- A 10101441111114 111111•"-- :x11 — W 4MMONIIIIPMF ■ 1110411 WNW I NEWS HOLIDAY SPECIALS FREE YOGURT PIES T Buy 1 Quart or Pint Get 1 FREE• Kibbutz Shaves Debt With New Invention 50% OFF* (of equal size) *With Coupon Expires Jan. 22, 1989 L SIMON GRIVER *With Coupon Expires Jan. 22, 1989 Special to The Jewish News A • 6 Flavors of Colombo and Colombo Lite (kosher) • Vitari-Soft serve fruit — no added sugar — 100% natural • 25 Toppings — 8 Fresh, 14 Dry, 3 Hot ColomfioTrozeraogurtgifteertificate 100 $100 Buy 5 Colombo Gift Certificates Get 1 Free! 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B. LEWIS PLUMBING 60 FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1988 352-9350 With a Subscription To The Jewish News Call: 354-6060 THE JEWISH NEWS I rotating spring coil that shaves women's legs has earned Kib- butz Hagoshrim nearly $100 million in only two years. The simple invention, which has sold worldwide like the pro- verbial hot cakes, has proven a boon for the Upper Galilee kibbutz, which had previous- ly been deep in debt. Manufactured by the kibbutz-owned company, Mepro Kibbutz Hagoshrim, and market internationally under the brand names Soft and Easy and Epilady, the hand-size appliance is adver- tised as removing hair effi- ciently and safely from women's legs. Export sales have soared from just $2 million in 1986, to $30 million in 1987 and an an- ticipated $60 million in 1988. According to Mikki Simhai, managing director of Mepro Kibbutz Hagoshrim, the simplicity of the idea has resulted in a spate of inferior and ilegal imitations. "Such countdrfit products," he ex- plains, "infringe Mepro's pa- tent, damage the company's reputation and penalize the unwary customer. We have therefore set up a legal surveillance network around the world. We employ emi- nent law firms who take im- mediate and until now suc- cessful action in the law courts." • The most serious challenge to Mepro so far is taking place in the English courts over a copy of the shaver manufac- tured by Remington. Mepro recently won the first battle in their legal suit by getting a court injunction forbidding Remington from selling its product until the court reaches its vertict. Though the idea of the shaver is simple, it took two sophisticated Rehovot engineers in collaboration with Mepro's research and development division to devise the final product. The inventors have assigned Mepro worldwide exploitation rights though they have been well-rewarded in royalties. Simhai rejects the criticism of many purchasers who claim that the shaver is too painful to use. "Some do not read the instructions proper- ly," he says. "and others have severe problems with conven- tional razors. It is worth try- ing the appliance several times because hair removal becomes easier after suc- cessive use. But though we spend large amounts on pro- motion, most of our sales come about when satisfied customers recommend the product to their friends and you cannot argue with our sales record." Costing up to $70, the shaver is marketed in Israel by the Helena Rubinstein company and is sold in over 40 countries. Mepro uses three distributors — one for Europe, the second for Spain and Latin America and the third for North America and Australia. A fourth distributor has recently been appointed to penetrate the potentially lucrative Japan- ese market. In addition, the product is made under license in Hong Kong and Brazil. lb meet this demand Mepro has taken advantage of its local manpower pool by open- ing assembly lines at nearby Kibbutz Kfar Szold and the development town of Hatzor. A packaging plant has been set up at nearby Kibbutz Mahanaim and production capacity has now reached one million units per month. Though Kibbutz' Hago- shrim has helped its neighbors by establishing these local enterprises, the kibbutz ' itself is the prime beneficiary of the new shaver. Simhai is a member of Kib- butz Hagoshrim, which was founded in 1948 by Turkish immigrants. The kibbutz's 300 members grow many crops, including cotton, corn, wheat, hay, avocadoes, kiwis and apples. Hagoshrim also has a 121-room, three-star hotel which serves as a resort and congress center. Mepro also produces a range of spirit levels for the building in- dustry, and self-powered night sighting devices for the Israeli army. Despite its agricultural, tourist and industrial enter- prises, Kibbutz Hagoshrim had found itself several million dollars in debt prior to the production of the shaver. While some kibbutzim are in serious financial difficulty, most kibbutzim in Israel are thriving. In 1987, 376 kibbutz-owned industrial ven- tures exported nearly $400 million worth of goods. There are 29 kibbutz hotels, in- cluding the Hagoshrim Guest House, and the kibbutzim ex- port a further $200 million worth of cotton, fruit, vegetables and flowers. Hagoshrim is investing its