In 2013, Andy Wilson of NavELite faced a tough situation. As a former special forces soldier in the United States Army, Price was familiar with tight spots, but this was different. His new product, a ruggedized backlit wrist compass developed with a former military colleague, was designed to help improve ease of navigation for military personnel and outdoor adventurers alike. Well into production, though, his team realized that the ultrasonic welding engineered to protect the battery of the backlit compass was not preventing liquid ingress, and water was getting in and shorting the light.
“We weren’t sure what we would do,” noted Wilson. “The design was finalized, and the ship deadline was only a few months away, but our product did not meet our standards.”
What happened next could be considered serendipity, but shortly after the problem arose, Andy met one of HZO’s Business Leaders, Jaren Beckstrom, at a trade show in New Orleans.
The conversations in Louisiana acted as the catalyst for rapid action planning, and Jaren quickly mobilized the HZO technical team to start analysis on the device to discover and correct the failure points with a customized solution that would protect the battery. Once the analysis was complete and the application process implemented, the battery and compass were put through vigorous prolonged submersion tests to ensure ongoing functionality exceeding the rigorous demands of military spec requirements. The end result? A ruggedized and durable military compass that could survive the most hostile environments thrown at it.
“Not only did HZO solve the ingress problem, but NavELite decided that the value add to our product was powerful enough that it was worth highlighting HZO’s protection as the differentiating feature,’ Wilson said. ‘We ended up promoting the technology on our website and in our marketing materials, and even put HZO’s logo on the wristband to let customers know that a model of our compass had a superior level of protection.”
The results for the NavELite are a textbook example of how HZO Protection adds real value to products that need reliable protection from liquid submersion or any kind of corrosive environment.
Today, the wrist compass is a standard issue for service men and women worldwide and has attracted a variety of press attention, including a feature in Maxim Warrior, a reality show featuring Special Forces teams utilizing their skills to compete against one another.
The overwhelming demand for the HZO-protected NavELite compass has proven most exciting to us. When the company started selling the HZO Protected device, the waterproof wearable immediately took off, outselling the unprotected version 9:1 at a $50 premium. Proof that when HZO collaborates closely on a project with a partner, the solution provides a superior level of security for devices and has the power to drive demand and create an additional revenue stream for device makers, brands and manufacturers.
NavELite’s wrist compass featuring HZO Protection is available for purchase via the company’s website. Hop over to their site, look at this unique device, and see how an early adopter of HZO technology is benefiting from the power of superior liquid protection.