- This topic has 20 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 19 years, 4 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
Morning All,
I thought I’d tell you all this first prior to going onto the public access site.
1. We have struck a deal to do our first piece of national advertising with the Sunday telegraph. We will go in to their webdirectory for the next 3 weeks, while it’s hardly a full page spread it reaches an audiance of 1.8 million per week and if successfull we have the option to extend to the Sunday times, observer and maybe the mail on sunday.
This is the 1st step on making ISE and what we stand for known to to the public, I have more irons in the fire, you will be the 1st to know if anything else comes off.
2. The guarantee deal in now signed and delivered and I can annouce our underwritters are Axa. Therefore should anything happen to ISE, you and the customers are covered by FSA rules.
However we can not buy policies for people we don’t know about. We will send you out a sheet in the next few weeks showing your sales to date and who we have policies for, please help us fill in the gaps.
3. We have been working behind the scenes on a semi commercial machine, we think we have found one which Kevin and Sean tell me is a better built than a Miele (which I think means they like it). I will need to negiciate a deal with the factory and with our underwritters, more details when we have it, but could you give me steer on how many you think you could sell if we can bring it in with 3 or maybe 5 years cover in commercial premises and a retail price between £800 and £1000.
Thanks again for all your support, the momentum is now really building and I you ever want details beyond what we publish give me a call.
Cheers
John
Re: ISE goes public / MD update
Hi John, not altogether sure about a commercial machine. not something I repair and if I am being honest not something I want to get involved with personally.
I am however asked on several occasions by customers, including the few ISE ones that I have about a tumble dryer, even one or two queries regarding dishwashers.
Whilst I am not privy to the financial ‘negotiations required’ I would have thought that a dryer at least was the next logical step.
Jim.
Re: ISE goes public / MD update
Hi Jim,
We are exploring a tumble dryer and a dishwasher,
The big challange is finding a decent machine made by a company who will do business with us at a sensible price. We appear to have found that with the commercial machine, but currently struggling particularly with the dishwasher.
Does not mean we have given up, I will keep you informed of any developments.
Cheers
John
Re: ISE goes public / MD update
I meant to get back on this one and totally forgot about it. 😕
What John means Jim is what I kinda dubbed in my head, a “light” commercial”. By that we mean a machine that is tougher than your average domestic, but not a full-blown commercial or carrying the commercial price tag. Personally I think that the use of the word commercial in this may be slightly confusing.
The reason being that there is a lot of high use situations that it could be extremely useful in, for example student lets, hairdressers, large family situations and the likes, there’s a substantial list of possible uses.
Hope that makes the thinking a bit clearer.
K.
Re: ISE goes public / MD update
I’m interested – over half of my work is rental accomodation; lot of pubs, etc. If you’ve got an approximate price mark I can start getting some answers.
Chris.
Re: ISE goes public / MD update
Exactly the target market Chris.
The target that John and I have discussed is loose as, quite frankly, we have to suss what is possible and what we can actually deliver. Kev and Sean have already looked at a few machines that are built like brick outhouses and we have a front runner, but we’d rather keep that under wraps for now, all I’ll say is that it is not an unfamiliar manufacturer name or concept.
The target we’ve set ourselves and it is a tad bold in many ways, is to get the machine to retail at around £7-800 with a three or five year inclusive warranty, even on a (I suppose the best term that everyone will get) semi-commercial basis.
But trust me on this, what Sean and Kevin have looked at are machines that are, in our normal realms, what can only be considered indestructable. I think they even took Kryptonite with them! 😆
K.
Re: ISE goes public / MD update
kwatt wrote:But trust me on this, what Sean and Kevin have looked at are machines that are, in our normal realms, what can only be considered indestructable.
Sorry but no such machine has ever existed, the problem is that once a customer has paid out that sort of money they will expect the constant pump blockages and other ‘misuse’ faults to be covered as well. I have a 12 month old Hotpoint machine in a local hairdressers, I have had to unblock the pump/filter three times in 2 months, completely clogged with hair.
Just hope its not a Titan 😉
Jim.
Re: ISE goes public / MD update
Ok, £700 and 3 years inclusive I can work with. Jim’s point about filters is valid – there are filters and filters – big basket type is acceptable to allow time to pass before they choke it completely. The little screwcap/pump chamber cover is just asking for trouble. Door handle not acceptable – got to be remote, pref solenoid release. Timer knob, hmmm – sealed touch control better. These are a few of my favourite things…..
Our own machine at home is an Advantage 12 from JLA (though I didn’t get it from them). It’s Brandt built (sorry) and has been almost totally reliable (motor bearings, one suspa leg and a door hinge) over five years – given that a pair of 10 year olds do the laundry in our house, it’s not at all bad. It is purely electro mechanical – no electronics at all – and uses the Seimens induction-for-wash-brush-for-spin motor.
I think we can do this. Commercial may not be the word – how about “Heavy Duty”? If we can get to “Student Proof” we could take on the world!
Chris.
Re: ISE goes public / MD update
Points taken. 😉
No, it’s not a Titan as that’s, apart from being unproven reliability wise, also a pig to work on which is not the idea.
The current running favourite has sealed controls Chris. As well as a solenoid door release and a lovely big filter trap behind an older style metal flap door on the outer cabinet front, off the deck. We thought about those things as well and it’s not Brandt either, just a little better. 😉
How it will pan out, we honestly don’t know as yet since it simply depends on whether the machine can be sourced with the features that are required, the build that’s required and at a price that’s acceptable.
Internally the project has been referred to as “ISE-Pro”.
K.
Re: ISE goes public / MD update
Philco used to market a heavy duty machine that in those days boasted a 13lb load when no one else did. came with a semi com warranty and sold with a big profit margin. For us anyway it was a good seller for hairdressers, B&B’s etc.
As for your one Ken, would it be Swedish?
Mark.Re: ISE goes public / MD update
eastlmark wrote: As for your one Ken, would it be Swedish?
a Swedish model, count me in, 😉 8) 😀
Jim.
There are several options available and I obviously ain’t gonna tell anyone Jack Sheet for now! 😉 😆
Keep guessing. 😉
I can tell you this, it’s not Chinese and not British. There’s some help narrowing it down for you. :snigger:
Seriously, there are at least three options open and we obviously have to play it pretty close for now, but rest assured it is a good solid machine whatever one of the options we choose. But as nothing is finalised I can’t say anything really.
And, when you do look into these sorts of machines they generally all have those features. I didn’t even say it was a front loader! 😉
Assuming it is a front loader, built like a tank, 1400 or 1500rpm, AAB or AAA, 5 or possibly 6kg load, possibly with a 40 minute wash program and can be put in light commercial/high domestic use situations what John was after was a rough guess at how many you’d be able to sell if such a beast were available.
K.
Sorry I have come in late on this one, been up to my neck in WEEE (another post to come today on that subject)
We have looked at a number of machines and the one we have settled on had Sean and Kevin dribbling over the build quality when they took it appart. The question now is can I negociate the deal, including Axa underwritten cover and logistics to bring it to market at the right price.
There is a guy flying in on Monday to meet me and Ken in Killy I am not saying where he is from but I suspect he likes Abba.
Cheers
John
Re: ISE goes public / MD update
As the ISE machine has been a recent surprise launch into the domestic whitegoods market. Would it therefore not better to pursue the prospect of an ISE Tumble dryer to complete the domestic laundry market?
I’ve never seen a Beko dryer, would that not be suitable? To keep all the eggs in one basket so to speak?
Commercial or semi-commercial seems a strange direction to take and perhaps a little over optimistic maybe?
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.