

There are two main parts of the body, the casing and the pedal. We choose ABS

plastic as the material of casing and pedal because of its low cost and good ability to resist

impact. The detail design is shown in the drawing part. First, the casing of our product

consists of a wall and a lid that can be opened. The wall and lid are connected with a shaft

only without any additional components. Since the wall and the bottom and internal parts are

a whole, we adopt the method of injection molding to build the whole main body rather than

pressure molding. However, there are additional costs on using injection molding equipment

that cannot be saved. Due to the injection molding, the entire product can greatly reduce the

use of additional connecting parts to reduce costs in this regard. Second, the pedal is

connected to the main body by springs and connected to the toilet handle with a steel rope,

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and is matched with a pulley to form the entire system. Details can be viewed from the

assembly section. The storage and transportation of ABS plastic main body and pedal just

need to ensure a dry and ventilated environment, and avoid contact with corrosive acids and

alkalis. As a result, no additional costs are required for storage and transportation.

A3.6 Design for Assembly Analysis

The assembly of the Pedal Flusher is peculiar as it is done in two different steps. The

first step consists of preparing the partial assembly that will eventually be brought to the

desired toilet where the Pedal mechanism is to be installed. The second step finalizes the

assembly, and it happens on the desired installation location. The technician will use the

partial assembly from step 1 and adjust the paraphernalia to the dimensions of the toilet it is

to be installed on. Here are the specific procedures for each of the two assembly steps:

Partial Assembly Procedures

1. Position the Main Base block on a flat table

2. Insert two springs in the two respective back holes in the front of the base block

3. Insert the pedal into the base block through the front opening

4. Insert the other end of the two springs in the two holes close to the hook in the pedal

5. Repeat steps 2 and 4 with the two left springs, this time inserting them in the front

spring holes

6. Insert one pulley in each of the two slabs destined to this effect in the main base block

7. Close the main block by inserting the cover connectors on the small holes designed to

this effect; then set the main block assembly aside

8. Fix the Anti-Slip padding on the bottom side of the base block

9. Sew the hooked velcro strip on one side of the elastic band, close to a wide edge

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10. Sew the looped velcro strip on the other side of the elastic band, close to the opposite

edge

Final Installation Procedures

1. Place and hold the Hooked metal bar over the toilet flush handle

2. Wrap the metal bar and the complete handle with the elastic band

3. Connect the two velcro strips such that the elastic band is stretched and tight around

the handle

4. Connect two adjustable clamps at their tip with a respective screw

5. Place the connected clamps over one end of the wrapped handle

6. Connect the two clamps with a second screw adjusting for proper tightness

7. Tighten hard the two screws through the clamps and into the elastic wrapping

8. Repeat the steps 4,5,6 and 7, but place the clamps on the other end of the wrapped

handle

9. Open the base cover

10. Place the base in the desired location such that it will remain at this location during

future common use

11. Slyther the Wire through the placed pulleys in the base block

12. Insert a crimping loop sleeve on each end of the wire

13. Insert the tip of the wire in the base clock through the pedal loop

14. Re-insert the tip of this wire end into the respective crimping loop sleeve

15. Tighten the crimping loop sleeve thanks to a wire crimping tool

16. Insert the other loose tip of the wire into the newly assembled toilet flushing handle

loop

17. Repeat steps 12 and 13 with the newly created handle loop by adjusting the length of

the wire such that the wire is tense

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18. Add grease to the pulleys to reduce usage wear

19. Close the base cover

Table 15 DFA Analysis

A DFA Analysis Table was prepared using arbitrary handling and insertion times for

each part. After calculating a total operation time required for each part (TM) equal to 93.5

seconds and identifying the theoretical minimal number of parts necessary for the assembly

equalling 25 parts (NM), the following efficiency score was found [14]: (25*3)/93.5= 80.214

%. This indicates that there is a fairly substantial amount of room for improvement and that

design modifications should be implemented. It is to be noticed that the total assembly

operation time includes both the partial assembly in the facility, as well as the installation in

the customer’s location. The specific partial assembly duration in the facility equals 37.5 s,

and the total installation time equals 56 s, almost one minute. The partial assembly operation

time does not include the packaging time in the facility. The part with the longest total

operation time is the springs. This is due to there being four springs, and the difficulty of

handling due to their nature and their size.

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A3.6 Make vs. Buy Strategy

The decisions of what to outsource is often referred to as the make-versus-buy

strategy. Vertical integration refers to how much an organization makes, the higher its level

of vertical integration, the more it makes. Vertical integration is often used in large

companies to take advantage of economies of scale. Since we are a start-up company, this is

the first product that we are launching, and we do not have any trade secrets to protect…

manufacturing will be arranged through our suppliers for the most part.

