The Competition
There are three known competitors in North America for products that are in part, similar to the proposed Light-Guard product. The three competitors are:
- Glow Worm Industries
- Light and Lively Enterprises Inc.
- Shadows Unlimited Inc.
1. Glow Worm Industries
Glow Worm Industries is a small manufacturer located in the Mid West United States which sells primarily to the farming industry. The product is not easily adaptable to other applications. They do not have a distribution network and they sell directly to the end user. The reported selling price of the product is $220 U.S.
Glow Worm Industries currently has approximately 20% of the present market.
2. Light and Lively Enterprises Inc.
Light and Lively is located in the South Western United States and manufacturers a very simple, low cost device which is capable of controlling only external desk or table lamps, etc. The device is plugged into a standard wall outlet and the lamp to be controlled is then plugged into the device. The unit sells for $125 U.S. retail and is widely distributed throughout the United States and Canada. Tests on the product indicate that the device will only sense an extreme change in light conditions (i.e. from very bright to very dark). Because of the limited applications and operation of the product, it is not considered to be a serious threat to the marketability of Light-Guard.
Light and Lively presently has approximately 30% of the present market.
3. Shadows Unlimited Inc.
Shadows Unlimited is located in Eastern Canada and has a product similar to Light-Guard but which sells for almost twice Light-Guard's projected retail selling price. The product is sold direct to the end user by Shadows Unlimited.
Shadows Unlimited has approximately 40% of the market share.
The Light-Guard Advantage
The cost of Light-Guard will be substantially lower than the Shadows Unlimited product because of Light-Guard's superior design and use of more advanced and lower cost technology.
The balance of the market is shared by 4 or 5 small U.S. manufacturers and 2 imports. None of the products are considered to be reliable and are sold through mail order catalogues only.
Light-Guard combines low cost, high reliability and adaptability to a wide range of applications. Light-Guard will be CSA approved for sale in Canada and U/L approved for sale in the United States.
Light-Guard will also be sold through an effective distributor and dealer network and will be adaptable to a wide range of industrial, commercial and consumer needs.
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