What we did in LOCKDOWN

Here in Mauritius, when the curfew was enforced on the 19th of March, we had already seen a significant slowing of our outward supply. Many larger clients began to delay or cancel their orders. And by early April, outgoings had all but stopped. Only a few Scandinavian, Chinese, and Korean clients were ticking over or in maintenance mode.

Grimly, we began to “game out” how the remainder of 2020 would look, and beyond.

First, we stripped down our business model to its bare bones and analysed the parts. What we discovered was worrying. Being solely a B-B supplier to public transport OEM’s and operators, a quick look at what was happening to the airlines told a horrifying tale. Any collapse in the manufacture of public service vehicles or public transport operators would be fatal for us. In a world turned upside-down, our level of exposure was critical. We had to diversify quickly, cheaply, and in the same sector. Expanding onto unchartered territory would make little sense, and with no IP in any other market, very risky too. Fortunately for us, self-rescue and emergency equipment in general, has a giant market footprint. Powered by government executive branches in every country in the world, health and safety requirements are only going to get more prescriptive, not less.

Second, we had to analyse how to broaden our product range under a common brand name. We needed to demonstrate both diversity and single-mindedness. We came up with Xit. A simple suffix for any fixed or portable emergency escape break-glass impactor. Then we came up with new devices and models to fit with it. We decided upon four new models for B-B/C and B-C supply, and defined four routes to market, using three new sales channels.

Incredibly, all new products were developed, prototyped, and independently tested in only two months.

SnapXit – Buses and Coaches: Permanently fixed in place impactor, retrofitted or OE, been in the market since 2009. Independently tested, quality controlled production, homologated to regs, etc. Available from regional official resellers, or direct from us if there is no local agent.

HomeXit – Homes and Businesses: Permanently fixed in place break glass H40H impactor, retrofitted. Capable of destroying a 28mm architectural DGU or single toughened sheets up to 12mm thick at one stroke. H40A’s have been in the bus and coach market since 2009. Independently tested, quality controlled production, homologated to regs, etc. Available soon on Amazon, regional official resellers, or direct from us if there is no local supply.

AngelXit – Personal Safety: portable impactor carried on a keyring or a car mount. Same tech as the SnapXit, and used in an identical hand action. An elegant little latex cap helps mis-hits, stops damage, and prevents injury. Quality controlled production, etc. Available soon on Amazon and Alibaba.

GuardXit – Emergency Services: Portable, heavy-duty rescue impactor, based on AngelXit with a sturdy acrylic handle with a wrap-around handguard. Better than a glass hammer and easier to use. Same tech as the SnapXit, and used in an identical hand action. Same latex cap as the AngelXit. Quality controlled production, etc. Available soon on Amazon, Alibaba, regional resellers, or direct from us if there is no local supply.

AutoXit – Private Vehicles: In close co-operation with an Austrian consultancy with decades of success dealing with the largest car brands on the planet, we need to keep this one under wraps for a short while.

The result is we went into lockdown with under a quarter of the market we currently can service, adding at least four times the workload.

Thanks for following and supporting us so generously, we’ll try our best to do the same.

#whatwedidinlockdown #innovation #publicsafety #healthandsafety #covid19 #selfrescue