The main base will be manufactured by Haizol manufacturing services since we

cannot compete with their price. The plastic block would cost $50 and we would still need to

pay the labor for machining. The rubber padding will be ordered since the manufacturing

process to produce elastomers requires a range of expensive machinery, a well-ventilated

facility, and the time of a qualified engineer to oversee the production. [15] [16]

The glue must be moisture resistant, for that reason and its ability to adhere metal and

rubber, instant-bond adhesive Loctite 498 was chosen. The price is $29.68 for a 1 oz. bottle

The recommended bond line thickness is 0.1778mm multiply that by the base cover surface

area and convert to fluid ounces, the total amount of glue required per Pedal Flusher is 0.140

fluid ounces. It is impossible to know how much it would cost to produce a comparable

product since trade secrets are required to replicate the glue properties. We do not have the

time to develop our own glue and test it for our January 2021 launch date. [ 17]

Casing/body/top cover/pedal will be made of ABS plastic. Casting process will be

used for the main body, casting reduces the use of screws and bolts. Haizol will manufacture

all of these components since we considered the cost of employing a CNC machine operator,

purchasing the CNC milling machine plus the raw material costs, and the material costs were

close to the price Haizol is charging, the investment would not be repaid even after hitting

our target share of 5% of toilets in Canada. [18]

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Springs will be made of a Zinc-Plated Spring-Tempered Steel; this is the standard for

medium sized springs due to its availability and price. Springs in this size are mass

manufactured by a larger number of suppliers. Manufacturing the spring ourselves would be

more expensive, and the part is likely to be inferior from the standard spring that is offered by

companies that are specialized in manufacturing springs.

https://www.mcmaster.com/9657K173/

The cable will be ordered, and the pulley system will be manufactured, the pulley is made of

a hard ABS plastic to save on cost and resist the rusting effects of moisture. The pulleys are

non-standard size because they need to fit inside the casing that we manufactured so we

cannot order it from any supplier. The reinforced metal wire will be ordered and made of

steel rope composed of 7 smaller wires. The wires will need to be cut. [19]

The handle is composed of the following:

- Crimping loop sleeve: made of aluminum to resist the tension of the wire from

pushing on the pedal and also to resist any small cutting and shearing forces.

Mass-manufactured product at a very low price, it does not justify the investment in

machinery and cost of labor. [20]

- Elastic band: needs to expand around the toilet handle so it will need a large elastic

deformation region to prevent plastic deformation and ultimately failure to pull the

handle. That is why a 1” elastic latex fabric is selected. Mass-manufactured product at

a very low price, it does not justify the investment in machinery and cost of labor.

[21]

- Hooked metal band: made of stainless steel, and it will be manufactured specifically

for this device. No comparable products are currently manufactured, due to its simple

geometry a supplier will manufacture the product, and we will not need to purchase

cutting machinery for this part.

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- Adjustable perforated clamps that will be used to secure the hooked metal band to the

handle. Mass-manufactured product at a very low price, it does not justify the

investment in machinery and cost of labor. [22]

- Clamp screw: zinc-plated stainless-steel Phillips flat head screw M2.5 x 0.45 mm

Thread, 8 mm Long because of its material composition, it will protect against the

corrosive agents typically found in bathrooms. Mass-manufactured product at a very

low price, it does not justify the investment in machinery and cost of labor. [23]

- Velcro hook and loop strip: critical for tightening around the handle and staying tight.

1” hook and loop strip made of nylon fabric and acrylic adhesive is well suited

because of its combination of moisture and chemical resistance. Mass-manufactured

product at a very low price, it does not justify the investment in machinery and cost of

labor. [ 24]

A3.7 Material Selection Anti Slip Rubber padding.

The product cannot slip once set, it should stay in place such that people don't accidentally

push it away causing potential calibration problems related to the product. Therefore the

product should be heavy at its base and have Anti slip custom made mats fixed with the

bottom of the product which will reduce the risk of the product slipping when using it. The

Anti slip mat will be made with rubber (elastomers), PVC or polyurethane. Considering PVC,

it may be cheaper on initial purchase, however it has a tendency to fall apart more than rubber

according to Shuperb [25] (2015), therefore PVC should be excluded .Polyurethane is more

expensive than rubber since it is complex to produce, however it has better aesthetics, it has

higher abrasion, cut, and tear resistance compared to rubber [26] (Harkness Industries, 2015)

Considering aesthetics, it won’t be a big issue since this portion of the product will be in the

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bottom and it won't be fully visible except perhaps the sides. Since our focus is to go for an

inexpensive product, we will use rubber (Neoprene) as the anti slip material [27] (Custom

Advanced Connections n.d.).

Cable and pulley :

The pulley system of the product will be an internal component, therefore the pulleys

themselves should not be moving around inside and must stay fixed, it will be important to

have fixed pulleys in our product. The pulleys will be made with plastic (Thermoplastic)

material since the area that the product will be in is wet and moist. Plastic is also cheaper than

steel or aluminum. The cable of our pedal system will be made with steel wires to provide

proper strength and flexibility during its motion [28 (Amazon.ca)

Casing/body/Top Cover/Pedal:

For the body of our product we need to consider its weight and also cost, since we don’t want

it to be displaced and have a budget friendly product. One material we considered was lead, it

is the cheapest heavy metal we could use, but there are health risks associated from exposure

to lead and since this product will be generally used in public bathrooms, this will be a bad

idea, therefore we exclude this option. Aluminum cannot be used because it is too light and

can deform easily. Therefore for the body and the pedal, the material that will be used is

thermoplastic which is a low cost plastic and offers resistances such as resistance to impact

[29]. (Curbell Plastics , n.d.).

