simplehuman
Private | |
Founded | 2000 |
Founder | Frank Yang |
Headquarters | Torrance, California |
Key people | Frank Yang, CEO & Founder |
Products | trash cans, kitchen and bath tools, organization tools |
Number of employees | ~100 |
Website | www.simplehuman.com |
simplehuman is a privately owned designer and manufacturer of kitchen,[1] bath and beauty tools based in Torrance, California. simplehuman's trash cans, touch-free soap pumps, shower caddies and magnified sensor- activated vanity mirrors are sold across the US and internationally both on its website and at various brick-and-mortar retail chains such as Bed, Bath, & Beyond, The Container Store, Crate & Barrel and Neiman Marcus. simplehuman's trash cans are considered among the most high-end cans on the market today due to their patented sensor technology and durability.[2]
History
In 2000, simplehuman was founded by Frank Yang, who immigrated in 1982[3] and later started the company with the idea of making a better trash can.[1][4] He showed his design and received his first orders at the International Home and Housewares Show from retailers such as The Container Store and Bed, Bath & Beyond.[5] The company was originally called Canworks due to its focus on trash cans, but Yang changed the name to simplehuman in 2001 when the company began to broaden its product line into other kitchen and bath tools, such as touch-free sensor pumps and shower caddies, under the tagline “Tools for Efficient Living”.[5][6] In 2003, simplehuman opened a UK subsidiary in Oxfordshire, England to serve the European market.[7]
Using sensor technology and the idea of touch-free operation, simplehuman introduced its first sensor soap pump in 2007. And in 2010, it came out with the first of its line of motion sensor-activated trash cans. In 2013, the company took this sensor technology into the beauty tools market with the introduction of its first sensor-activated vanity mirror that uses LED light technology.[8]
Products
simplehuman focuses on five main product lines:
- Trash Cans & Liners
- Sensor Pumps & Soap
- Dishracks & other kitchen tools
- Shower Caddies & other bath tools
- Sensor Mirrors
Awards
simplehuman's products and designs have won numerous prestigious awards including:
- The Housewares Design Award in 2013 for the semi-round sensor can[9]
- The European Consumer Choice Awards in 2011 for the steel frame dishrack[10]
- The European Consumer Choice Awards in 2012 for the butterfly sensor can[11]
Partners
simplehuman’s products are sold both on their website and at various retail stores such as:
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Lowly trash can gets respect at Frank Yang's simplehuman - USATODAY.com". usatoday30.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2016-05-21.
- ↑ "45L semi-round sensor can with liner pocket". simplehuman | United States. Retrieved 2016-05-21.
- ↑ "Squarespace - Claim This Domain". web.archive.org. 2015-02-17. Archived from the original on February 17, 2015. Retrieved 2016-05-21.
- ↑ "Simplehuman, LLC: Private Company Information - Businessweek". investing.businessweek.com. Retrieved 2016-05-21.
- 1 2 3 4 "Simplehuman Founder Frank Yang on Reinventing the Trash Can". OPEN Forum. 2012-04-02. Retrieved 2016-05-21.
- ↑ Hamilton, William L. (2004-07-29). "DESIGN NOTEBOOK; Trash Trades Up". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-05-21.
- ↑ "SIMPLEHUMAN (UK) LIMITED, RG8 9AQ GORING ON THAMES Financial Information". CompaniesInTheUK. Retrieved 2016-05-21.
- ↑ "Man in the Mirror: SimpleHuman's Sensor Mirror". Design Bureau. Retrieved 2016-05-21.
- ↑ "HousewaresDesignAwards.com: Simplehuman Simplehuman Semi-Round Sensor Can". www.housewaresdesignawards.com. Retrieved 2016-05-21.
- ↑ "SimpleHuman Steel frame dishrack | Test and reviews - European Consumers Choice - Product Reviews and Tests". www.europeanconsumerschoice.org. Retrieved 2016-05-21.
- ↑ "Simplehuman Butterfly sensor can | Test and reviews - European Consumers Choice - Product Reviews and Tests". www.europeanconsumerschoice.org. Retrieved 2016-05-21.