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Product Magazines: Product Trends |
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In an ideal world everyone would maintain a healthy lifestyle. However, staying in shape and consistently keeping fit requires adherence to a strict regimen. Possibly the most helpful thing in the quest to reach peak condition is a little encouragement. This is the inspiration behind the latest creation from MaxPro technology Ltd which describes its brand new Slim guard as "the perfect companion to help you keep fit and healthy."
Shaped like the contours of a cat, the yellow-orange (to reflect vitality) 140x82x68mm table-standing Slim Guard runs on two AA batteries. Marketing director Philip Mak explains, "there is a profound theory behind the design wherein messages are displayed on the LCD, programmed according to the customer's wishes, which correct bad habits through behaviour modification."
He adds, "the design is meant to look like a pet because it's not only a companion for exercise, it functions as an endearing decoration, too." According to Mak, "the ability to make things happen is the key to success. the Slim Guard," he asserts," Is much more than a simple reminder to help us accomplish our goals. It is a concise, databank of proven ways to get slim and healthy based on years of nutritional, medical and psychological research." It also functions as a scheduler and as an alarm clock.
The two-year old company has received enquiries from all over the world for the slim Guard product, declares Mak. He forecasts monthly production of 10,000 units at the China factory in Po An, where manufacture of the successful love messenger gift item is already under way.
Mak expects demand for Slim Guard to be high since, as he puts it, "we are the only ones to manufacture this type of product." Plans are in the pipeline for a series of products under the Slim Guard brand. Prices range between US$12-15 FOB Hong Kong per unit based on a minimum order of 1,000 and the company is willing to manufacture on an OEM basis.
Written by Steve Clay
The seed of the idea for the handy bushwhacker garden tool was planted in the mind of a director of Boscan Ind Ltd when he was leafing through an American household magazine. He set out to design a similar implement that would dig up stubborn weeds easily with minimum effort and mess.
The Bushwhacker is composed of a steel rod whose 'working' end comprises a conical piece of steel and whose other ends is bent to a triangle shape to form a handle. there is a kink in the rod just above the conical head.
The operator places the bushwhacker alongside weed he wishes to remove, using his foot to help insert it into the soil. Holding the handle and revolving the bushwhacker whose head will then cut the root of the weed away. When pulled out of the earth, the implement will bring the weed with it, but leave excess soil behind.
"It is easy to operate, convenient to use, doesn't take up much space and is reasonably priced," explains Boscan's sales and marketing manager, Luther Lau. "We believe this product is very useful to the customer, but there are very few similar items on the market."
The Bushwhacker is made of high-quality steel and comes packaged in a cardboard box. The basic colour is green, but it can be supplied in other colours. FOB Hong Kong price is US$2.5 per unit, with a minimum order of 1,000 for the standard green tools. "Samples are available," says Lau. "Delivery is three to five weeks depending on the quantity ordered."
Boscan is promoting the Bushwhacker, which is already in production, through trade press advertising and by contacting existing customers. The initial focus is on European countries, particularly Germany, Spain and Portugal, with other areas of the continent to follow later. The company, which was established in Hong Kong in 1992, as sewing machines, scissors, power peelers and other OEM items.
Written by Ann Williams
How many chores and activities are improved by listening to music? However, subjecting somebody else to your favourite tunes or wrapping yourself in endless wires can be a bother. Vivanco's new line of Swalker headphones aims to make enjoying music while exercising or tending to other tasks hassle-free.
The new headphones, named City Swalker and Bungee Swalker, were introduced in Europe in September, 1994 and were also on show at the Hong Kong Electronics Fair the following month.
Vivanco (HK) Ltd's director Andreas Klaere explains that the brand name "derives from a combination of sound and walk" thus, Swalker. He adds that the headphones are "aimed at the young and sporting who like to enjoy music as well as be active." The idea behind the headphones was to develop an alternative to inner ear headphones which, says Klaere, "are small and difficult to attach while offering limited sound." With both the City and Bungee models, Klaere declares, "you get fashionable wearing comfort and good sound."
Whilst Vivanco has only been established in Hong Kong since 1993, its German parent company, de Vivanco & Co (GmbH & Co), is a specialist in the consumer electronics and accessories business of 35 years' standing. Says Klaere, "We have become the leading distributor and manufacturer all over Europe of products as wide-ranging as microphones, video processors, speaker wires, leads for computers and telephones, and much more."
The Bungee Swalker is Vivanco's main new product. It is worn like a headband or bandana, explains Klaere, "with the two adjustable earcups kept in place by a special flexible ribbon made in Germany."
Klaere notes that the headphone set is as fashionable as a baseball cap, making it ideal for activities such as mountain biking. The specially designed ribbon is also available in purple, red and emerald green, is detachable and machine washable. The City Swalker is fitted with soft, smooth rubber material which, according to Klaere, provides wearing comfort and ensures the set won't easily slip.
With sales expanding worldwide Klaere describes the headphones as being "quite and inexpensive item -- they usually retail for US$15-20" A minimum order of 1,000 units takes 30-45 days.
Written by Steve Clay
A new product, developed in China by a Hong Kong company, is offering the building and interior design world an environmentally sound alternative to wood-particle boards.
