Juni 2022 Update

June 2022 update

Firstly, please allow us to apologise again for the delay in receiving your Heatle. We are trying to manage full production in the most challenging of times. Please know that we are working diligently to fulfil your order and whilst we are working as quickly as possible, we strive to uphold quality as we produce these premium products. We are being careful not to skip any steps in production, only accepting the very best for every component, from the rubber feet up to the rod handle.

Preparing to dispatch the next batch of Heatles 

The Heatle packaging is finally here. It may sound like a trivial update, but considering the delays in the paper industry, we are quite lucky to eventually receive it. It is being folded and assembled here in Berlin, where we can finish off the final steps of testing, QA, packing and dispatch.

Your Heatle will be delivered in this strong, sustainable box. We designed it to avoid any plastics and excess packaging. The device and accessories are well protected and safely arranged inside. We have already made some tests and adjustments, sending Heatles to customers across Europe.

Whilst the initial batch is being finished and packed, David continues to work with our suppliers and manufacturers on the next batch.

Current User Interface

Here you can have a look at the user interface and functionality of the current batch. We continuously keep improving and adding useful new features to our user experience, so we are excited to get more feedback from the customers of the next batch. Once the app is live, it can be used to install new upgrades to the interface and experience on the Heatles which were already delivered.

Production continues

While waiting for certain components to arrive, we are preparing everything else in order to move directly to assembly when the last parts arrive in our warehouse. We need to manufacture in batches due to space restrictions, quality standards and to minimise risks, however, the batches increase in size towards making all 10.000 units this year.

We hired a lot of fantastic helpers to maintain our assembly line, and there is plenty to do whilst we are waiting for the remaining deliveries. Our engineer Hai is taking care of the processes and supporting the manufacturing process. Below, we would like to share some details about the current tasks and great people handling them.

Leo just finished school and is already eager to do some hands-on work with us. He is programming and testing the rods, sealing them with the handle and cleaning them afterwards. This work requires much attention to detail as the rod is the main accessory you will be touching and using most of the time, and sometimes even two at once for the Duo mode.

Hai and Leo created several support jigs to squeeze the handles over the rod PCBs (thin green stick Leo is holding in the picture) to protect them and make the rod water-proof.

Hundreds of new rods are being finished by Leo every week, then stowed away until they are ready to be put inside a Heatle box and shipped to you.

Mai is doing her medical Master's and was looking to do some meaningful work that allows her to develop new skills and apply her talent with miniature electronics, using tweezers and microscopes. She supports us in several hand processes, including soldering and PCB preparation.

Andriy, an EMS expert from Ukraine, continues to work diligently on detailed PCB work, like soldering through-hole components, QA checking the PCBs as they come in batches from the manufacturers.

Tiffany, who is finishing her M.Sc. this year, was also keen on doing some work during her break, supporting us on the project.

A batch of Heatle PCBs ready for QA.

A note regarding quality

Our main focus is on Quality, whilst we build this premium product. We are moving as quickly as possible and doing our best to avoid unnecessary delays. We are still chasing up suppliers for components. Please bear with us as we are working hard to deliver your Heatles and to produce the devices batch by batch over the next weeks.

Greentech Festival

We joined this year’s industry event for companies designing or producing equipment that has a positive impact on the world issues, such as reducing CO2 emissions.

Bettina Stark-Watzinger, Germany’s federal minister of education and science, and Nico Rosberg, frontman to the Greentech Festival, were among the prominent figures at our GTF booth in Berlin. They were very interested in our product and the made-in-Germany technology - particularly Mrs. Stark-Watzinger for use in classrooms for science purposes, or laboratories for heating chemicals safely without a naked flame.

Zenel demoed the Heatle to hundreds of visitors over the 2 days.

During the two days at the event we learned a lot from watching visitors use the Heatle. We collected feedback from hundreds of users, of which some ideas and suggestions we’ll implement. Also some social media posts / stories were published during the event, inviting our customers to drop by and visit us.

In other news

In June, we celebrate the birthdays of our awesome colleagues Monic and Zenel.

On a trip to London, David hand-delivered some Heatles.

Hai, Tiffany and Andriy performing quality checks on SMD components in the lab.