Introduction
Smart Wheelchair is a product manufactured in Dubai. Its main market is in Australia. Australia is one of the leading economies in the world. The country has been keen on ensuring that the health of its populace is safeguarded. The ministry of health has ensured that each citizen accesses quality health services. According to Sharma (2008, p. 56), the health ministry has been keen on fighting diseases such as polio.
Polio is one of the leading causes of limb amputation. The fight has been very successful, as polio has been eliminated in the country. However, this does not mean that there are no lame persons in Australia.
There are many causes of limb amputation, one of them being accidents. There have been cases where individuals are incapacitated during accidents, though such cases are rare. Some individuals are also born lame due to unknown reasons.
Smart Wheelchair is therefore a very important commodity to the citizens of Australia. Smart Wheelchair helps people to live normal lives. The gadget is very important because it eases movements. The disabled are capable of moving from one place to the other. Moreover, it helps the disabled in performing certain core functions.
For a long time, the wheelchair was operated manually. The old wheelchairs were to be moved by human beings since they demanded human effort to move from one location to the other.
Consequently, the distance covered by wheelchairs is limited. The traditional wheelchairs were considered uncomfortable to users. A report by Werner (2008, p. 84) shows that physically challenged persons have suffered due to lack of proper machines that can help them perform various duties.
Various companies have therefore strived to manufacture wheelchairs that go beyond offering transportation services. They have managed to manufacture goods that guarantee comfort to the disabled. They have ensured that the physically challenged persons perform various activities just like normal people. One such product is a smart wheelchair.
The Smart Wheelchair
A smart wheelchair is manufactured in Dubai before it finds its way to the Australia market. It is true that the product offers the normal service of helping the physically challenged move from one region to the other. However, the product goes beyond offering support services to the physically challenged.
The new product is known to offer comfort that cannot be compared to any other in the market. Its users can easily operate the simple machine fixed beneath the chair. The machine allows users to adjust the seat at a position that is most comfortable. The seat also comes with various other gadgets that offer a number of services.
The Smart Wheelchair comes with a controlling system. The system allows users to move from place to place by just pressing the right baton. With the automated system, the user can easily move from one place to another without the help of another person. The wheelchair comes with a communication system that allows users to link up with other members who might not be close enough.
The manufacturer noticed that a good number of physically challenged individuals have serious problems with communication. Some of these individuals struggle to express their views to other members of society. The wheelchair makes it possible for such individuals to communicate easily with others.
It is also possible for an individual to make calls because the wheelchair comes with the wireless communication system. The 3G communication system makes it possible for a disabled person to reach family members whenever the need arises (Proulx 2011, p. 31).
The physically challenged individuals may want to move from one place to another. In this regard, the wheelchair comes with a Google map, which helps the disabled trace the direction easily. This helps the disabled navigate around and trace routes easily.
It is therefore impossible for them to lose direction when using the new wheelchair. In addition, the wheelchair comes with a system that enables users to determine the weather condition of the day. This enables them to prepare amicably before leaving the house in the morning.
The wheelchair comes with a system that enables the user to seek instant help from the police or healthcare providers. This enhances security, especially when the disabled person is outside the homestead. Even if there is no one around to offer instant help, the disabled person can seek help from elsewhere using the sophisticated communication gadgets.
In some cases, an individual may not be having both limbs. Such individuals may control the wheelchair using their hands. In such instances, the Smart Wheelchair comes with a system that can pick signals directly from the brain. In this case, the wheelchair is controlled by the brain. This is more even efficient as compared to manually controlled wheelchairs.
Additional Benefits of the Smart Wheelchair
The speed of this wheelchair is adjustable as per the need of the user. When the terrain is good enough, the wheelchair is driven at a relatively high speed. However, when the terrain is bad, the wheelchair will automatically reduce its speed. According to Daft (2009), this chair is designed in a manner that guarantees the security of the user. In other words, the security of the user is given priority.
The wheelchair machine is controlled by electric power. It comes with a long life battery that helps the machine run for a few kilometers before going off. This means that the movement of the machine is not restricted to the house. The user can move around for a few kilometers before coming back to the house. This offers the user with a sense of freedom.
The wheelchair machine has a stable market in Australia. It is important to note that Australia is the home for many lame individuals in the region. In fact, the country has the smallest number of people suffering from physical disabilities. Just like any other developed nation, the country has a considerable percentage of lame individuals.
These individuals must be treated with care and dignity. This means that it is the responsibility of the government and families to take care of the physically challenged individuals in society. Help from government might be in form of wheelchairs. Alternatively, the government can subsidize the prices of wheelchairs. Moreover, the government can eliminate the tax levied on wheelchairs.
The product is very cheap at the home market but taxation makes it a preserve for the rich in Australia. By eliminating taxes, the product would be within the rich of many Australians. It is obvious that the machine is very important to the disabled individuals. It is a revolutionary product when compared to the traditional wheelchair. It offers quality services to the disabled individuals.
A traditional wheelchair was unreliable because it depended on other human beings. The new wheelchair enables the disabled persons to enjoy life. The product is therefore relevant in the Australian market.
The Next Olympics
This Smart Wheelchair is very appropriate for the physically challenged individuals to use in the competition in the Paralympics games in the next Olympics at Reo in Brazil in 2016.
The Olympics would sponsor the individuals who would want to compete in these games and therefore they would be the market of this firm. It would be a huge market for this firm. The manufacturer of this product would therefore have to conduct a mass production of this product within this period.
The US Markets
The United States has been the most attractive market for the high-end products in a long time. This is because of the country’s large population, and their ability to buy these products. The Smart Wheel would definitely find a huge market in this country. finding its way to the US markets would mean that the country would have the ability to capture the world’s most attractive market.
This would help the firm grow in its market share to other new regions because of the financial strength it would generate from the project. According to Daft (2009), the US markets is very popular among individuals who sell high-end products because they have the ability to buy these products.
Value Chain Management for the Product
The diagram below is a summary of the value chain for the Smart Wheelchair
Inbound logistics would involve purchasing and management of inventory for the wheelchair. The second stage of operations would involve developing the wheelchair from the raw materials given, while at the outbound logistics, the firm would ensure that the finished product reaches its market. The marketing department would then do the marketing and sales, and finally, service may be needed after the sale has been made.
List of References
Daft, R 2009, Organization Theory and Design, Cengage Learning, New York.
Proulx, T 2011, Modal Analysis Topics, Volume 3: Proceedings of the 29th IMac, a Conference, Springer, New York.
Sharma, R 2008, Change Management, Tata McGraw-Hill Education, New Delhi.
Werner, J 2008, Human Resource Development, Cengage Learning, Mason OH.