In the back of a big warehouse in Torrance, Calif., engineers at home-essentials maker Simplehuman are putting the company’s voice-activated trash can through its paces. The goal: to test the reliability of its voice-recognition technology by subjecting it to a sonic pummeling.
Every 10 seconds, hour after hour, a robotic voice from a speaker repeats, “Open can.” And every 10 seconds, hour after hour, the lids on a quartet of trash cans, arranged in a square in the middle of the room, open and close. A camera records video so that engineers can analyze any hiccups.
“If we start talking really loud, I bet one of them might fail,” Simplehuman CEO Frank Yang says coyly.
Simplehuman, described by some as the Apple of housewares for its sleek soap dispensers, high-tech mirrors, and dish racks, has attracted a devoted customer base. Last year its revenue grew 15% to more than $200 million, the company says.
Simplehuman’s rise comes despite stiff competition in the market for kitchen and bathroom products. Rubbermaid and Hamilton Beach produce cheaper trash cans, for instance, while Conair and iHome also churn out tech-enhanced mirrors.
But Joe Derochowski, an analyst for market research firm NPD Group, says what sets Simplehuman apart is the little extra it adds to its products. Higher-end home essentials, not cheaper products, accounted for nearly all of the 5.9% growth in the $26.7 billion housewares market last year.
“They’re an example of how you can take something simple like a mirror or a garbage can, innovate it, pair it with some great marketing, and do really well,” says Derochowski.
Simplehuman’s slogan is “Tools for efficient living,” and last spring, Yang and his staff of 100 finished moving into what he calls a “tool for building innovative products.” It’s an open-plan office with an indoor basketball court (Yang shoots hoops when he’s stressed) and labs where Simplehuman tests and tweaks products.
Around the corner from the opening and closing trash cans is a quiet booth with foam-padded walls. Yang opens the door, and Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” comes blasting out.
Two technicians are testing the speaker attached to Simplehuman’s latest product, a hi-fi mirror that debuts this April. It’s optimized for applying makeup, with 5x magnification, different lighting options (cool for daytime, warm for evening), and—here’s that added consumer benefit—a base equipped with a Bluetooth speaker that a Grammy-winning artist like Sheeran would probably find up to snuff.