Waggies by Maggie and Friends — a non-profit dog treat company in Wilmington, Delaware — has seen a boost in efficiency in their operations thanks to the contributions of a group of engineering students from the University of Delaware.
The students have developed innovative weighing scales to help the company’s bakers measure dog treats much faster and more accurately.
University of Delaware engineering students partner with Waggie’s dog treat company
As per NBC10 Philadelphia, Waggies by Maggie and Friends has been in existence for over a decade. What makes the company stand out from other dog treat manufacturers is that they only employ individuals with intellectual disabilities.
Waggies dog treats are all-natural, vet-approved, and preservative-free dog treats, mostly made from peanut butter. Surprisingly, the non-profit company produces approximately 4,500 treats each day for four days a week.
The persons involved in mixing, shaping, baking, and weighing these healthy treats are people living with various types of intellectual disabilities.
Since these vulnerable individuals generally have weak numerical skills and are more visual learners, it was difficult for them to work with normal weighing scales.
To address this challenge, the non-profit partnered with engineering students from the University of Delaware to custom-make weighing scales that are best suited for visual learners. Thanks to this partnership, the Delaware-based company now has weighing scales that don’t give their special bakers a hard time. Additionally, the company says their bakers’ overall productivity has improved because of this innovation.
These weighing scales use visuals to guide the bakers in accurately measuring the dog treats before packaging.
Logan Feiler is among those volunteer students who came up with this advanced weighing scale model. Explaining how the scale works, Feiler told the news outlet: “They can put the treats in it. It’ll say minus means add more treats. Once they hit the right amount it’s a smiley face.”
