Businessman says COVID-19 has boosted sales of tablets he manufactured
MONTEGO BAY, St James – A Jamaican businessman is now reaping huge success in the global sales of glasses free 3D tablets he recently manufactured, citing that the demand for his product has been greatly driven by the novel coronavirus pandemic.
“The demand is extremely high and because of the COVID and a lot of people stuck in and a lot of schools closed the demand for the tablet went through the roof. There was a demand for any tablet whatsoever, but the fact that we are the only one doing a glasses free 3D tablet, it was an amazing response. And so that is what is happening now for our tablets,” revealed Loyal Haylett, chief executive officer of IQH, a limited liability company (LLC).
“This project started back in 2016 when I started IQH LLC back in Florida after I tried to have it done in Jamaica, but I wasn’t getting much success.”
Haylett is excited by the favourable response to his product.
In fact, he disclosed that the initial 1,100 tablets that he introduced to the market were sold out quickly and he is now busy manufacturing more to meet confirmed orders for more than 10,000.
“I came out with 1,100 and all of those are sold out and one satisfied customer ordered another 1,000 that are sold out, but I have orders for 10,000.
“I can make only so much, based on the machine and the complication of making it. So as it is now I need to get more special machine because I am currently only able to cut 200 special glass (for the screen) per day,” Haylett explained.
Haylett, who lives between western Jamaica and Florida, explained that in 2016 he started out on his journey on the technological landscape with the manufacturing of glasses free 3D cellphones which were put on the international market. But the demand for larger screens propelled him into the manufacturing of tablets.
“So the first thing I did was to put out the cellphones, which was a hit. I sold out the cellphones, but I realised that people wanted to view the 3D on a much bigger device. So that is when the project to create the tablet started,” he disclosed.
“It was a very costly project because of the development of the technology so I was able to manufacture 1,100 and what happened is my calculation was to use 100 as a launching pad and get inventory financing to make more product.”
He related that he had a stroke of luck after putting out the first 100 samples of the tablets on the market, after a client ordered another 1,000 after he was impressed with the initial two he purchased.
“Something great happened after I did the first batch and brought in the first 100 units. I sent out 22 samples to three different people. I am very excited that people were taken to the product but the person who bought the 20 asked me how much I had in stock. I explained to them that I was in the process of manufacturing another 1,000 plus the first hundred out of the 1,100 and I was surprised when I got a purchasing order to buy the entire 1000 units, even though they were not completed as yet,” Haylett shared.
“After I agreed to the purchase agreement of the 1,000 units, I then got another request from the gentleman in Pennsylvania that bought the five, he called me and asked me how much money you need to produce as much as you want and ordered 1,000 units, immediately. So by now I had already sold the 1,000 units.”
He proudly stated that most of the design for the tablet and all the packaging were done locally.
“A lot of the designing was done in Jamaica. The entire packaging was designed here as well. On the package it says designed in Jamaica and the United States and assembled in China,” Haylett said.
The tablet, however, is not currently available on the local market.
“Our focus now is strictly on the international market to include Dubai, USA, Canada, Spain and Mexico. These are some of our major markets now,” he said.
“I would love to have some sold in Jamaica but that would have to be some local business person who are interested in reaching out and working with my sales department, where I would be able to authorise special pricing for Jamaica.”
But already he noted that three of the company’s 65-inch 3D screens have been sold locally – two in Ocho Rios and the other in Montego Bay.
He revealed that the “next approach now is to design IQH 3D Playstore”.
“That is on the agenda to come for the next series of phones coming out and for the tablets as well,” Haylett said.
He added: “I am also doing 20 by 11 feet which will be the first of its kind coming to America, working with Dr Fung. Glasses free 3D screen ... that is now developed by Dr Fung out if Shanghai — a lecturer at Shanghai University. So the first screen that they made is now on display at Jilin Museum. I am now bringing five of those screens to the US. I have committment for five of them coming to the United States. Those are coming for the first quarter next year.”
The CEO of IQH said his future exploits have sound financial backing.
“We are now moving to join with other hedge fund people who are backing us. So IQH now is on its way. We have enough funding and enough demand and we have four main investors and most of the people involved.
“Our COO is Mr David Ross; and our Operations Manager Anita Baker is actually working in Jamaica for our company. Ross is based in Florida, but we also have an office in Mexico where he is currently working and building our app,” he said.