Extreme Measures

Simplehuman, the high-end housewares maker, takes product testing very seriously. The obsession appears to be paying off.

- Sheila Marikar

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.