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Stark HoseSwivel an Export Hit You’re washing out the farm dairy or factory walls, or cleaning the car when the hose kinks. Clamber down off the ladder, unravel the kink and you’ve wasted several minutes and tested your temper. If this is a familiar event in your business or home, Hamilton company Stark Innovations Ltd has come up with a sensible answer – the Stark HoseSwivel. Cynthia Stark was the catalyst for the invention when she complained to husband David that the farm dairy hoses were always kinking, interrupting the flow of water or milk. He used his engineering skills to develop the first prototype of what is now called the HoseSwivel. This simple patented device fits onto any hose delivering water or air and prevents it kinking. It was launched at National Fieldays in 2001, winning a New Equipment Award, and at the Ellerslie Flower Show. The HoseSwivel is made by Hamilton plastics company Vertex Pacific Ltd and distributed in Australia by DeLaval. David Stark says markets are already opening in the US, Mexico and South America and now the HoseSwivel has been perfected he and Cynthia are spending their time marketing it. The HoseSwivel has already been tested for use with water and air and it is now being tested with suction hoses. “We’re constantly looking at new uses for the swivel but it’s a true, multipurpose invention that fits onto any hose,” he said. With the success of the swivel, David and Cynthia have moved off the dairy farm and shifted to Hamilton where they can further develop and market the successful product. David is still in partnership with his two brothers but has no daily responsibilities on the beef and sheep farm.
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Waikato Times, October 2001 Waikato Firms gain Awards One Thames Valley and six Waikato firms yesterday received Industry New Zealand Enterprise Awards at the Regional Development Conference in Rotorua. Medical Systems ($9844), Stark Innovations Ltd ($19,639), Talkingtech.com. ($7576), Taragate ($9417), Waikato Honey Products ($18,382), Capex Systems ($8050) and Resource Refineries ($14,007) were among the 90 grant recipients. Deputy Prime Minister Jim Anderton said 361 grants had been handed out since the awards began in September last year. He told the conference the economy was being driven by regional businesses and industries. The awards showed how strong innovations and enterprise was across New Zealand. "New Zealanders are the most innovative and enterprising people in the world". A recent survey ranked New Zealanders second for entrepreneurial activity behind Mexico. Medical Systems intends using the money for business and strategic planning; Stark Innovations for the development of the Stark HoseSwivel; Talkingtech.com for trade fair participation; Targate to develop a multi-strand electric gate; Waikato Honey Products for market research; Capex Systems for research; and Resource Refineries to develop slow-release nutrient products. PLM: Production Laitiere Moderne, October 2001 Vu Au Salon Fieldays 2001- Tuyau de Lavage: Raccord anti vrille Le tuyau de lavage est parfois capricieux, avec ses boucles rebelles et vrilles entremelees. Pour y remedier, voici le Stark HoseSwivel. Ce petit mecanisme rotatif vient s'intercaler entre deux segments du tuyau pour eviter plein de meli-melo. Les specialistes de la peche feront le rapprochement avec les emerillons. Ici, c'est l'eleveur qui peut s'activer au lavage sans perdre de temps. Grace au Stark HoseSwivel, le tuyau file en ligne et le debit d'eau reste constant. Waikato Times, Saturday 1 September 2001 Times Business No Kinky business for this couple! An enterprising Waikato farmer has come up with an inventive way to get the kinks our of your hose. The Stark HoseSwivel is the brainchild of former Ohinewai dairy farmer David Stark who has given up early rising on the farm for a life as a professional inventor. "Well it's a problem a lot of people have. Not just farmers." Mr. Stark and his Canadian wife Cynthia were given $20,000 at the Enterprise Awards recently presented by Industry New Zealand. Originally engineered from alloy, on a lathe in one of the farm sheds, the hose swivels are built to fit anything from the garden hose to a 40mm high pressure cow-shed hose. They work by connecting the center of the hose and allowing it to turn, rather than kink up. Manufactured in plastic by Hamilton company Vertex Pacific Ltd, the swivels have sold out in some stockists, says Mr. Stark. Success at this year's awards has seen the couple look at taking their hose swivels global. Farm Trader August 2001 Product: A New Twist to an old story When Cynthia Stark began helping her dairy farmer partner David clean up the cowshed after milking, she complained bitterly. The high pressure hose she lugged around the yard kept kinking, stemming water flow. Then, she would have to try flicking the heavy hose or straighten it manually. It really hosed her off! David, a gentleman and wanting to please his new Canadian bride, decided there must be a solution to the problem. The swiveling hose connectors on the market were large, ungainly and unsuitable for cowshed use. So he did what any good Kiwi cow cocky would do-he found a way of making one himself. After a couple of evenings at the lathe, he produced a lightweight alloy prototype swiveling on ball bearings-and it worked. Cynthia was delighted, and so were judges at the Mystery Creek Fieldays. David's device won the 1999 Inventions Award. Others were keen on the idea too, so David and Cynthia explored ways to mass-produce their swiveling connector. Metals were too expensive but plastic proved successful. Much planning and hard work paid off in June when the first Stark HoseSwivel off the production line won the 2001 New Equipment award at Mystery Creek. David Stark has found that avoiding kinks in hoses saves time and avoids frustration. " Your not having to stop continually to untwist the hose, and so speeds up yard cleaning and saves water," he says. " It also extends the life of the hose because kinks often cause wear and leaks that lead to early hose replacement." Farm Equipment News , 31 July 2001 Preventing your hoses from developing Kinks The Stark HoseSwivel has won another award at the National Fieldays. Winner of the 1999 invention award, the Stark HoseSwivel has finally made it to the market. After winning the invention award, David and Cynthia Stark took steps to mass produce and market the Stark HoseSwivel. Two years later the product is being sold through various farming outlets, including DeLaval, which entered it in the Equipment Awards at the 2001 Fieldays. The Stark HoseSwivel is a unique product that prevents hoses from kinking or twisting. Preventing kinks ensures a full flow and prevents the hose from leaking. The Stark HoseSwivel was sold for the first time at the Fieldays at the DeLaval and NuPulse sites. The response was huge, with many being sold to dairy farmers for use in the yard hose, pit hose, backing gates and for the garden hose. Its uses vary as much as sizes of the HoseSwivel. DeLaval marketing manager Jillian Bruce said the Stark HoseSwivel had been a fun product to launch." The product is so simple that everyone has a need for a HoseSwivel. It just sells itself". The Stark HoseSwivel is available at leading farming outlets, including DeLaval and Nu Pulse dealers. Dairying Today, June 2001 Awash with Creativity No more kinks in hoses, thanks to sharemilking Cynthia and David Stark's patented swivel that fits any hose. The idea came to her as she watched him battling kinks in the yard washing-down hose. Water keeps flowing because the swivels cause a hose to twist, rather than kink. Some users say hoses last longer when there are no kinks to turn into leaks. The Starks say the Patent office told them the uniqueness of their idea made it easy to patent. DeLaval will sell the swivels at the Fieldays. Straight Furrows 21 May 2001 Hoses Kink no more No more kinks in hoses, thanks to sharemilking Cynthia and David Stark's patented swivel that fits any hose. The idea came to her as she watched him battling kinks in the yard washing-down hose. Water keeps flowing because the swivels cause a hose to twist, rather than kink. Some users say hoses last longer when there are no kinks to turn into leaks. The Starks say the Patent office told them the uniqueness of their idea made it easy to patent. DeLaval will sell the swivels at the Fieldays.
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