Susan Smith, Staff Reporter
Xavier Newton Bryant, managing director of CyberDyne Graphic Design Studio, at the Gleaner's office recently. - Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer
CYBERDYNE GRAPHIC Design Studios has been rescuing many businesses, organisations and individuals from the high cost of importing ink cartridges and producing visual advertisements.
Having established itself as Jamaica's complete visual communication service in August 2003, CyberDyne is now one of four companies which refill ink cartridges in the corporate area.
The business operates from 94m Old Hope Road and was started by managing director and design consultant, Xavier Newton-Bryant, who studied marketing in London. Along with refilling ink cartridges, CyberDyne provides advertising and designing services for ompanies.
The business concept has borne out Mr. Newton-Bryant's practical habit of refilling the ink cartridges of his personal printers, a skill he picked up from working with Amnesty International in London. Life's challenges also spurred him into business.
"In 1997, I came home from London full of dreams and armed with a double B.Sc. , only to lose my life savings of J$1.8 million to a real estate conman," he shared.
"Left destitute and taken advantage of by so-called friends, I came down to owning virtually nothing, " he continued.
THE BEST VALUE
He started working from his home. "Jamaica was becoming very computerised and I wanted to do something to give the best value because I was low on funds," said Mr. Newton-Bryant. "I bought an ink refill kit for J$1,000 in 2001, placed an ad in the paper and customers just kept calling," he shared, detailing how he got started.
When the ink refill business got too large for home, he expanded to Old Hope Road in 2003. CyberDyne was set up from Mr. Newton- Bryant's personal funds. He invested just under $50,000 to purchase a personal computer, a desk and rent the existing office to launch into designing. Having garnered experience from working with Saatchi & Saatchi, an Italian advertising firm in London, Mr. Newton-Bryant was optimistic that this new step would be successful.
SERVICE AND BENEFITS
Now, customers are promised competitive price and quality service in billboard designs and the production of banners, flyers, t-shirt and vinyl prints, wedding invitations, business cards and other types of visual concepts that CyberDyne provides.
"As the new kid on the block, I compete on prices and do an extremely professional job," said Mr. Newton-Bryant. He said, so far, he has been undercutting his competitors with prices. "I charge $250.00 per square foot for vinyl designs while others charge as much as $475.00 per square foot," he explained.
He also speaks of excellent customer service from CyberDyne. Since customers vote with their feet, according to Mr. Newton, seeing the repeat customers confirms his claims of quality service.
CLIENTELE
CyberDyne serves at least 60 clients on a monthly basis. These consist mainly of a few lawyers, businesses in the automotive field, schools and individual professionals.
He said business is good enough to pay the bills but he is eyeing a larger share of the billion dollar advertising industry.
Mr. Newton-Bryant wants CyberDyne to become a full fledged large advertising agency and believes the company has the capacity to take this on now.
He employs three persons whom he explained are multi-task.
The revenue potential is great. The business has the capacity to turn over close to $70,000 per month on just one product. "We have the capacity and the machinery to do 216 square foot per week," he outlined speaking of vinyl banners.
Mr. Newton-Bryant said he is able to cut his prices by at least 50 per cent to compete effectively against larger agencies who do so mainly on a name basis.
Operations
The supply of ink for the business is imported by the gallon from Miami. Mr. Newton- Bryant believes he is saving companies at leas J$30,000 per day from the import costs.
Challenges
Although ink cartridge is the main stay of the business, Mr. Newton-Bryant observes that business gets particularly slow during August and December.
He also faces the challenge of breaking into a very closely knitted advertising world in Jamaica. He said companies have been riding on the advantage of a name and sometimes monopolises the larger clients to ensure that all the business goes only to them. Nonetheless, the business scope for visual advertising motivates Mr. Newton to press on. "One company is spending J$100,000 per week on advertising," he said. "My approach is to grow my business and help small people to grow theirs," he added.