Hooked Metal Band

The Hooked Metal Band component will be used for the handle assembly, this will permit to

connect the flush handle with the pedal system which is located on the ground. The best

option that we can consider is either using steel or aluminum as the material. The steel does

not need to be stainless since it will be covered by the elastic band therefore the majority of

this component will not be exposed except the hook. However, stainless steel provides

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resistance to corrosion but is more expensive than steel therefore we excluded the possibility

of stainless steel [30] (Worthy Hardware, n.d.). Aluminum may be preferable than steel itself

because of its flexibility compared to steel, however aluminum is more expensive than steel.

The best option we decided was carbon steel, since it is cheaper to order.

Adjustable Perforated Clamps

The adjustable perforated clamps will be used to tighten when assembling the handle

component with the flush handle. Therefore we require a material that is flexible and the best

option will be using stainless steel. We decided to use this material because we concluded

that this option will be cheap to order.

Springs

The springs will be an important part that will be connected with the front part of the main

base and the pedal. We will go for carbon spring steel since it is a standard material that is

used for spring and is the least expensive according to Ametek which are spring products

manufacturers [31] (n.d.).

Glue

An important part in the partial assembly is the permanent fixture between the rubber padding

and the bottom-side of the base. This is a crucial element of the Pedal Flusher as the padding

acts as a heavy weight to the base. Not only its high weight keeps the base on the floor, the

rugged rubber pattern underneath the padding minimizes the friction coefficient of the whole

contraption. Due to the environment in which the Pedal Flusher will be used, the

development team has judged that a Moisture-Resistant Instant-Bond glue is the best

adhesive available to secure the two parts together. Sold in common hardware and industrial

stores, cyanoacrylate bonds rubber and metal very efficiently, so this chemical is the one

chosen for the Pedal Flusher [32] (Mcmaster).

Phillip screws/ Clamp screw

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The clamp screws will secure the two handle clamps together, and this non-permanent fixture

must be tight enough to forbid any slipping of the hooked metal bar and elastic band

underneath the clamps. For such operations, an uncommon screw head is important so that

any person carrying a flat head or a cross head screwdriver cannot vandalize the fixture. This

is important to consider as the Pedal FLusher is aimed for use in public environments. A

Philip flat head screw was judged to be a good compromise. Since said Phillip screw would

operate in the wet environment of a toilet, it will be protected against corrosion by being

made out of Zinc-Plated Stainless Steel, a perfect material composition to protect against

corrosive agents [22] (Mcmaster).

Elastic Band

Polyester and Natural Latex Rubber will be the materials from which the Elastic Bands the

company purchases will be made. These materials allow for a comfortable deformation of the

band, and serve the purpose of stretching the band around the customer’s toilet handle well.

The cloth-like material is durable and allows for the velcro strips to be sewed upon it [33]

(Amazon.com).


These sleeves need to be resistant enough not to cede under the tension of the wire, or the

slide motion of the wire when a user flushes. On the other side, it must be malleable enough

to be tightened with a manual tool once the wires are set up inside. To this effect, suppliers

have chosen aluminum to produce crimping loop sleeves, and it is this material that the Pedal

Flusher’s Sleeve part will go with [34] (Amazon.ca).

Hook and Loop strips

The velcro hooks and loops will be made of using Nylon Fabric and Acrylic Adhesive so that

it can guarantee industrial strength when two opposite-type velcro strips are connected [24]

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(Mcmaster). This is consistent with the material composition of existing velcro strips in the

market.

A4.1 Design Review

Figure 20. Final Design: Base

Figure 21. Final Design: Base section view

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Figure 22. Final Design: Handle connection

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Figure 23. Final Design Assembly

A4.2 Supply Chain PRE-PRODUCTION SUPPLY CHAIN

The following table shows which parts of the pedal toilet flusher will be manufactured

in our company, or if it will be ordered, meaning manufactured in another company. Details

are presented in the analysis of the make vs buy section.

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Table 16. Parts Manufactured internally or externally

Component Solution Origin

Anti slip rubber padding Ordered By McMaster-Carr

Pulley Manufactured externally By Turning

Cable Order By McMaster-Carr

Casing/Main Body Manufactured externally By Haizol manufacturing services

Top Cover Manufactured externally

By Haizol manufacturing services

Hooked Metal Band Manufactured externally By Fractory

Pedal Manufactured externally

By Haizol manufacturing services

Adjustable Perforated Clamps Order By McMaster-Carr

Springs Order By McMaster-Carr

Philip screws Order By McMaster-Carr

Elastic Band Order By McMaster-Carr

Crimping Loop Sleeve Order By McMaster-Carr

Hook strips Order By McMaster-Carr

Loop strips Order By McMaster-Carr

Glue Order By McMaster-Carr

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Figure 24. Parts we order vs. manufacture

The Pedal flusher design has a lot of standard parts that can be purchased by local

suppliers, it is more economical to buy those parts from suppliers than purchase equipment to

manufacture those parts. Other parts like the main base, its cover and the pedal are specific

parts that need to be manufactured by external manufacturing companies.

