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Product Magazines: Product Trends |
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WHILE it is accepted that exercise is essential for human beings to function properly, both mentally and physically, many people spend their working hours in front of a computer screen, and find it hard to find the time for exercise. Some people join a gym and others buy complicated and expensive pieces of equipment, which are often used once or twice before being placed in permanent storage.
Seeing a niche in the market, The Innovators Ltd has developed a device that encourages and instructs users on how to exercise effectively.
The Animator fits around the wrist and is held in place by a Velcro fastening sewn onto a heavy-duty nylon band. It is highly portable and can be used anywhere, especially where there is little space. The main unit is a seven-centimetre-diameter ABS cylinder that contains an integrated circuit (IC) voice chip, a microphone and a compartment for three AAA batteries. A brightly coloured carrying pouch is included in the package.
The unit's microphone broadcasts instructions to a rhythmic beat and exercise users can follow the movements displayed on the Animator discs or presented graphically in the instruction manual supplied.
Three "fitness discs" are supplied, which "click" on to the front of the unit. The different discs trigger the appropriate programme in the voice chip. Disc one is yellow and the programme is pitched at beginners who need to "warm up". Disc two, purple, is aimed at an intermediate or secondary level of proficiency. Disc three is designed to assist in a vigorous workout and is coloured red.
Company president Yen Lau says that more discs "specifically for secretaries and long-distance drivers" are in development. "I plan a whole new line of packaging for these discs," Lau says.
The IC and ABS are manufactured in Taiwan and shipped to the company's 100,000-square-foot factory in Shenzhen, China, where a workforce of 450 assembles and packages the product. Monthly production is 120,000 units.
Main markets are Europe and the US, though some sales have been made in Japan. Lau is looking to market the product worldwide.
The price of the Animator is available on request. Minimum order size is 5,000 pieces and delivery, after order confirmation, is within 45 days.
Written by Roger Cave
PAPER documents stored in ring files can become torn, resulting in a messy filing system. This is because the holes punched into the pages tear and important records can be damaged or lost.
The traditional method of dealing with this problem involves sticking strengthened paper rings around the damaged holes, a laborious and time- consuming process.
Simble Office Supplies (Asia) Ltd offers a hole-punch that simultaneously reinforces the paper while making the holes.
The AutoRing document reinforcing system applies two strips of clear adhesive to a piece of paper and then punches holes through the tape and the paper. The device can be used to repair punch holes in old, damaged documents, as well as reinforcing newly created ones. Alternatively the AutoRing can be used as a straightforward hole punch by switching the reinforcing function off.
The adhesive tape required for the punch is called Punch Power Mylar tape. This tape, according to Simble's assistant manager Almond Leung, is a strong man-made tape with a breaking strain of 10 pounds. The "AutoRing will only operate with this special tape and it is available from Simble", she says.
Two rolls of the tape are required for the machine. Each tape will reinforce up to 500 punched holes. A standard gauge is also supplied to ensure that holes can be punched according to internationally recognised paper sizes.
"The AutoRing was designed in the US and was previously manufactured in Japan," Leung says. However, Simble is not a partner of the US firm. "We are not the same company, we just share the same name," she says. The product is manufactured in the company's factory in Shenzhen, China.
The AutoRing is completely mechanical, containing no sensitive electronic components, and requires no power source for operation. The company gives a one-year warranty with the model. The AutoRing sells for US$19 FOB Hong Kong.
Patents have been granted for the product in the US, Canada, Australia, Taiwan, Mexico, Brazil and the European Community. Patents for other countries have been applied for.
Major markets for the product have been established in Asia and the UK and sales have increased throughout Europe. Minimum order size is 504 units (21 boxes), and delivery can be made within 30 days of receipt of payment.
Written by Roger Cave
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