The Search For The Next Great Canadian Innovation Competition
News
- Survey Results are in: Canadians are Innovative! >
- Factoid: Snowblower >
- The Official rules and regulations are available here >
2008 Winner
The Toronto-based brothers’ invention, the Certo-Ex, an automated device that breaks down a substance and isolates a certain component, was selected by the judges at Nytric as the best of more than 210 entries.
Trailer Hitch Aligner
Ortwin Groh's trailer-hitch alignment system sure didn't impress readers of our Great Canadian Invention Competition. A mascara remover beat the aligner and a drywall fastener as the best idea in an online poll, yet judges at product-development firm Nytric Ltd. awarded Groh the first prize — up to $50,000 in engineering services. What gives?
For one, Groh's product hits a huge market. There are as many as four million trailers in use in Canada, and existing alignment products are cumbersome or expensive. Anthony Gussin, Nytric's director of business development, was struck by the simplicity of Groh's design. "Innovation isn't about complexity," he says. "It can be about finding a simple, practical approach to a real life problem." The judges were also amazed at Groh's tenacity. Groh has spent 12 years and nearly $40,000 on the project.
Nytric is now helping Groh find proper construction materials, redesigning the aligner to fold easily for storage, and tracking down manufacturers, distributors and advertising agencies. "It's a lot more work than I ever thought it would be," Groh says. The product is set to be launched early next year to coincide with boat and RV trade shows — selling there first gives Groh added clout when talking to retailers. Hopefully, it all goes off without, um, a hitch.