Dunsborough business' steady proposition

An innovative mechanism for making tables sturdier could become part of cafe and restaurant inventories throughout the world, after local entrepreneurs received a State Government funding boost to take it to the next level.

Dunsborough-based No-Rock Cafe Tables featured as one of 14 enterprises throughout WA granted up to $20,000 through round two of the WA Innovation Vouchers Program.

The program aimed to help innovators engage professional skills and services to help turn their ideas into a commercial reality.

Toby Heyring, who manages marine technology business Nauti-Craft with his father and inventor of the device Chris Heyring, said the integrated table base evenly distributed weight between the four legs, solving a common problem faced in the hospitality industry.

“(Chris) has always fit the mad inventor kind of mould, always coming up with ideas,” he said.

“It has ease of manufacture, low cost and its simple…we just had to pursue it.”

Mr Heyring said the prototype had been settled on after a couple of years of exploring what could work rather than as a “eureka moment” and the financial help, although relatively small, would facilitate its development.

“We’re using the grant to engage industrial designers to enhance our designs aesthetically,’ he said.

“The first strategy is to get it massproduced and sell to distributors - …second strategy may be to license it.”

Science and Innovation Minister John Day said ideas took time, money and hard work to come to fruition and the vouchers program produced economic benefits for local communities and beyond.

“The successful applicants are eveloping innovations that have real-world relevance and will assist Western Australia’s reputation for developing quality solutions for key global markets,” he said.