Customer Assurance Checklist – It is important to ASK

When choosing a soft modular playground supplier review this helpful checklist of quality, safety and durability controls to ensure that your supplier meets or exceeds these crucial commitments to you and your project. When it comes to child safety and your responsibility good, ok or 2nd best simply isn’t good enough. Due diligence will let you and your staff sleep at night knowing that you have made the right choice.

Insurance

Does the manufacturer/supplier have adequate liability insurance that is capable of handling any minor or major claim? Even if the equipment or project may not be at fault you are obligated to defend any claims made at your facility. Do they have adequate Workers’ Compensation and Employer’s Liability insurance coverage (“WC&EL”) for at site installations during the build out?

We currently carry liability insurance coverage of $5,000,000 with Lloyds of London, an international insurance provider. Upon request, we can provide copies of our insurance coverage as well as the contact information for our insurance broker who is available to answer any questions that you may have. Our manufacturing and installation personnel are covered by appropriate WC&EL insurance.  Proof of this coverage is generally required by local city officials when obtaining various installation permits, as applicable.

• Ask our Competitors:
  Be sure to ask for a copy of their liability and WC&EL insurance policies, as well as the contact information of their insurance brokers to verify that the policies are currently effective and are in good standing.

Materials Specifications

Does the manufacturer/supplier produce the playground locally and provide adequate safety standards, fire spread ratings, and toxicity levels testing as required on all raw materials in order to meet local and international standards?

Once we process your order, we will provide to you product safety information on the materials used for your order. This valuable information can be used by fire officials and other authorities so that the burden of proof does not rest with you when officials request this information. Our products meet international standards and have even been tested by international laboratories, including very stringent French standards for quality assurance. Product safety testing is a significant investment which we willingly undertake in order to provide our customers with long term peace-of-mind.

• Ask our Competitors:  Request fire and safety information to ensure that the supplier’s materials meet required safety standards.
• Engineered specification availability: Do the products meet engineering requirements for public use in both small and larger play structures?

For those play structures that require engineering certification (i.e. for earthquake and other requirements), we deal with reputable independent firms. Pricing for engineer certification can be quoted separately, if required for your project.

• Ask our Competitors: Inquire if they have experience in dealing with engineering firms for their play structures and if they have experience with firms that can certify to local requirements. Certain states, provinces and countries require specific engineering certifications, such as California due to earthquake building codes. It is imperative that supporting documentation sent to engineers and government officials is complete and accurate, to avoid potential liability.
• Does the supplier actually manufacture? Are they able to provide adequate warranty, parts, and service?

International Play’s offices are comprised of over 40,000 sq feet of manufacturing, testing, and retail development facilities. Our manufacturing plant includes design, detailing, artwork, theming, steel fabrication, woodworking, upholstery, framing, plastics, tooling, painting and finishing departments as well as Robotic C.N.C milling machines. In addition to our R & D and Retail Development Facility, we have over $1 million in inventory and production equipment.  All this capacity is available for production, refurbishing, upgrades of existing playgrounds, warranty, and service parts.  We pride ourselves on having the ability to move quickly on all of your new and existing playgrounds, parts and services.

What about our Competitors?

Inquire where the playground is manufactured and what warranty, parts and services are available when you need them. Having to wait on parts and service can cost you time and money and increases the risk of untimely maintenance and repairs that may lead to safety issues which ultimately increases your liability risk.

What level of quality and durability does the supplier use in the playground and materials?

We use materials in our play structures that are produced to meet or exceed North American standards for quality and durability. Some examples include 36” diameter tube system for slides, climbs, and crawls that allow easy access insuring safety for adults and staff to access and crawl anywhere needed and even two guests to pass within the same tube space. In addition our tubes are among the thickest walled in the industry with a minimum average thickness of  3/8 – 1/2  inch for strength and durability. Our fully enclosed netted play frame features No-Climb netting attached to our steel frames with FRP (Fiber Glass Reinforced Polymers) rods and secured with numerous 150lb test safety ties interlaced throughout the enclosures. The structure is then finished with Tuff Coat™ padded pipe foam with matching safety ties that offer a safe, tidy and professional look that is also easily adjusted if required.

