Case Study

How Wootz.work’s Design & Engineering Team Delivered a CE-Ready Aluminium Ride-On Toy in Just 3 Months

Industry

Consumer Goods

Constraint

Premium aluminium construction, strict safety and CE compliance requirements, and tight cost limits for a seed-stage startup.

Objective

Develop a high-quality, export-ready children’s ride-on toy with full prototyping, design-for-manufacturing (DFM), and logistics support within target pricing.

The Challenge

Wootz.work worked with a Belgian seed-stage startup to develop premium toys for children between 2 and 5 years old. They needed an engineering and design partner capable of turning their vision into a manufacturable, certifiable, export-ready product. Wootz.work stepped in to help with end-to-end manufacturing, including design, DFM, and prototyping.

01 Complex Design Requirements

The product needed to be lightweight, safe for children aged 2–5, ergonomically appropriate, and visually premium, without exceeding the startup’s cost targets.

02 Limited Manufacturing Choices

The client required a complex process of metal manufacturing which the local vendors could not offer, causing delays in product launch.

03 Compliance & Certification Risks

The final toy had to meet CE safety standards for sale in the EU. This meant material selection, edge finishing, structural integrity, and surface treatment should follow regulated guidelines.

Result

Without an integrated partner, the project risked escalating costs, missed design deadlines, and delays in securing CE approval, blocking the product’s launch entirely.

The Approach

Our engineering and industrial design teams took full ownership of refining the concept and transforming it into a production-ready system. Every detail, including the geometry, ergonomics, weight, rigidity, materials, and safety, was resolved analytically and prototyped with precision.

01 Design for Manufacturability (DFM) From Day One

We produced high-quality prototypes that closely represented mass-manufactured output, allowing the client to validate the ergonomics, comfort, handling, and surface quality with confidence before moving to larger tooling.

02 Certification-Aligned Engineering

All structural, safety, and finishing decisions were made with CE certification in mind, from material choice to surface smoothing, so compliance was built into the design rather than handled at the end.

03 Multi-Process Manufacturing Strategy

We used the design and combined high-pressure die casting, sheet-metal deep drawing, CNC pipe bending, aluminium welding, and precision machining into one coordinated execution plan, eliminating multi-vendor alignment issues.

04 Cost & Logistics Optimization

Every step, from tooling decisions to packaging design, was evaluated to keep the product within the target price. We also planned end-to-end logistics to minimize freight and handling costs for EU shipments.

The Outcome

The collaboration provided the client with a scalable, certifiable, and cost-controlled path from concept to manufacturing, giving them the foundation to launch in EMEA with confidence.

3 Months

from design to prototype

Export-ready packaging

to reduce freight cost through optimized volume and weight

CE-ready engineering

for EU retail

Target pricing achieved

With premium aluminium fabrication

The collaboration not only addressed immediate production bottlenecks but also established a repeatable, scalable model for future fabrication needs.

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