[Stoves] Traceability of stoves

[Kevin]

Dear George

Your desire to track stoves is a good move.

Suggestions for your consideration are:

1: Include an instruction manual with the stove. The first page would be printed in color, and would include a serial number. This would be more difficult to copy, and the serial number would allow tracking up to the time of sale.

2: Centrally make one simple and visible piece of the stove in a complicated manner (spun, stamped, punched, laser cut, cast, etc) out of stainless steel or aluminum, and only give these pieces to your "approved" builders."

3: As in 2:, but make a "Brand Label" that is issued to the approved builders, for riveting to the stove they build. They could be made by places that make dog tags. They could be numbered individually.

Best wishes,

Kevin
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: George Riegg Gambia 
  To: Discussion of biomass cooking stoves 
  Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2012 10:58 AM
  Subject: [Stoves] Traceability of stoves


  Dear stovers,

  We are currently running a pilot for locally made stoves going down the high specification but locally adapted central manufacturing route. The stoves are made from mild steel and have the general dimension of a 20 liter paintcan.

  As part of the pilot project we will be bringing 500 stoves to the market. For a number of reasons we want and need traceability of the stoves to the end user but also need "protection" from low specification copy-cats that will soon spring up.

  We are looking at various ways how to put a label or someting similar on the stove. Technology for this is hardly available here in The Gambia. We can print sticky labels but with heat exposure and washing they will soon come off. Stamping in to the body is cumbersome and adds to much cost.

  Anybody out there who faced a similar challenge and found a cost effective elegant solution? All suggestions would be welcome.

  Cheers
  George from the jungle


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