MotionTouch Client Safestix launches in the USA at Pet Expo

Paul Blair who owns and runs Safestix Ltd with his wife Helen approached MotionTouch Ltd last year to help in their mission to create a safe alternative to sticks for dogs to play with.

Safestix enjoyed great success at Crufts 2011, selling out of their products each day!

Safestix were also featured in More 4’s coverage of Crufts with Marc the vet demonstrating  the product on day 1 of the TV show.

Safestix are now at the Global Pet Expo in Florida this week. Having just arrived in Orlando Paul has already met Cesar Milan, “The Dog Whisperer”  who is a World-renowned dog behaviour specialist.

The MotionTouch Teams wish Safestix a great show. Global Pet expo is a fantastic launch pad not only for sales in the US but around the world.

To find out more see: http://www.safestix.co.uk/

Japan Disaster and supply chain issues for MotionTouch clients

Like everybody else we are horrified by the disaster in Japan. We send our sincerest wishes to Japanese colleagues that they can avoid further disaster and begin to rebuild their country.

The disaster will have a knock on effect for MotionTouch clients.  I am writing this blog to update clients on the supply chain situation. It is far too early to understand the exact effect of the disaster. After the Kobe quake in 1995 there were prolonged shortages of chips which affected a lot of products. There were shortages which prevented products being made and resulted in significant price rises when chips could be sourced. The chip market remained unstable for up to a year. The chip market was particularly badly affected as Kobe was home to many of the world’s biggest IC makers.

It is much more difficult to predict the effects of this disaster. The loss of power and infrastructure may disturb a wider area. A wider range of industries could suffer knock on affects. However the overall effect in any particular market may not be as pronounced.

MotionTouch and our Chinese partner factories are monitoring the supply chain for ICs, raw materials and other items. The prices for display IC’s and LCDs have jumped dramatically and there are very few components available. It is difficult to understand if there are going to be real shortages or just temporary prices spikes. We will update current manufacture clients on any likely knock on effects.

For more information on the chip and LCD market please see the FT: http://blogs.ft.com/beyond-brics/2011/03/15/blackouts-in-japan-pose-danger-to-chip-supplies/

Export Opportunities are strong for MotionTouch Clients

At MotionTouch we spend a lot of our time working with clients on export opportunities. MotionTouch assist in preparing export strategies and attend export focussed trade fairs alongside our clients. Selling into export markets has been a game changer for many of MotionTouchs’ clients. In several instances it has multiplied profits dramatically.

The relative weakness of sterling has contributed to an increase in manufacturing exports from the UK. David Cameron has placed a lot of hope in UK manufacturing exports leading the UK to a more stable and balanced economy. The BBC World Service has showed particularly good timing with its world survey which was released last night.

According to the survey the UK is regarded as the second most positive country in the world behind Germany. Our standing has improved it the last few years. This has direct impact on the way that British firms and their products will be perceived. MotionTouch believe that it is vital for our clients leverage both the exchange rate and the positive British world sentiment to increase sales. The UK is seen as innovative, trustworthy and a secure business environment. The City of London has long exploited these advantages and MotionTouch is determined that our clients can follow this example and drive larger profits.

As mentioned in previous blogs, the UKTI and the various trade associations provide support on export initiatives. Export strategies can be implemented with assistance from us and others. Once clear objectives are set, costs can be surprisingly low and results often come sooner than expected. British companies really are well received overseas.

To read the survey in full please see: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/05_03_11_bbcws_country_poll.pdf

MotionTouch News: Shipping rates from China to Europe

Carriers have announced a planned rate increase from 1^st April in the region of USD 200-300 per 20ft FCL, and USD 400-600 per 40ft FCL. This is in contrast to the recent trend, which has seen rates steadily falling.

MotionTouch will continue to monitor the situation and advise clients accordingly.

MotionTouch at the Professional Beauty Show 2011

MotionTouch attended the Professional Beauty show at Excel in Docklands on Monday. This is a big show which is really well attended. It was literally a struggle to get through the crowds to the stands. You had to queue for up to ½ hour to get onto some of the stands. The industry lives by what it preaches. The attendees were by far the most beautiful set of people that MotionTouch have seen at a trade fair.