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Table 17. Parts required by order The following table shows the number of parts required to assemble one unit and the

total number of parts required for the annual, monthly and weekly supply chain, for a

forecasted demand of 1250000 units of toilet pedal flushers.

Part Name Number of parts per unit

Total number for the annual supply chain

Per month Per week

Main Base Block 1 1 250 000 104 167 24 039

Base Cover 1 1 250 000 104 167 24 039

Base Anti-Slip Padding

1 1 250 000 104 167 24 039

Hooked Pedal 1 1 250 000 104 167 24 039

Pedal Spring 4 5 000 000 416 667 96 154

Fixable Pulley 2 2 500 000 208 334 48 077


2 2 500 000 208 334 48 077

Elastic Band 1 1 250 000 104 167 24 039

Hooked Metal Band

1 1 250 000 104 167 24 039

Adjustable Clamp 4 5 000 000 416 667 96 154

Clamp Screw 4 5 000 000 416 667 96 154

Reinforced Metal Wire

1 1 250 000 104 167 24 039

Velcro looped strip

1 1 250 000 104 167 24 039

Velcro hooked strip

1 1 250 000 104 167 24 039

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MANUFACTURING SUPPLY CHAIN

Figure 25. PERT Critical Path Chart

Production PERT Critical Path Chart

Supply chain includes in-house production activities as well. In order to plan

production and logistics, a few calculations ensue.

The forecasted demand which satisfies 5% of the Canadian toilets market share is 1

250 000 units of Pedal Flusher. Although the market share seems small, it is challenging for a

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newly created production company to supply more than a million products in its first year of

operations. This is why planning in advance is important.

The Production PERT Chart above shows the path taken by every single raw material

and custom part in the production facility. Since manufacturing operations do not take place

in house, only assembly times from the DFA Analysis were recorded. For the purposes of this

exercise, all needed parts are assumed to be delivered on time for a pull-type system. The

optimal, most likely, and pessimistic times of the aggregation of the longest operations,

known as the critical path, are of 90 seconds, 108.5 seconds and 165 seconds. The most likely

critical time of 108.5 seconds will be assumed to be the total production time of the partial

assembly. The reason that the 75 seconds pertaining to the packaging of the partial assembly

had not been taken into account in the DFA analysis is simply because the packaging step

includes parts not relevant to the assembly of the actual product, such as a labelled box,

stacked pallets and filler material to protect the insides of the package from the roughness of

shipping.

Once the demand is multiplied by the time required per unit, the total amount of work

hours required to manufacture a million and a quarter units is found to be equal to 89 757

hours.

If time parameters such as 52 labor weeks per year, 5 labor days per week, and 8

labor hours per day are assumed, the amount of man hours available per year amounts to

2080 manhours, and equals 28 800 seconds available per day. The daily demand is 1 250 000

/ (52 * 5) = 4807.7 units, taking 4807.7*108.5s = 521 634.615 seconds/day.

Divide 521 634.6 labor seconds needed to fulfill the demand by 28 800 available

seconds in a day, and we get 18.11 assembly lines needed in order to fulfill the demand.

That is, if it takes one machine or operator at any given time to assemble one Pedal Flusher,

then this amount needs to be multiplied by 18 in order to fulfill the yearly demand.

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A proper recommendation to the marketing and business team would be to review

their market share objectives, as having 18 times the amount of operators and machines in

one warehouse may prove to be challenging, especially for a start-up. If the demand was to be

reduced for the first few months and gradually augmented, the ramp up expenses and

production costs would decrease, and so would the risks.

Everyday, there are 60 s/m * 60m/h * 8 h/d = 28 800 seconds available per day. Each

item taking 108.5 s to assemble, a total of 28 800 / 108.5 = 265.5 units produced per day in

one assembly line. Considering 18 assembly lines are needed to attain the yearly demand, a

total of 265.5*18 = 4 777.9 units are produced per day! With this production rate, this

amounts to 1 242 248 units per year, a bit below the 1 250 000 rounded-up demand, but

significantly above the 5% market share forecast of 1,207,200 units of Pedal Flusher.

Finally, in terms of post-production supply chain, the Pedal Flusher units will be

assembled in pallets of 12 units, and sold in bulk of 12 minimally. This side accommodates

the smaller retailers who wish to sell few as well as the small businesses or institutions.

