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Product Magazines: Product Trends |
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November 97
WAVING A MAGIC WAND
JEWELLERY always seems to have more sparkle when seen through a shop window, because professional jewellers have specialist tools that add extra polish to their products. Lathes, polishing disks and stones are all used to add that extra gloss.
Realising the market potential, Cliffield Ind Ltd, in conjunction with a US marketing company, has developed The Jeweler's Secret Polishing Wand Set. This product, designed for domestic use, aims to give a shop-window finish to tarnished rings, bracelets and earrings.
The wand looks a little like a dentist's drill and operates under the same principles. An electric motor driven by two AA batteries turns a spindle at high speed, on which can be placed polishing wheel or cone attachments. A thumb switch on the handle makes the wand easy to control and comfortable to use.
The wand is only one element of the set. Also supplied in the package are a gauged ring holder, cleaning brush, special woven polishing cloth and an eraser-shaped block of polishing rouge.
Technical manager KK Tsang says: "Even we don't know the composition of the rouge. We buy it from specialist suppliers to the jewellery trade in Europe and the US, and the way it is made is kept secret.Ó
Sales manager Peggie Yeung says the seven-year-old company also produces "personal care and innovative household products" at its 2,500-square-metre factory in Dongguan, on the mainland.
Because the company developed the polishing wand in conjunction with a US marketing company, Cliffield is concentrating sales efforts on Europe, Asia and the emerging mainland market.
However, Tsang says Cliffield is happy to receive calls from the US because the firm "can forward inquiries to our US dealers, who have been advertising the product through TV promotion".
The company has a registered patent for the product in the US and has applications pending in other countries. Each set sells for US$6.30 FOB Hong Kong. Minimum order is 5,000 sets, and delivery takes 30-45 days.
Written by Roger Cave
THE RIGHT ANGLE
IN the construction industry accuracy is of paramount importance. There is no substitute for having accurate measurements taken with reliable, well-made equipment. Poorly constructed buildings have been known to collapse under strain with tragic consequences.
Raymond Mak, senior marketing executive at Teamset Int'l Ltd, says the Laser Square MP-1940, which combines a T-square, spirit level, ruler and laser pointer in one unit, is specifically for construction use. The small, lightweight, yellow plastic device is easy to use. "Set the laser square on any flat surface and check the indicator pointer," explains Mak.
The laser, powered by two AAA batteries, is housed in the front end of the ruler. "When the proper angle is shown on the dial, the laser beam will indicate the proper location," Mak says.
Marketed under the brand name Megapower, the Laser Square is packed in a blister card. At the back of the blister card is an instruction manual. A warning at the back of the plastic casing cautions users not to look directly into the laser beam.
Teamset manufactures the product at its 13,000-square-foot factory in Shenzhen, mainland China, and employs more than 50 workers. Along with the Laser Square, Teamset also makes memo-recording key-chains.
The Laser Square is not in production yet but Mak says samples are being made for interested buyers.Delivery of the minimum order of 100 pieces will take no more than 3-4 weeks.
The Laser Square is priced at US$20 FOB Hong Kong.
Written by Roger Cave
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