[Stoves] Disapprovals about being too closed.

[Xavier Brandao]

Dear everyone,

 

I have no intention to get involved in a debate that doesn't concern me, but
I just wanted to add something about whether or not knowledge should be
shared in the business world, and in the business world of stoves
especially. Since as a future (hopefully) company manager, I am facing this
question already. 

Along with my other activities, I am working with NANSU (the Beninese Jiko)
producers to help them maximise production. It was hard to gain their trust.
In Benin, the climate for business is not very good, many businesses do not
survive, often because of the administrative burdens, corruption, unreliable
employees or partners, etc. They were reluctant to welcome foreigners at
first, and now they are still cautious, but they really needed advice in
management and planning. There is a huge demand of NANSU, not only from
Benin, but from neighbour countries. The situation is almost unbelievable,
they are basically harassed by customers, but due to poor organisation,
their production level is very low. Rather than seeking help, they isolated
themselves. Given the market, I always told them they should be less afraid
of partners and competitors, and more about their capacities.

 

The potential market for efficient stoves is enormous. It's like in rural
electrification, to me, we can barely talk about competition. Even with two
other concurrent factories of NANSU, in my opinion, the current producers
wouldn't run out of customers, they wouldn't be at risk.

As for me, since I do not have the technical knowledge, and I don't want to
spend time and money reinventing the wheel, I am looking for an open source
stove. As I will consider myself a user, I am planning to redistribute and
share knowledge, even if I want to make profit. And I hope my competitors
will do great. The goal is still to spread a maximum of (quality) stoves. I
think it is still true for a stove inventor. Even if it is normal and fair
to have a patented technology, and to get credit for it, the inventor can
and even should share it without restraints to other organisations.

 

Where I can distinguish from my competitors, it is not in the technology, it
is in the cheaper and better materials, in the finishing touches, in the
packaging, in the distribution system, in the promotional offers, etc. So it
can level up, not level down.

 

As for now I think what we need most is information sharing and stoves
spreading, a very few people around the world are using now efficient
stoves, the market is far from being saturated.

 

Cheers,

 

Xavier Brandao

 

(+229) 66 37 89 59

xvr.brandao at gmail.com

skype : x.brandao

 

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