Around 400 bulk packs will be produced per day amongst which 11 pallets/day, 2 921/year,

or 35 048 units, will be kept in inventory as safety stock per year. The orders will be shipped

once a week. Considering the large size of one Pedal Flusher being 304.8 mm long * 114.3

mm wide *121.8 mm thick, the equivalent of (4 234.4 cubic-cm/unit * 12 units/pallet * 389

pallets/day * 5 days/week ) = approximately 100 cubic meters of truck space needed every

week for shipping. This is equivalent to 3531.47 cubic feet, which can be fulfilled by 5 trips

from a standard 90” * 91” * 14’ van truck.

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A4.3 Final Cost Estimates

A4.3.1 Order costs

Table 18. Order Costs

A.4.3.2 Manufacture cost estimations

Now that the manufacturing process are appropriately chosen to fit the purpose and

design of each part: Table 1 tabulates the costs that would be associated with each part’s

production. These values were obtained from the instant quote generator provided by Haizol

and Fractory. These quotes will be used as a guideline to approximate the price of

manufacturing each part using the specified machinery. However, since we want to have a

Part Number Part Description Materials Unit Cost Quantity Colum1 Total Cost

1370N55 Anti-Slip Padding Neoprene Rubber $ 2.78 1 part $ 2.78

74985A71 Glue Cyanoacrylate $ 29.68 0.14 fluid ounce $ 4.16

9657K173 Pedal Spring Zinc-Plated Spring-Tempered Steel $ 0.78 4 part $ 3.12

3633T2 Rope Compression Sleeve Aluminum 1/16" $ 0.21 2 part $ 0.43

88225K68 Elastic Band Elastic Latex Fabric $ 0.07 2.5 inches $ 0.07

6898K42 Adjustable Clamp Stainless Steel $ 1.53 33’’ by 10’’ part $ 1.53

91420A018 Clamp Screw Zinc-plated Stainless Steel $ 0.04 4 part $ 0.14

3461T633 Reinforced Metal Wire Steel Rope $ 1.95 30 inches $ 1.95

9273K14 Velcro Hook and Loop Nylon Fabric & Acrylic Adhesive $ 0.04 0.25 inches $ 0.04

Total $ 14.22

https://www.mcmaster.com/3461T633

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manufacturer in Quebec, our parts will not be manufactured by these companies. Since our

company is Quebec based the shipping costs will carry much weight.

Table 19. Manufacturing Cost Estimates

Material Bulk quantity Manufacturing process

Cost per part ($)

Main base block

Thermoplastic 1000 Laser cutting 11.5

Base cover

Thermoplastic 1000 CNC Machining 5.54

Hooked pedal thermoplastic 1000 CNC machining $ 8.90

Hooked metal band

Carbon steel (DC01 / cr4)

1000 Laser cutting 2.81

Pulley

Thermoplastic 1000 Turning $ 0.60

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Figure 26. Pedal order

Figure 27. Pulley order

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Figure 28. Base Order

Figure 29. Hook order

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Figure 30. Top Cover order

A 4.3.3 Effect of material selection on cost

When manufacturing these parts, one of the biggest determining factors on cost is

material selection. This impact can be visualised by means of the bar graph in figure 1. The

values in figure 1 were obtained using the instant quote generator provided by Haizol while

keeping bulk size as well as part design constant and only varying the material selection.

Material selection alone caused a variation of part cost from around5$ to around25$. The

materials in Table __ were thus selected keeping in mind functionality and cost.

Figure 31. Pedal Costs by Material

[18] The data found in this graph was collected from Haizol’s instant quotes generator.

Using this application, we collected the cost of our pedal design part depending on material

selections. *In this example, we maintained a bulk order size of 1000 parts.*

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A4.3.4 Effect of bulk quantity on cost

It is important to keep in mind however that the prices obtained using the instant

quote provided by the companies Haizol and Fractory are much higher than the ones that

would be obtained in mass production. These sites are meant to give an idea the prices of

products during proof of concept phases ( 1000 parts or less). In all manufacturing processes,

the quantity greatly affects the unit price. The reason being that operating costs are high and

when quantities are low they represent a large part of cost. Whereas when materials are

manufactured in bulk, the operating costs are spread over many parts. Figure 29, shows

impact of quantity of parts on the part costs. In fact, this trend is mirrored when observing

price variation due to bulk size using the instant quote application on Haizol (plotted in

graph [18] ).

Figure 32. Pedal Costs vs. Bulk Size

[18] The data found in this graph was collected from Haizol’s instant quotes generator.

Using this application, we collected the cost of our pedal design part depending on different

order sizes.

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Figure 33. Cost vs. amount of parts manufactured

This graph demonstrates the big picture of the important decline of cost with respect to

amount of parts manufactured [ 35]

A4.3.5 Assembly costs

Part Name Total operation time

(sec)

Number of parts per

assembly

Worker wage

($/sec)

Assembly cost

($/assembly )

Main Base Block 2.25 1 0.004166667 0.009

Base Cover 2.5 1 0.004166667 0.010

Base Anti-slip Padding 3 1 0.004166667 0.012

Hooked Pedal 5.75 1 0.004166667 0.024

Pedal Spring 16 4 0.004166667 0.267

Fixable Pulley 4 2 0.004166667 0.033

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Table 20. Assembly Costs

Refer to Table 14 DFA Analysis for assembly time calculations.

