Quick Innovative Solutions Solving Manufacturing Problems with Safety, Ease, and Efficiency at Top of Mind

Despite 2020 being one of the most economically challenging times for many individuals and businesses, the year saw a record number of new companies born. Out of job loss and company failures caused by the unexpected coronavirus pandemic came inspiration and impetus for many to take the leap and start a new endeavor. This is exactly what happened for the Savannah founders of Quick Innovative Solutions, Jason Bateham, Elyzaveta Bateham, and Megan Mullininx. 

Jason, who has a degree in mechanical engineering from Southern Polytechnic, and Megan, who majored in industrial design at Georgia Tech, worked together in the 3D printing lab at Gulfstream creating parts to manufacture and build aircrafts. Unfortunately their jobs were casualties of the company’s 2020 layoffs, and they found themselves seeking new employment in May of last year.  “My wife and I decided pretty quickly that we did not want to move from the area,” says Jason on making plans for new employment. Elyzaveta, Jason’s wife, was an integral part in the launching of the business by getting things started and registering a sole proprietorship for Jason. Not long after, Jason reached out to Megan, and soon Quick Innovative Solutions was born in the form of an LLC. Today Jason and Megan run the day-to-day operations. Since the launch of their company in May of 2020 the team has worked out of their homes, and hired one employee while they establish their footing in the market. 

Quick Innovative Solutions employee Fady Rafla working on the design of a prototype.

Quick Innovative Solutions is exactly what it sounds like in the realm of engineering. The company offers fast engineering consulting and design services  to solve manufacturing problems with the goal of making industrial jobs safer, easier, and more efficient. Whether they’re developing a tool from scratch or taking a solution created by the client and replicating or mass producing it, the company can help in both scenarios. “What we’re working on are products that don’t exist yet or they’re not the perfect iteration for the business our customers are doing,” says Jason. “All manufacturers have internal problems with their manufacturing line, and it comes in a myriad of shapes and sizes and issues,” adds Megan. “A lot of these companies don’t have the staff to solve those problems internally…our goal is to step in and help them solve those issues because it’s not their primary concern, but it’s still really important.”

While they have the capability to help with all kinds of solutions, many customers come to them with a need in the realm of safety and injury-prevention. “We’ve had clients say they want to prevent an ergonomic injury through the use of a tool so they ask us to develop something that will make a process more ergonomically-stable,” Megan says. “Or, we’ve had a client say they want to keep their employees’ fingers safe and asked ‘Can you give us something to keep their fingers away from this particular point.’” Other common products they produce for customers have included jigs and fixtures, custom shadow box foam for toolbox drawers and cabinets, product protection articles, safe work-station lighting solutions, and ANSI & OSHA compliant quick release products.

With their backgrounds and expertise, Jason and Megan work with local companies to help them prototype, fit-check and function-check their designs using a 3D printer to create the solutions. They operate an Ultimaker S5 to prototype when they’re working on a final product configuration for their clients and outsource the production of the final solution to vendors. “We want to use the right material and the right process that’s required for the solution rather than try to shoe-horn somebody into a 3D printed or machined solutions,” says Jason. When it comes to selecting a vendor for the final production, Jason explains that “it  really boils down to what we can get that is best for our customer.”

Perhaps the biggest advantage of working with Quick Innovative Solutions is their ability to work faster than average when it comes to creating custom products and tools. “We definitely want to be attentive and responsive to our clients…we’ll work with them on what that time table needs to be to make them comfortable,” Megan explains. For most projects, the company is able to provide final solutions within a few weeks rather than the typical turnaround time of several months. Once the team zeroes in on a tool design and prototype that their clients like, delivering of the final product becomes a simple matter of production quantity and manufacturer selection.

One of the product prototypes created by Quick Innovative Solutions.

As for future growth of the company, Jason and Megan plan to continue partnering with local manufacturers plus broadening their market to include a wider range of industry sectors.  “By solving problems for a variety of manufacturing operations, we’ll naturally cross-pollinate a little bit when we learn something with one manufacturer and realize it could be a great solution for another client,” says Jason.  

To learn more about Quick Innovative Solutions, visit www.quickinnovativesolutions.com.