Watercare IX Range

Market-Changing Water Treatment for Food & Beverage Service

Watercare, a trusted name in commercial water filtration, set out to create a breakthrough product for the food and beverage industry — a system that would outperform competitors in both functionality and sustainability.

They brought us a clear ambition:

Take our wish list of features, and engineer a market-leading product that goes further than anything else in the sector.

Initially cautious about outsourcing such a critical project, Watercare needed reassurance that their design partner would understand the nuances of their industry, prioritise reliability, and minimise risk across development and manufacturing.

Our Approach

3fD (through IKONYX manufacturing integration) delivered a fully end-to-end solution, turning Watercare’s vision into a robust, high-performance product ready for global rollout.

Key initiatives:

Employed tooling-integrated design from day one, allowing design freedom without manufacturing risk.
Championed user experience and aesthetic excellence, ensuring intuitive handling and visual appeal for busy service environments.
Collaborated closely with suppliers and tooling teams throughout development, aligning all stakeholders under one commercial and technical strategy.
Focused on environmentally conscious design, supporting Watercare’s sustainability goals.

With all disciplines aligned — from design to material sourcing to manufacture — we created a seamless development process that significantly reduced Watercare’s risk and accelerated their route to market.

Engineering & DFM Decisions

Integrated tooling design: Tooling engineers embedded in the design process to enable confident, innovative solutions.
Sustainability focus: Material choices and system design prioritised environmental restoration and long-term performance.
User-centric features: Easy cartridge changes, robust construction, and ergonomic handling for fast-paced environments.
Manufacturing strategy: Full design-to-manufacture solution through IKONYX, eliminating handoffs and streamlining supply.

Outcome

Successfully launched the Watercare IX range, now generating global attention and expanding Watercare’s customer base.
Delivered a market-disrupting solution, outperforming competitors on functionality and environmental credentials.
Built Watercare’s confidence in the outsourced development model, validating our fully integrated design-to-box approach.
Enabled rapid scale-up of production to meet increasing demand worldwide.

What We Learned

Deep integration of design, tooling, and manufacturing is a game-changer for complex industrial products. By aligning every stage of development under one roof, we minimised risk, accelerated time to market, and delivered a product that is not just competitive — it’s industry-leading.

Our Details