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| Hong Kong Trade Development Council Article |
Inventor Jackson Chan and his KADO vice-president Brent Simon make a formidable team in selling the next generation of portable coolers. |
Hong Kong inventor Jackson Chan, chairman and CEO of KADO Industrial Co Ltd, took just 15 minutes to come up with a prototype for the next generation cooler bag which has won a slew of international awards and put Hong Kong on the world inventors' map.
The portable Fridge-to-go, which "looks like a cooler bag but performs like a fridge," works on a patented chilling technology. It does not require electricity to keep its contents cold for 12 hours, is 100 per cent reusable and environmentally safe.
Recently, at the International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva - the biggest show of its kind in the world - KADO picked up a Gold Medal Award. It repeated its success last month at INPEX, the biggest invention exhibition in the US, winning a Grand Prix Award as second-best-in-show from a field of 1,000 entries. Fridge-to-go also won the Inventors Community Award; and was awarded by Taiwan Inventors Association as the best invention to improve family lifestyle.
"We take common, everyday problems and solve them," said Mr Chan. Indeed, Fridge-to-go was born out of necessity. A worldwide airline client of KADO asked Mr Chan to come up with a product to stop their beverage trolley ice from melting so quickly while in flight. That was in October 2001.
Trade fair boost
Soon after, it was exhibited at the Hong Kong Gifts & Premiums Fair, Asia's largest trade fair of its kind. Response has been overwhelming since then. Fridge-to-go is now sold in 14 countries, among them North America, the UK, Germany, South Africa, Australia and some South East Asian countries, and is available in over 50 models. At its Hong Kong retail launch in October 2003, 670 pieces of Fridge-to-go were sold in 10 days.
Brent Simon, KADO's vice-president, worldwide sales and marketing, believes all great inventions require a well researched and focused marketing plan. "We have a five year sales and marketing plan leveraging on three key segments: retail, gifts and premiums, and commercial." Its premiums clients include names like Coca Cola, Emirates Airlines, FedEx, Eli Lilly and Samsung.
KADO also sees its value as an incubator and vertical integration specialist, assisting other inventors in Hong Kong and around the world to take an invention from the early concept stage to global marketing.
"We're focussed on educating and informing the inventor of the realities of taking new product ideas to market, which could include design, patent, trade marking, prototyping, manufacturing, production, sales, marketing, and worldwide distribution strategies," Mr Simon said..
Mr Chan, as a professional member of the Hong Kong Inventors' Association - a non-profit organisation of 300 members drawn together by a passion for invention - said Hong Kong is an ideal place to hold an inventors' trade show.
Gateway for inventors
"It would be very beneficial if we can promote Hong Kong as a centre for inventors. Hong Kong is the perfect gateway for inventors from the Chinese mainland and from all around the world to meet. Along with the meeting, there could be seminars on intellectual property protection, patent rights, manufacturers' best practices and how to evaluate a product for sales and marketing."
Mr Chan may be an inventor but insists he's above all a businessman. "When we do an invention, we must be aware of the overall market viability. I'm an owner operator who's very hands on."
Mr Chan has come a long way from when he first invented "ice cubes" with logos and disposable salt and pepper shakers, selling over 180 million sets to airlines ranging from American Airline to KLM. He is a pragmatic inventor who supervises a team of mainland engineers in his factory located in Dongguan, southern China.
In five years, Mr Simon hopes KADO can achieve total annual sales of HK$700 million (US$90 million) with Fridge-to-go accounting for one third of that, from just HK$40 million (US$5 million) currently.
"KADO is a rare company among inventors as we have the monetary resources, ideas, infrastructure, marketing expertise and worldwide partners who can make an inventors idea come alive. The opportunities and possibilities are endless and exciting, and the future is bright."
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