Therm-Oz Showers Pty Ltd - QA Plumbing

About

The founders of Therm-Oz Showers have hit their fair share of bumps on the road to launching their business, which provides cost-effective thermostatic showers to the Australian market. “Therm-Oz Showers was set up to provide affordable, safe thermostatic showers to the Australian public,” said Rob. “The big challenge was coming up with a way to easily and cost-effectively replace existing two-tap showers.” That involved designing and developing a thermostatic mixing valve which fits on to existing tap fittings. Coupled with a slide-rail shower and plug that turns the existing spout outlet into a hanging feature, the entire system can be fitted without the need to alter current pipework or tiling, or carry out electrical work. But Rob and Sarah admit the process of bringing the design to market has thrown up far more challenges than they had thought possible. The couple, who originate from the UK, decided to make Western Australia home after a holiday to visit family in 2013. They admit that within a very short space of time, they were hooked. “When we left, I cried all the way from Perth to Singapore,” Sarah said. “As soon as we got back to the UK, we put our house on the market and started looking at visas to move here.” The answer came in the form of a business innovation visa, which imposed strict time limits to set up a suitably innovative business that would add value to the Australian economy. The first bump on their road occurred during the visa application process. Initially, they were required to list all the places they had lived and travelled over the previous 10 years – a feat that was difficult enough given they lived on the European continent’s doorstep and thought nothing of a quick weekend jaunt across the English Channel. But part way through the process, the rules were changed and they had to compile data for the past 30 years. After a lot of sifting through old memorabilia and digging deep into the memory banks, they somehow managed to pull all the required information together and were soon informed that their visa had been granted. The Ponds had been surprised during their holiday to discover that thermostatic showers – a common feature in European homes – were almost non-existent in Australia. The few models they did come across were usually purchased via the internet with no existing Australian Standard or WaterMark. Having run a plumbing supplies business in the UK, the couple had a fair idea before moving to Australia of what their innovative business would entail. Rob had designed, developed and supplied innovative, niche products to the UK plumbing and heating industry for the past 16 years through his existing UK business. It was not the thermostatic shower itself, but the way it could be fitted into Australian bathrooms that required some innovative thinking.