Peter Ng, founder of Lexus Development Ltd, adapted the technology developed in the early Eighties for double-skinned foam SWV (soil, waste and vent) pipes to invent LEXTM Complex Technology. "This is the extrusion method used to produce sheets and panels that have a smooth, hard surface, are light in weight and easy to work on," explains Lexus marketing director Andrew Ng. "They are recyclable, resistant to water, fire, ultraviolet light, scratches and most daily stains. We don't need to cut down trees to make them so we can say we are helping the world," he adds.
The original technology, pioneered in France, Germany and the US, was first introduced into China in the late Eighties, but all efforts at adapting it to local conditions were unsuccessful and investors lost considerable amounts of money. Then, in 1991, Ng set about solving the problems at his mainland factory in Foshan and spent almost two years experimenting with the complex foam PVC compound until he was happy with the results.
"It is used to produce foam sheets and boards that can be turned into piping and furniture. It is particularly useful for kitchen furniture because it resists moisture, and as office furniture because of its durable qualities," says Ng.
There is a choice of more than 100 pre-printed patterns, including oak, mahogany, walnut, pine, ochre, as well as solid fashionable colours, for the high-grade panels used for furniture. The lower-grade sheets are used to make items such as concrete mould boards, flooring and partitions.
All the pipes and panels produced b LEXTM complex Technology carry the LEX trademark, and production at the factory is currently running at 120 tonnes a day. "As the panels are made by an extrusion method we can make them to any length," says Ng. "Price depends on the grade, but as an example a standard 18mm board measuring 1.22x2.44m costs HK$200-400 depending on colour and texture." There is no minimum order. The company can supply prospective customers with samples of panels as well as the finished products such as kitchen cabinets.
Lexus is initially targetting customers in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, with Europe due to follow later.
"We are joining exhibitions and trade fairs to show off the product, as well as advertising," says Ng. "We are looking for retail customers, such as kitchen and office furniture suppliers and DIY stores as well as developers of building projects."
Written by Ann Williams
It's never too early to start planning for the future and nobody knows this better than Mani Technology Ltd. The company's newest electronic organizer is, according to account manager Wendy Limb, "the first of its kind for kids."
Coloured pink with the trademark name, My First Diary, in stylish silver lettering, the pocket organizer is the company's hottest item, notes Limb. She adds that other colours are available providing the order is big enough. My First Diary is sold under the company's own brand name, Mani. The company is not new to electronics production, being the manufacturer of Nintendo products as well as the Hong Kong manufacturer and distributor for Gameboy.
With a monthly production of approximately 50,000 units of the diary at Mani technology's factory in Shenzhen, China, Limb reports, "sales are going extremely well in our main markets, principally Europe and the US." Specifically, sales in Italy, Germany, Portugal, France and Sweden account for 70% of total business while America accounts for the remaining 30%.
My First Diary offers a wealth of functions, making as useful to adults as it would be to children. Limb lists some of the functions, including phone directory, calculator, scheduler, alarm, fortune teller, lock/unlock, clock, diary, birthday, and things to do. And just so that children know this product is geared towards them, there is also a function with the dreaded label, 'homework'.
Children have always played at being grown-ups, aping the antics of adults they observe around them. This generation's youngsters can now amuse themselves by pretending to be today's executives, arranging important meetings with imaginary clients and keeping busy schedules.
My First Diary is designed to look just like an adult's pocket organizer. However, purple and green command buttons make it more user-friendly and appealing to children. A minimum order of 5,000 units requires 30-45 days for delivery and is based on a price of US$13 FOB Hong Kong per unit. Mani Technology is willing to manufacture the organizers on an OEM basis.
If the personal organizer is the essential accessory for today's executive, My First diary is junior's 'must have' for the playground.
Written by Steve Clay
Weighing scales are not, let's face it, the most attractive of house-hold goods and as often as not are relegated to a hidden cabinet or underneath the sink in the bathroom. Of course, hiding the scales away also puts the latest diet failure out of mind -- after all, who wants a constant reminder of where that last chocolate bar is going to end up?
However, buyers of the latest weighing scales manufactured by Measurement Ltd will probably want to bring the new trademarked Thinner electronic scale out of the closet, whatever the cost to their conscience. The Thinner's modern, sleek design combines tempered safety glass with strain gauge sensor discs, which means the unit has no moving parts.
According to marketing divisional manager Mira Lam, the eight-year-old company, a division of the US-based Measurement Specialist Inc, has created the ultimate electronic scales. "Using MSI's exclusive sensor disc technology, the MS-4 is quite different form our other scales which are normally manufactured in plastic and metal."
Previously found only in laboratory instruments, MSI has brought innovative sensor technology into the household. "The revolutionary sensor disc technology incorporates silicon strain gauges and precision engineering for unparalleled accuracy," declares Lam.
"The main feature of our scales is the lithium battery which requires a low power consumption, made at our office in the States," explains Lam. "There is no need to replace the battery for 10 years which makes it the most convenient set of scales on the market," she says. The company also manufactures ultrasonic distance estimators and pressure gauges for domestic, individual and medical use.
Offering a mega-sized platform with a large one inch LCD readout, 330lb capacity and a ten-year warranty, the Thinner is easy to operate. Once placed on an even or flat surface, one must firmly tap either the bottom right or left hand corner of the scales and wait until the display illuminates with a series of zeros before stepping on.
According to Lam, the company's main markets include most European countries, the US and Japan. The scales cost US$50 FOB Hong Kong and the company will manufacture on an OEM basis.
Written by Steve Clay
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