Our Custom decks are fabricated with premium quality heavy duty vinyl and use closed cell memory foam. All of our structures use only our exclusive IPC clamps for rigidity and durability not tie wraps which are commonly used by the majority of the competition.

Some of the materials we use are made exclusively for us and are therefore not offered by anyone else which is just one more reason why our equipment has become recognized worldwide for its quality and durability.

Before buying It is important to ask!

Always take the time to do your homework, always ask for samples of materials and inquire about installation finishes and techniques to ensure that you are getting an “Apples to Apples” comparison.  Request samples of installations that have been around for over 5 years to get comfortable with the quality and the durability of playgrounds provided by these suppliers.
Industry Standards

Does the supplier meet local and international standards for the playground industry?

We meet or exceed industry safety guidelines and standards such as ASTM, CSA/CPRA (we have certified CPRA inspectors in house), ROSPA, TUV, and French standards. As mentioned above, we submit our materials for rigorous testing by UL certified labs so we know what is in what we sell.

We are one of very few companies that actually build to engineered specifications and have real world experience with larger structures that require engineering certifications.

• Ask Our Competitors:  Inquire about manufacturing standards and request product safety information to ensure that local and national standards can be met.
• Industry experience: What experience does the supplier have? How long have they been in business?

Since we began in 1999 we have created a sales, design, and production team with over 200 years of collective experience in the industry, which provides peace-of-mind to our customers. We build every playground as if our own children are playing on it daily. If you build it to be fun, strong and safe enough for your own family it will meet and exceed all expectations. We even offer a training facility where any of our customers can see and test our equipment for themselves.

Leverage our experience in the Family Entertainment Center world:

We would be pleased to show you what is popular, what is new and exciting, and what stands the test of time.  We truly want all of our customers to be a huge success!

• Ask Our Competitors:  Ask for information on the supplier to gauge if they will be around for a long time to come.

At Iplayco, we work hard to make your business a huge success and your playground stand the test of time for years to come! We consider every installation to be a long-term commitment to our customers.

Our customers include such industry giants as Disney’s Epcot Center, Marvel Comics, Merlin Entertainment, Universal Studios to name just a few, not to mention a number of restaurant chains, entertainment centers, theme parks, churches, museums, fitness centers, and other family-friendly facilities in over 60 countries and over a thousand locations worldwide.

The Play Providers Association (PPA) held its prestigious ASPIRE Awards ceremony last week in conjunction with the Euro Attractions Show (EAS), London. The Play Providers Association represents the highest quality indoor play centres in the UK. They aim to promote, develop and protect interests of all businesses engaged in providing enclosed play facilities and encourage children’s physical activity through play.

International Play Company (Iplayco) would like to congratulate The Bubbles Factory, Ollies, Time Twisters and Firehouse for winning awards at this gala event.

GOLD – The Bubbles Factory – Best New Site

SILVER- Ollies Playland – Single Site (Operator of the Year)

BRONZE- Time Twisters – Single Site (Operator of the Year)

SILVER – Firehouse – Best Food and Beverage Offering

Iplayco designed, manufactured and installed the indoor playground equipment including various custom theming at all four locations.

The ASPIRE Awards are now in their fourth year and aim to identify and showcase innovative operators making great strides to raise standards in the Indoor Play market with the winners decided by a combination of a judging panel and mystery shopper reports. The Play Providers Association (PPA) is a not for profit trade association representing the operators of indoor play or family entertainment centres in the UK. The PPA ASPIRE Awards are held annually and reward and recognise excellence in a number of key business areas.

