Delta and Delft Integraal often write about innovative ideas that offer big promises for the future. But what has happened to such ideas a couple years on? What for instance has happened to the Sunshower?
Delta, 12-09-2002
The idea is so simple that one wonders why it doesn’t yet exist. Such an idea is the Sunshower, a tanning device for under the shower.
Eight years ago Merijn Wegdam had a sublime Eureka moment while lying in bed as his sister returned from a tanning salon. “I had to take a shower and thought that it would be a great idea to combine taking a shower and getting a tan”, says Wegdam. The idea for the Sunshower was born. He worked out the idea as his graduation project at the faculty of Industrial Design engineering. A year later he had an investor and made the first 100 Sunshowers.
Since that initial development phase, millions have been invested in Wegdams invention, which he has developed with Oscar Meijer, a Civil Engineering alumnus. The first version, the Sunshower Deluxe, was introduced in late 2003. It had to be built into a shower, consisted of five lamps and cost 5,000 euros. Wegdam and Meijer sold hundreds a year, and some to well-known companies like Center Parcs and Golden Tulip.
But many of the costumers who wanted to have the Sunshower built in their homes found it too expensive. Wegdam: “We therefore made a new version in 2006: the Sunshower Comfort. This one didn’t have to be built in and it was half as expensive as the Deluxe. We wanted to make the Sunshower accessible to a bigger group.” The Sunshower starred at bathroom fairs in Germany and the United States. In 2007 it was sold in ten different countries.
A year later the financial crisis hit the company hard. “A difficult time started for luxurious goods”, Wegdam says. “We sold fewer Sunshowers than anticipated. We wanted to sell thousands a year, but were still selling hundreds. But we had to keep on growing to keep the business running.”
Wegdam decided to make a new Sunshower: the Combi. “It combines sunlight and infrared light. The former is for getting a tan, while the latter helps to treat stiff muscles. This version is also good for one’s health. We’ve conducted research with Leiden University and VU University Amsterdam to make sure that users wouldn’t get burned but would still get vitamin D. A lot of people lack vitamin D in the winter, because they hardly get sunlight on their skin. The new model was tested at two student houses in Delft, and last April we introduced the Sunshower Combi and reduced the price to 1500 euros. It was a smart move. Things are looking good for us. Despite the crisis we finally expect to sell thousands of Sunshowers in the near future.”
De naam van het NS-station Delft-Zuid wordt mogelijk TU Delft. Wethouder Koning van ruimtelijke ordening doet die suggestie volgens het AD op haar twittersite. Het huidige Delft-Zuid wordt veel door studenten gebruikt. Twee weken geleden opende Koning er de nieuwe fietsenstalling. Die biedt plaats aan zeshonderd fietsen naast het station en op het Kruithuisviaduct. De stalling is onderdeel van een investering van ruim vier miljoen euro in de stationsomgeving. Doel is het gebied aantrekkelijker maken.
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