UnbuckleMe is an innovative consumer product designed to help caregivers easily unbuckle child car seats, improving safety and accessibility for parents, grandparents, and caregivers alike. After gaining early momentum and validation through Kickstarter, the UnbuckleMe team needed a manufacturing partner capable of refining the design and preparing it for large-scale production.
BeraTek partnered with UnbuckleMe to transform an early-stage concept into a production-ready product, guiding the process from industrial design through engineering validation, tooling, and full manufacturing launch.
The Challenge
Following a successful appearance at the ABC Kids Expo in Las Vegas, the UnbuckleMe founders were ready to move beyond concept development and into manufacturing. However, several critical steps remained:
- Finalizing product aesthetics and usability
- Ensuring manufacturability at scale
- Selecting appropriate materials and molding processes
- Preparing tooling capable of meeting growing demand
- Managing production timelines alongside Kickstarter order fulfillment
The team needed a partner who could balance design intent with real-world manufacturing requirements while maintaining clear communication throughout development.
Our Approach
Industrial Design & Product Refinement
BeraTek’s industrial design team collaborated closely with UnbuckleMe to refine the product’s appearance and functionality. The goal was to preserve the simplicity of the concept while improving ergonomics and visual appeal for retail readiness.
Design adjustments focused on:
- User comfort and grip performance
- Clean, consumer-ready aesthetics
- Durable geometry suited for injection molding
The result was a design that aligned both with brand vision and manufacturing realities.
Engineering for Manufacturability
Once the design direction was finalized, BeraTek’s engineering team evaluated the product through a manufacturing lens. This phase identified potential risks early and ensured the product could be produced efficiently and consistently.
Key engineering considerations included:
- Material selection for strength and flexibility
- Overmolding compatibility
- Tooling optimization for repeatable production
- Long-term durability under real-world use
This collaboration reduced production risk and streamlined the transition into tooling.
Tooling & Production Launch
With strong Kickstarter demand already established, speed and reliability were critical. BeraTek developed a family mold capable of producing:
- A base component molded in ABS
- A flexible TPE overmold for enhanced usability and comfort
The tooling strategy enabled efficient manufacturing while maintaining tight quality standards during production run one.
Production moved quickly to support backlog fulfillment while maintaining consistency across parts.
The Results
Today, UnbuckleMe has grown from a startup concept into a widely distributed consumer product available through:
- Major retail partners
- Amazon marketplace
- Direct-to-consumer eCommerce sales
By aligning product design, engineering, and manufacturing early in development, the product successfully transitioned from crowdfunding success to scalable production.
Client Feedback
“Since we met the BeraTek team at an industry trade show, they have become essential partners to our business. Despite many high’s and low’s that come with new product development, BeraTek worked hard to help us create an excellent product, and their transparency and communication throughout the process gave us comfort. We are very happy with the end result and look forward to a longstanding partnership.”
— Becca Davison, Co-Founder of UnbuckleMe
Why This Project Matters
The UnbuckleMe project demonstrates how early collaboration between industrial design, engineering, and manufacturing teams can accelerate product commercialization. By addressing manufacturability during development, BeraTek helped reduce risk, support rapid scaling, and bring an innovative product successfully to market.
Website – www.unbuckleme.com