|
|
|
Product Magazines: Product Trends |
|
|
Vol 1, 2004 |
Company Profiles Sensor Time Meeting Needs
|
|
Latitude Ltd
 |
| Serious sportsmen know they can rely on specialised watches with sensor technology from Latitude Ltd |
Looking outside the box opened up a whole new market for Hong Kong watch company Latitude Ltd, placing it at the forefront of digital timepiece technology.
"1995 was a crucial year for us," recalls Latitude's business development director Ricky Law. "We established a research and development department to develop technical watches for the outdoor market, moving away from standard digital watch production."
It was a decision that was to lead the company into new realms of sensor technology for watches, including the world's first gamma ray detection watch as well as heart rate, UV detection and Global Positioning System (GPS) watches that have captured the interest of specialist markets worldwide.
Today nearly 80% of Latitude's revenue is derived from sensor watches and Law claims there is still "ample growth in the market" for the 13-year-old company.
Parent company Derrick Law (Export Sales) Ltd made a strategic decision in 1990 to establish a brand to create a stronger identity for its high-end digital watches.
But competition was keen and profit margins "extremely tight" so Law needed to upgrade the market focus for the Latitude brand. "People were wanting more data and information from their watches and digital and sensor technology enabled us to provide added functions. Also, there was a growing outdoor adventure market to be tapped."
The company's first sensor watch, SensorMaster, came in 1995, providing compass, barometer, altimeter and thermometer functions for the outdoor enthusiast. Two years later Latitude began working on a unique heart rate watch, which was launched in 1999, and started the company's health-care series.
"The HeartMeter watch is the first heart rate product in the world to use simple finger touch technology rather than a chest strap to obtain an instant heart rate measurement," claims Law. "This watch embraces new technology we license from the US."
The watch also recalls heart rate history and has clock, chronograph, timer, dual time and backlight functions. "Today in our health-care series we have heart rate, fitness and UV detection watches," Law explains. "The fitness watch has a motion sensor that specifies a countdown of actual exercise time as well as calculating the calorific burn of different exercises."
Other innovative designs include diver computer watches, PC-linked stopwatches and GammaMaster, the gamma radiation detection watch introduced in 2000 which not only detects harmful gamma rays but also monitors the accumulated exposure of pilots, doctors and military personnel.
"I got the original inspiration from a customer enquiry in Switzerland and searched the Internet for an appropriate sensor," Law explains.
"We now have a joint venture with Russian company Polismaster, a producer of large gamma ray detectors for the military, which custom-makes our tiny gamma sensor circuitry for the watch."
Constant searching for new sensor application ideas led Latitude closer to home for its latest innovation, the UVMaster launched at the 2003 Hong Kong Watch and Clock Fair in September.
Developed using a UV sensor sourced from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, the UVMaster has UVA and UVB detection modes that display the UV index and advise the user whether the UV zone is "safe" or "dangerous".
Like the rest of Latitude's portfolio, it is designed and manufactured by a 500-strong workforce that includes 16 R&D engineers at the company's head office in Hong Kong and 10,000-square-metre factory in Shenzhen on the Chinese mainland.
Latitude produces own brand designs as well as OEM and ODM assignments, and while the former provides only 5% of the company's sales they are used as core concepts for much of its OEM/ODM business.
Europe accounts for some 45% of the company's business and the US 23%. "Japan is another important market and we are also looking at Russia, India and the mainland," adds Law.
He believes there will continue to be strong demand for digital watches and is currently looking at new technology for a groundbreaking GPS watch. "We are now testing the working model prototype and plan to launch the GPS sensor watch in early 2004, targetting hikers, orienteers, hunters and sailors."
Using licensed technology from Switzerland, the watch will capture global satellite signals from around 5-8 satellites to provide a precise latitude/longitude reading with an accuracy of five metres circumference.
Looking even further ahead, Law believes that the personal health industry offers the strongest potential for further business development.
"We have almost exhausted the technology for outdoor watches so our next move will be to widen our health series," he predicts. "In the next 5-10 years I envisage our watches being able to detect not only heart rate but also blood pressure, blood sugar and oxygen levels."
WRITTEN BY SANDRA JENNER
Latitude Ltd
11/F, Hoi Hung Ind Bldg,
25-27 Lam Tin St, Kwai Chung,
New Territories, Hong Kong
Tel: 852-2410-0338
Fax: 852-2494-0993
Email: mkt@latitude.com.hk
Web: www.latitude.com.hk
 |
Hong Kong Buyers Request Form | |
Overseas Buyers Request Form | |
More Publications |
 |
tdctrade.com | Web Directory | My Virtual Office | Business News | About TDC |  |
| tdctrade.com Industry Verticals | TDC Global Network | Feedback | Help | ||
|
Copyright (c) 2000-2003 Hong Kong Trade Development Council. All rights reserved. |
|