Quoted on the PAA website, Martin Hannah owner of Bubbles Factory located in Carluke Scotland who is just entering his second year of operation and a newcomer to the event commented

” I was delighted to be in London to receive such a prestigious award on behalf of The Bubbles Factory staff; it reflects wholly on the dedication and commitment of the staff to give the customers, both young and old, the fun, food and facilities they deserve”

As the name implies this award winning play area was designed with the Bubble theme in mind. The main play frame has various slides, a large ball pool, mini trampolines, tunnels, obstacle walks, cargo climbs, a climbing wall, monkey bars, sky bridges, moonwalks and a whole lot more!  The entirely separate area for toddlers and babies features a ball pool, a slide, soft foam elements, a step ‘n’ slide and floor puzzles. The soft foam wall seating around the area lets adults be close enough to offer support while still allowing independence.

For the third straight year TimeTwisters is recognised in UK Play Centre Awards.  TimeTwisters achieved 3rd Place in the UK Play Centre of the Year category in the Play Providers Association ASPIRE AWARDS. While being recognised as one of the best play centres in the UK is quite an achievement, doing it three years in a row is something to be proud of.

Ollie’s, 2011 wins runner up UK Play Industry Awards Operator of the year; 2010 finalists for Best Play Centre; 2009 wins Bronze for Best Play Center; and 2008 wins Silver in the Best New Site category.  Award winning soft play area for children of all abilities aged 11, would love to see you at his 2 level indoor children’s play area in the Dolphin Shopping Centre in Poole. We offer a fun and friendly atmosphere for both children and parents. We have a cafe with plenty of seating throughout the play area.

Firehouse, great soft play area based not surprisingly on the theme of a Fire Station. Large safe play area with plenty of room and a separate area for under 4′s. There is also a big slide for the older children which is great fun.

http://www.iaapa.org/expos/attractions/2011/index.asp

November 14-18, 2011
Orange County Convention Center
Orlando, FL, U.S.A.

http://youtu.be/c0P2BAlQ7sc

International Play Company is a world-wide leader in the custom design and manufacturing of indoor play structures as well as theming for toddlers, school age children and young adults. We offer a unique approach in providing exciting, imaginative and interactive play areas to family friendly businesses, organizations and institutions. Whether you’re looking to educate, entertain, promote exercise or transform a space with innovative visual appeal, our skilled team of professionals will provide you with the best solution for your specific need.

The overall concept of our play structure design is to engage as many children as possible in a variety of play-on and static attractions. Our designs are highly interactive with a number of challenging events for children while encouraging self esteem and healthy development in specified age groups. Usage consideration with regards to these groups focuses on encompassing both their physical and social abilities.

There are four major informal learning factors that we consider in each design the company produces. They are:
Physical Development
Cognitive Development
Emotional Development
Cultural Development.

Our trendsetting design and creativity will most likely stop you in your tracks, but at International Play Company (Iplayco) it’s quality and safety that come first. That’s why our structures meet or exceed all standards set forth by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), American Disabilities Act (ADA), International Playground Equipment Manufacturing Association (IPEMA) and the Canada Safety Association (CSA).

For over a decade, International Play company has made innovation a key priority. We research and respond to changing trends, global influences and emerging technologies. The result of this effort is evident in the diversity and scale of projects that we build each year which number in the thousands and are located in over 40 countries worldwide.

When considering play structure quality, safety, creativity, innovation and just plain fun, International Play Company is sure to meet or exceed all your requirements.

Iplayco will be here for all your play solutions.
Drop by booth# 929 and see Carey.

www.euroattractionsshow.com

Play Solutions by Iplayco

Designed, manufactured and installed by Iplayco

The largest Soft Play Area in the region features a funtabulous two storey high slide. Just the right place to let kids aged 3 to 8 run riot in a world of real fun, play and fantasy!
http://www.stargatedubai.com/SoftPlayArea.aspx

The large indoor playground was installed in the MARS planet.

STARGATE is a one-stop family amusement park conveniently located in the heart of the city at Gate 4, Zabeel Park. Completely indoors, it features the widest range of attractions under one roof for loads of pulsating action, adventure and thrills for the entirely family.
It is a futuristic space themed design & ambience at Stargate,  transports the child into a virtual world of fantasy.

More photo installations of indoor play equipment, themed structures, playground designs and happy

http://static.pbsrc.com/flash/rss_slideshow.swf