The British industry is certainly innovating and pushing on. MotionTouch talked with a lot of business owners who reported that profits and turnover have grown during the recession. This confirms the wider industry reports. In particular there were a wider range of therapeutic treatments and products that combined science and great design. Some of the latest UK laser treatment devices appear to be world beaters.

MotionTouch had three clients at the show. Two of them were preparing for new product launches later in the year and one is re-designing their existing product for launch next year. The energy, enthusiasm and positive industry news were a tonic for everybody.

How do MotionTouch clients protect their products in China?

MotionTouch clients often ask about protecting IPR in China. For clients with existing or new product portfios China offers some of the best opportunities. The volume of China imports is going to double to 2.6 trillion US dollars in the next four years. But how do you protect your products? This article offers clear and practical advice. (http://www.mac.doc.gov/china/docs/businessguides/intellectualpropertyrights.htm).

MotionTouch work with patent attorneys who have Chinese counterparts. If you need more help then please let us know. In the meantime happy reading……

Thanks

Henry

Opportunities for MotionTouch clients – Olympic merchandising

MotionTouch had a meeting recently with Warren the head of retail licensing for the London 2012 Olympics. He is a thoroughly charming man and runs a very well organised team. The team are responsible for raising £100m of profits by licensing the brand to goods with a total retail sales value of £1B. They are appointing fifty licensees in total. Forty eight of these are already appointed and Warren is confident that they will hit the revenue target. Apparently the games is well on target to pay for itself and meet the government target. Well done to Lord Coe, Warren and the whole team!

There is an amazing array of goods available. The licenses have been well chosen to cover a wide range of price points and goods. Among the most stylish are a range of cushions and soft furnishings.
Innovative new products are still being sorted. But the route to follow is to the licensees and not the organisers. Each licensee covers a particular area and is easily identifiable.

One of MotionTouch’s clients has a very innovative but noisy new drinks product. Disappointingly noisy products cannot be sold in the arenas but we can still sell the product through the supermarkets etc. This is great but surely we want noisy arenas’? Surely you would want to create as much of an atmosphere as possible? I was convinced of this argument until I was reminded about Vuvuzellas! Now I see the wisdom of the decision.

If there are any clients interested in 2012 licensing then let MotionTouch know

Entrepreneur of the Year Award – DBA 2010 Winners

My Carry Potty inventor, Amanda Jenner, talks about winning her entrepreneur of the Year Award.

MotionTouch client launches two new products at Spring Fair

MotionTouch attended Spring Fair at the NEC yesterday. MotionTouch has designed two innovative new product for Family Fixes Ltd. One is already in production. The company was set up by Karen Chapman who is a charming, driven Scottish mumtrepreneurs with a difference. Not content with launching one product, Karen is launching two at once.

Squibble (http://www.squibbledontsquabble.com/) has been certified for EN71 and tooled up and is ready to go. The branding and retail packaging were done by the Walker agency and look fantastic! The product itself has a high gloss cosmetic finish and looks great. The whole product development cycle has taken over a year. Getting the injection mould tooling just right has been a challenge but the results speak for themselves. Retailers, journalists and distributors are queuing up. Karen has already taken the product on the BBC Radio 2 Simon Mayo show and momentum is growing. It is having a very successful launch.

Chew Chew (http://familyfixes.com/assets/images/chewchew-panel.jpg) is still in the prototype stage and Karen is using the fair to gather feedback for final product tweaks. The feedback is overwhelming. Distributors see a big opportunity with this product. I am convinced that this distributor momentum will lead to a very smooth overseas launch as well.

Both products have already been through a round of third party market research. The results provided clear indication of both price point and target market. Spring fair has proved the research right and added more confidence and momentum to the marketing drive.

Look out for both products in the shops later in the year. MotionTouch expect the awards to follow………….

Insight into the design of the herman Miller Sayl chair