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Product Magazines: Product Trends |
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Space-Age Hood Aids X-Cape from Fire
She Likes Coffee, He Likes Tea
GOLFERS are always looking for ways to improve their game. A new product invented by a golf professional and developed by a well-known golf products designer aims to do just that.
The Controlled Vision Systems (CVS) visor from Golf Technology Far East Ltd aims to help players improve their concentration when lining up shots and hitting the ball. Unlike normal visors that simply keep the sun out of the players' eyes, the CVS visor has flaps that fold down at the side of the face and "blinker" the player. This focuses the player's attention on the ball and prevents players from being distracted by the peripheral environment.
The visor is available in two different models, one with a flap on the right-hand side of the peak and the other with flaps on both sides. "The first is most popular for all golfers on the course and the second is useful as a teaching aid, as well as being valuable on the course," says product developer John Dalton, a golf-club designer and consultant to multinationals such as Dunlop, Wilson, Adidas and Cobra.
Dalton developed the product from the invention of Ian Slater, a member of the British Professional Golfers Assn and a grade-A golf professional for more than 20 years. Slater had noticed the use of visors by professional golfers and realised that his own game deteriorated when he did not wear one. He realised that the visor helped players con-centrate and cut down on distractions. His next thought was how to increase the visor's effectiveness in these areas.
The CVS visor has interna-tional patents pending. It is available in a wide variety of colours, of which white and navy blue are the most popular on the golf course.
The visor is made to a high standard with rigorous quality control, using cotton, polyester drill blend and rubberised plastic to make the unbreakable hinge for the flaps. The manufacturer, Great East (China) Headwares, in Guangdong, is managed from Hong Kong.
The product is suitable as a premium under buyers' brands, Dalton says. Markets are in the golfing heartlands of the US, Europe, Japan and elsewhere in Asia. Dalton and Slater are confident the CVS visor will improve the game of golfers everywhere because play tests have been overwhelmingly positive. Dalton is seeking to sign marketing contracts with companies worldwide.
Prices are comparable to other visors on the market, which lack the value-added feature of the side flaps.
Written by Roger Cave
WHEN fire breaks out, injuries and deaths often occur because of toxic smoke and fumes that poison victims. Plastic materials used in the manufacture of furniture and household appliances can burn to produce life-threatening smoke and fumes. These noxious gases can prevent people from escaping from a burning building.
It was with these dangerous phenomena in mind that Danny Leung, managing director of Jovial Development Ltd, developed the idea for the X-Cape Emergency Escape Smoke Hood five years ago in Canada.
The X-Cape is a polyimide hood that fits over the head completely and fastens around the neck. Inside the hood a rubber mask attached to a chemical air filter fits over the nose and mouth. The polyimide material used for the manufacture of the hood is a "space-age material capable of withstanding fire and temperatures of 380 C, sales executive Augustine Ng says.
Air passes into the mask through a tubular filter containing a chemical catalyst, a drying agent and smoke-filtering materials. An exhaust valve allows air to pass out of the hood while preventing toxic fumes from entering.
The hood is intended as an evacuation device only and should not be used as a fire-fighting aid. Because the conditions in life-threatening environments vary widely, the company cannot give a precise use-time for the hood. In tests that it has carried out, Jovial found that the filter is effective in most conditions for 12 minutes.
The device is stored in a compact sealed tubular plastic container. If the seal on the container is broken, the hood should be replaced. A plastic wall bracket is also supplied.
The X-cape should be used once only. The product is warrantied for four years provided that the conditions specified in the user's manual are complied with.
Ng believes the hood will find its best use in "hospitals, schools, hotels, laboratories, karaoke bars and family kitchens". He sees an effective application for households in residential tower blocks.
The company has sales agencies in Malaysia, Singapore and Australia and is seeking marketing agents throughout the world.
The price is US$27 FOB Hong Kong for four-piece sets or US$17 for two-piece sets. Minimum order is 1,000 units and delivery time, after confirmation, is 45-60 days.
Written by Roger Cave
MOST people have experienced the shock of scalding water from a shower head. In particularly bad cases the result can be an unsightly and disfiguring scar and considerable pain. Less serious cases can still result in shock and discomfort.
This is more dangerous for the elderly, who have slower reactions, and for children who cannot understand why the water is so hot and may be unable to do anything about it. Parents and concerned relatives are anxious to ensure their safety, so a product that can solve the problem will have major appeal.
The Scald Guard utilises "shape memory alloy technology", Wendy Au, operations manager at Decon Ltd, says. The tubular guard fits between the shower head and the connecting pipe to the water source. If the water temperature reaches 44-45· C Ä the temperature at which skin is scalded Ä the guard automatically reduces the flow to a trickle.
The shape memory alloy technology behind the Scald Guard was developed in China using alloys of copper. The alloy, which is in the form of a spring, expands when the critical temperature is reached. When the spring expands the water flow is slowed and the temperature can then be adjusted to a safe level. The design allows consumers to adjust the triggering temperature and to bypass the guard function if necessary.
The Scald Guard is easy to install, Au says, and is reasonably priced. Although the guard can only be fitted to hand-held showers it is "absolutely universal", she says. The guard has a life of three years, after which it should be replaced.
Decon has been trading since 1995 through its head office in Hong Kong. It has smaller offices in Canada, the US and China. Manufacturing takes place in a 4,000-square-metre factory in Guangdong, China, which employs 160 workers. Components are sourced in Hong Kong and Japan.
The company also produces temperature monitors for the catering industry, using similar technology. Markets are the US, France and Saudi Arabia.
Minimum order is 2,000 units and delivery takes 45 days. FOB Hong Kong prices are: US$2.80 per piece for 2,000-4,000 units; US$2.40 for 5,000; US$2.20 for 10,000 and US$2.10 for orders of 20,000 and above.
Written by Roger Cave
IT seems that designers have looked at every activity that takes place in the kitchen to produce devices that make life easier. Dutch company Princess has come to the conclusion that people really prefer to have fewer appliances cluttering up their kitchens. This is why it has introduced the Princess Royal Twin filter coffee maker and cordless kettle to the market.
The Royal Twin is a combined appliance that uses one electric lead and is capable of operating both functions at once. "You can make coffee and tea at the same time," Alan Chui, director of the company's Hong Kong office, says. "In fact, you can make 12 cups of coffee and boil two litres of water at the same time."
The unit is made from high-quality plastic, glass and metal components imported from Europe. The coffee machine has a practical swivel filter, an anti-drip valve and an on/off switch with an indicator lamp.
The cordless kettle has a seven-minute boil time at capacity, a soft-touch handle and an on/off indicator lamp. The kettle also has a built-in thermostat and boil dry protection, and the hinged lid cannot be misplaced.
Princess, a well-established company in the Netherlands, opened its Hong Kong office in 1995. The office is responsible for shipping and marketing in the region, as well as product management and quality control in the manufacturing process.
The company has a factory employing 500 workers in Guangdong, China, which produces the unit on an OEM basis. Monthly production is up to 50,000 units. All design work is carried out at company headquarters in the Netherlands.
"Princess has international patents pending for the design, function and concept of the combined coffee maker and kettle," Chui says.
The Princess Royal Twin is already available in the Netherlands, where it has achieved sales of "1,500 per day", according to Chui. The unit carries a one-year guarantee.
The company has 46 sales agents worldwide and aims to expand its market share in Asia. The Princess Royal twin retails for about US$65-75 in Europe. Wholesale prices are available from the Hong Kong office. Minimum order is 3,900 pieces (or three 40-foot containers). Delivery is 60 days subject to availability.
Written by Roger Cave
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