What started out as a way to earn some extra cash on the side, quickly turned into a full-time business for Durban based entrepreneur Henry Annandale.

He ascribes the success of his operation to the fact that the machine is unique and to the lack of any real competition in the marketplace.

Annandale markets the service at internet cafes, video shops, cafes, libraries and has set up drop-off points where customers can leave their damaged discs and collect them once they have been repaired.

The business can be highly lucrative, Annandale points out, as repairs take approximately two minutes so the number of repairs you can do per day is very high.

You return on investment compared to any other business is fantastic. Its cash in your pocket. Your overheads are basically limited to your fuel and your telephone bill and operating expenses are minimal.

The Markus means my DVD’s are always scratch-free....On Sundays Video Den Valhalla owner, Eugene Wair, polished and repairs up to 175 discs to ensure that his rental DVD’s are working perfectly when they to out againt to the next customer.

After just five months, Wait estimates that he has repaired 9000 DVD’s. He admits, however, that when he first saw the advert for the machine he was sceptical. Prior to purchasing The Markus, he had imported a machine from America, which had been a huge disappointment. It took too long to repair the disc and the process took a layer off the DVD.

“The Markus, on the other hand, is fast and efficient,” explains Wait. “And it’s cheap to operate. I estimate that you can get between 15 000 and 20 000 discs out of one bar of the polish supplied with the machine. I’ve polised 9000 and I’ve still got half a bar left.”