A4.4 Payback Analysis/Return on Investment Analysis

The total cost to make one Pedal Flusher comes to $44.5. We must keep in mind that

this price is the maximum estimation and the cost per unit would most likely decrease as the

supply chain becomes more defined, the learning curve for manufacturing increases and the

time to manufacture decreases, and many other factors that will decrease the cost of

production. With this in mind, our group plans to sell the Pedal Flusher at the following rates:

1-99 units: $60/unit

100-199 units: $59/unit

200-299 units: $58/unit

300-399 units: $57/unit

400-499 units: $56/unit

500+ units: $55/unit

Crimping Loop Sleeve 9 2 0.004166667 0.075

Elastic Band 8 1 0.004166667 0.033

Hooked Metal Band 3 1 0.004166667 0.012

Adjustable clamp 7 4 0.004166667 0.117

Clamp Screw 14 4 0.004166667 0.233

Reinforced Metal Wire 15 1 0.004166667 0.062

Velcro looped Strip 2 1 0.004166667 0.008

Velcro hooked Strip 2 1 0.004166667 0.008

TOTAL COST 0.906

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The cost / unit would reach no lower than $55 / unit. The team agreed on these prices

due to two factors: Incentivise larger businesses to purchase our product and the cost of

manufacturing would decrease for orders bought in bulk turning a better profit. Another side

benefit from decreasing the price / unit for larger orders is it will increase the size of the

market with our product in it, increasing awareness of our product.

As explained earlier, we have a goal to be in a 5% of the toilet market in Canada which is

approximately 1,250,000 units. We can create two scenarios to determine our total profit, one

with a max profit which is if we sold all units in orders of 1-99 units, and the other is a min

profit which is if we sold all units in orders of 600+.

Max cost to manufacture: 1,250,000units x $44.5/unit = $55,625,000

Max revenue: 1,250,000units x $60/unit = $75,000,000

Max profit: $75,000,000 - $55,625,000 = $19,375,000

Min revenue: 1,250,000units x $55/unit = $68,750,000

Min profit: $62,500,000 - $55,625,000 = $13,125,000

Both our minimum and maximum profits are greater than the maximum cost to

manufacture. This means that our product begins with enough revenue to fully sustain our

company’s manufacturing cost.

Our team assumed that we would need an initial loan of $150,000,000 to cover all

supply chain expenses, bulk material and machine buying, employee training, and all other

aspects of product development. With a loan of $150,000,000, we assumed no interest

because currently interest is very low in Canada and our company would push for incentives

from the government due to our company being able to aid public health. We made two

scenarios, a minimum time payback analysis which assumes we receive the maximum

revenue, and a maximum time payback analysis which assumes we receive the minimum

revenue. For both scenarios, all profits go towards paying off the loan.

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Maximum time payback analysis:

Table 21. Maximum time payback analysis

As seen in the figure above, the maximum time to payback our loan would be in 12 years.

Minimum time payback analysis:

Table 22. Minimum time payback analysis

As seen in the figure above, the minimum time to payback our loan would be in 8 years.

A4.5 In-Service Support Analysis

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Once the first Pedal Flushers are dispatched around the country to the customers,

many aspects of post-production activity need to be considered. First, there is the question of

installation. While the Pedal Flusher company may hire many certified technicians to do the

installations, displacing said technicians left and right to install every single Pedal Flusher

may result in high costs for the company. Instead, following the procedural steps given in the

DFA Analysis section, an installation manual will be prepared and delivered to every

customer. This installation manual will be complete with images covering each step, and will

cover the installation of the device on different types of toilet handles. A customer support

hotline and email address will be created to ease customer communication with the company.

If there is a question, complaint or request directed towards the Pedal Flusher company, it

will be addressed properly by a Customer Support team.

With the help of a corporate legal team, an warranty and insurance policy shall be

created to cover the main post-production risks stemming out of common use of the product.

This policy will also ensure that the liability of the company in the event of an accident or an

issue is properly defended. As a show of goodwill towards the customers, the company

should consider gifting replacement parts with any order. Additionally, spare parts will be

available for purchase to the customers. For the first year, considering the forecasted sales

mentioned earlier, no warehouse will be built or rented except the inventory storage facility

within the production building. Should the amount of orders increase significantly over the

forecasts, a team of Industrial Engineers will be in charge of finding a solution to the

inventory and warehouse problem.

The sales are expected to continuously increase as the marketing team contacts new

potential customers. Because of this, the layout of the production facility must be

continuously reviewed to completely fulfill the customer demands. A small continuous

improvement team will be created to this effect. More efficient production and assembly

97

procedures will be researched, as well as better suppliers will be found to satisfy our needs.

