3 April 2013

03 April 2013

Today we confirmed our long-awaited drink sponsor. Monster Energy confirmed that they will be sponsoring us for the 2^nd time around and the whole group was relieved to hear that we did not need to source out another sponsor.

We as a group performed an After Action Review, after having a meeting with Stu the day before. We reflected on the strengths and weaknesses that Stu pointed out and how we could go about solving these issues. We proposed another prototype for a cell-phone protection device, but were shut down seeing as the product did not comply with the theme and was unable to be produced in South Africa. Stu however did agreed that the proposed cell-phone protection device was a clever product and suggested that we should run that as a side product to make more capital which can be used to manufacture more bags.

Stu seemed to love our prototype and agreed it would sell, especially with female students. Stu loved that whole concept of buying old clothing and remanufacturing them into a new trendy back-pack, however was concerned about the cost of production of the bags. Stu did agree that Gabi (our lead designer) was our competitive edge and was too valuable to exclude from the project.

Stu did have a few negative comments as well. His main concern with the product was the supply of material, in the sense that ‘Thrift' Shops’ and hospices are not the most reliable resources of materials. He was concerned that if the product ‘took off’, that we would have difficulty finding enough material and fabrics to keep up with the demand. A huge potential problem is that the prices of the clothing will also varying constantly depending on the material and store the garment was bought from. The product is extremely ‘brown’ in the sense that it directly gives money to the various hospices around Cape Town.