Finally, communication will be established with the customers pretty often to gather any

feedback about the product in order to more easily imagine, design and implement changes to

the product.

A4.8 Drawings

Mechanical Drawings and 3D Design Images of The Product.

Figure 34. Mechanical drawing of the Main Base Block (Part #1)

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Figure 35. Front view Mechanical drawing of the Main Base Block (Part #1)

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Figure 36. Top view Mechanical drawing of the Main Base Block (Part #1)

100

Figure 37. Right side view Mechanical drawing of the Main Base Block (Part #1)

101

Figure 38. Mechanical drawing of the Top Base Cover (Part #2)

102

Figure 39. 3D design of the Anti-Slip Rubber Padding created using Solidworks (Part #3)

103

Figure 40. Mechanical drawing of the Hooked Pedal (Part #4)

104

Figure 41. 3D design of the Pedal Spring created using Solidworks (Part #5)

105

Figure 42. Mechanical Drawing of the Pulley (Part #6)

106

Figure 43. 3D design of the Crimping Loop Sleeve created using Solidworks (Part #7)

107

Figure 44. 3D design of the Elastic Band created using Solidworks (Part #8)

Figure 45. Mechanical Drawing of the Hooked Metal Band (Part #9)

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Figure 46. 3D design of the Adjusted Clamp created using Solidworks (Part #10)

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Figure 47. 3D design of the standard Philips Screw created using Solidworks (Part #11)

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Figure 48. Image of the Reinforced Metal Wire (Part #12). Source: Amazon.ca [28]

111

Figure 49. 3D design of the Velcro Looped Strip (Part #13) and Velcro Hooked Strip (Part #14) created using Solidworks

112

Figure 50. Image of the Reinforced Metal Wire assembled with the Crimping Loop Sleeve from Amazon.ca [28] [34].

Figure 51. Assembly representation performed using Solidworks, of the main pedal product which includes the Main Base Block, two Fixable Pulleys, the Hooked Pedal, four Pedal

Springs, the Anti-Slip Base Padding and the Top Base Cover.

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Figure 52. Section view of the assembly representation performed using Solidworks, of the main pedal product which includes the Main Base Block, two Fixable Pulleys, the Hooked

Pedal, four Pedal Springs, the Anti-Slip Base Padding and the Top Base Cover.

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Figure 53. Different angle of the section view of the assembly representation performed using Solidworks, of the main pedal product which includes the Main Base Block, two Fixable

Pulleys, the Hooked Pedal, four Pedal Springs, the Anti-Slip Base Padding and the Top Base Cover.

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Figure 54. Yellow sticker that will be attached to the Top Base Cover.

A4.8.1 Visual Representation of the of the handle assembly

Figure 55. Step 1 of the handle assembly.

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117


118


119


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Representation of the Final product

Figure 60. An image that was created to represent our final product.

A4.9 Deployment Plan (Ren)

The main targets of our products are household toilets and toilets in public places. At

beginning, we will start selling the first batch of finished products from large shopping malls

in urban centers with the largest passenger flow such as Eaton Center, Galeries d'Anjou,

Fairview Pointe-Claire, Rosemere Centre, Quartier DIX30 and Mirabel Outlets. and then we

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will observe buyer feedback. Shopping malls in big cities usually have higher customer flow,

which is conducive to the promotion of new products and the sale of products. If we can get a

certain amount of sales in a short time, then we can also use the shortest time to analyze these

feedbacks and improve our products. When the practicability of the products is guaranteed,

we will further promote the products to large public places such as airports, Olympic Centers,

and government buildings. Regarding logistics, we decided to group 12 and deliver them to

the seller. Since the installation of the product is quite simple, only the manual is required for

explanation, so there is no need to deploy technical personnel to perform services such as

installation of the product. When we promote our products to public places, more users will

provide us with a lot of feedback. Through these feedbacks, we will consider the next steps to

further upgrade our existing products or develop new products.

A5.1 Market Feedback Analysis

Assuming that the product has been successfully deployed and has been used for a

certain timeline, a market feedback analysis has been conducted. In order to know how the

public feels about the Pedal Flusher, a short survey has been conducted. The assumption is

that the pedal has been successfully manufactured and deployed. In order for the responders

to be acquainted with the idea, the following text has been presented at the beginning of the

survey:

A while ago, a team of engineers kindly asked you to answer questions on your thoughts about the Pedal Flusher. The team have now successfully designed the pedal. Assuming that the concept of the pedal has been manufactured and deployed into the establishments you attend daily, the team asks you one last time to answer the following survey in order to analyze the effectiveness of the Pedal Flusher.

In total, there were 33 responders which is a drastic change in number from the

market analysis survey, hence the qualitative analysis may not be as accurate. Following the

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analysis of the data, a future opportunity growth interpretation is conducted. Here are the

different answers to the questions:

Question 1


Do you feel more satisfied knowing that establishments now endorse the Pedal Flushers

given the importance of sanitation?



Figure 61. Final Quantitative Analysis Q1


This question establishes whether or not the Pedal Flusher is successful. The purpose

of design of this product is to avoid the spread of germs hence given safeness to the

consumers by making them not touching anything with their hands to flush. As seen on, 32

responders said they are more satisfied that establishments are adopting the Pedal Flusher

such that it gives a more sanitary environment.

Question 2


Is it easier for you to flush with your foot rather than your hands?

123





When designing a new product, it must be easier for usage. This question gives

feedback on whether or not consumers are having difficulties using the Pedal Flusher. The

question also gives insight into knowing if it’s easy for them to know how to use it. As seen

on the graph, 87.9% of responders said that it is easier for them to use the pedal rather than

their hands. Although it is less than expected, there may be alternative facts as to why some

do not find it easier. For instance, given that it is a new product into the market, it may not be

common to what consumers are used to.

Question 3


Do you think that the Pedal Flusher must be employed in small businesses (that have public

washrooms)?


124




Given that this product is new to the market, it may not be yet methodical to the small

businesses since they do not have a high dense population that uses their washrooms. This

question somewhat still gives an insight on how much the pedal could be gainful to the

consumers and to the market. As seen on the graph, 30 responders said that they rather still

see the Pedal Flusher in small public areas.

Question 4


If you had the option, would you install a Pedal Flusher in your household?



125



One third of the responders said they do not wish to install the Pedal Flusher in their

household. They trust that there won't be spreading germs as much. Furthermore, the Pedal

Flusher designed in this project is for commercial toilets, hence a different more

residential-friendly pedal should be developed for these circumstances.

A5.2 Conclusion

To help avoid the spread of germs, a team of engineers from varied fields created a

Pedal Flusher. The idea of developing the flusher valve comes from the covid-19 pandemic

and the usual contraction of disease through touching the valve and spreading the germs onto

further objects if not properly washed hands. To start, a market analysis has been conducted

to later analyze customer needs. The approach was to conduct a survey and out of 153

responses, a table of the mission statement could be formulated. For customers, the Pedal

Flusher must be developed such that it is easy to install, use and maintain. Furthermore, the

pedal must also have low cost and provide good quality. For the consumers, the pedal must

be easy to use and must be safe. The primary market targets are the commercial and

institutional establishments where hundreds of people attend daily. The competitor is the

126

development of motion-sensor toilets, where it flushes by movement. A detailed price

analysis was done and it concluded that ideally the product cost is $30 and a maximum value

of $50. The Pedal Flusher is a simple product that is used as an extension to the existing

toilets. The pedal was designed such that it is secured to the ground in order to prevent theft

and dysfunctionality. There is a connection between the pedal and the existing flush valve. To

use the pedal, the user pressed down on the pedal and a spring compresses and the wire is

pulled down and hence flushes the toilet. The pedal is composed of a rubber padding, a cable,

a pulley system, a casing which houses the pulleys, spring and wire. To attach the parts bolts

and nuts, screws, springs, elastic material and clamps are used. A design assembly procedure

is described in details such that it will be easy for customers to install. No parts will be

manufactured within our company. Only the pulleys, casing, hooked metal band and pedal

will be manufactured externally. The rest of the parts will be ordered from McMaster-Carr.

The forecasted demand which satisfies 5% of the Canadian toilets market share is 1 250 000

units of Pedal Flusher. To fulfill the demand 4 160 hours in a year are allocated to produce

the pedal valve. The total cost to produce one unit of the Pedal Flusher including the

components, manufacturing and assembly costs is $44.48 canadian dollars. With an analysis

of two scenarios, it was determined that the maximum profit is $19,375,000 and a minimum

profit of $13,125,000. With the help of a corporate legal team, a warranty and insurance

policy will be created to cover the main unpredicted risks. Spare parts will be available for

purchase to the customers. For the first year, no warehouse will be built or rented except the

inventory storage facility within the production building. Communication will be established

with the customers pretty often to gather any feedback about the product. To keep quality in

control, samples will be taken at random the measurements will be reviewed to check for any

trending deviations. There will be two types of inspections. All devices will be visually

checked by product inspectors and two Pedal Flushers will be tested daily by applying

127

repeated force to the pedal with a small pneumatic press. To deploy the product, it will first

be sold to large shopping malls in the city with the largest passenger traffic and observe the

customer’s feedback. We will deploy the product further into large public places such as

airports, Olympic Centers and government buildings. Assuming that the product has been

successfully deployed and has been used for a certain timeline, a market feedback analysis

has been conducted. In order to know how the public feels about the Pedal Flusher, a short

survey has been conducted. In total, there were 33 responders. In order for the team to have

continuous productive work, we met consistently to talk about the updates and met

milestones requirements by the suggested date. The team always did a thorough research and

got familiar with autocad and solidworks softwares before conducting the tasks. Lastly, there

is a possibility for the Pedal Flusher to be further developed by designing a similar product to

the commercial Pedal Flusher but for residential areas. First, the team aims to first market the

idea of implementing the Pedal Flusher in all public places.

128

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the pedal flusher

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