Jakarta Business Plans

Archive for January, 2010

Among the important equipments that can be found in most industries are the cutting tools. These are the same equipments in such environment that go through different wear and tear process. These tools even need to stand intense heat that has been subjected to the actual product that they need to cut, grind, or shape. Despite all the damages that a cutting tool needs to go through, it should still stand all these challenges and be able to continue functioning.

To prevent the cutting tools to easily wear off, certain industrial coating processes need to be performed to ensure that the tool can stand all the hard work that it needs to do. This is essential to make sure that the tool can last a long time. However, there are many forms of coating that can be applied. One of these forms of coating is the tungsten carbide coating (better known as carbide coating). With this form of coating, the tool would be able to withstand any form of severe abrasion. Additionally, it enables the tool to resist wearing and corrosion. It general means, it becomes tough and strong against all the processes that it needs to go through. Your tool can even be as good as diamond-based or steel-based tools which are known for its durability.

Actually, there are still many other forms of coating. If you are in an industry and you are concerned about this matter, it would be best if you research more about this so you can know what the appropriate one for you is.

One of the worst and devastating collisions on the roads are between trucks and cars. Though both the parties sustain injuries, it is the car driver or the passengers who suffer the worst. Many a times truck car collisions are fatal and the car driver or the passengers are the usual victims. The 3500 pounds car is no match for a heavy truck that may weigh as high as 80,000 pounds and thus in 98% of the cases the fatalities were the occupants of the cars.

These fatal accidents cause devastating losses to the family of the victims. They find it hard to bear the emotional and physical loss. Once they are through the funeral and other immediate activities, the long term effects of the collision are felt. Some of the occupant may be seriously injured and require expensive treatment, the dead could be the sole earning member for the family, there may be hefty mortgages to be paid etc.

These financial problems can be solved to some extent if the victims’ family can take legal action against the truck driver and the truck company. The truck accident lawyers come extremely handy in dealing these types of cases. They can take the truck company to the court through litigation or can get ‘out of the court’ settlement for the victim. For this they have to be contacted at the earliest so that they can design the case in such a way that no loophole is left. The evidences and the witness would matter the most and only an experienced truck accident attorneys can collect them in a proper manner.

What is a Strategic Window?

The term strategic window is the limited periods during which the “fit” between the key requirements of a market and the particular competencies of a firm competing in that market is at an optimum. In this paper we will use VXL Instrument’s case to elaborate the concept.
What is VXL’s Business?

VXL Instruments is enabling companies around the world build a flexible, secure, manageable and cost-efficient IT infrastructure. Its range of thin client devices helps enterprises beat the cycle of desktop obsolescence, free internal resources from non-productive functions, and save millions of dollars that is spent in securing systems. The thin client is a server-centric computing model in which the application software, data, and CPU power resides on a network server rather than on the client computer.VXL Instruments won “Highest IT-Hardware Exporter Award in Non-SSI category” for year 2006-2007. VXL’s Dilemma VXL Instruments is leading manufacturer of thin client devices and commands 11% share in global market. Its major chunk of sales comes from export to US and EU. The company is trying to explore new market in India for its thin client devices. Competitors like Wyse and HP offer diverse range of product not only in west but also in India. Therefore, it’s high time that company starts thinking about Indian market.
How to market TC in India?

Company’s products like TC23xx and TC73xx are reliable and cost-effective. The (thin client) TC can help in eradicating various pain in server based computing. It is very useful in case of SME’s (Small and medium scale enterprises) where computing requirements are pretty specific. In case of sectors like hospitality, we need to explore various value unlocking features so that they can charge a premium. The major challenges are following:

1. How to provide maximum utility without making product too much complex?

2. How to convince existing clients to change from fat clients to thin clients?

3. How to market TC in India?

Actually the answer of third question will give us a frame work for finding the answers for first two questions. I will consider VXL a minimum risk taking company. It’s more product centric than customer centric. Therefore, its products are world class but market penetration is not that impressive. Presently, VXL markets its products through client interaction and third party distributors like Priya Limited. This approach reduces marketing expenses but the approach has its own limitations. In 2005, Mumbai-based distributor Priya Ltd invested $2 million (around Rs 10 crore) in equity in VXL Instruments. The investment was part of the trade finance arrangement that gave VXL $9 million (around Rs 45 crore) aimed at funding its growth. VXL chalked out expansion plans and a growth strategy with a view to increase its market share of thin client to 25 percent by 2007-2008. It has made inroad in different verticals like ERP, Health, Telecom, Education and Banking with client list including SAP Belgium, Birmingham City Hospital UK, DOT India, British Telecom, IIM Lucknow, IIT Roorkie, Haga Bank Jakarta and HDFC India etc. But presently its market share is much below its target.
Product Awareness & Customer Perception

We can roughly divide the customers into two categories

* Techno Savvy Customers with financial Muscle:- These type of customers, already know about the products (TC) and we need to convince them that thin client is a better option over Fat client. For example Velankani group’s upcoming 5-Star hotel in Electronic City, Bangalore. The Velankani’s are in IT and infrastructure and they are aware about technology and its implementation. According to Mr. R. Shiva Kumar (Manager Information System, Velankani), these types of customers should better be approached when the product is in its embryonic stage. Once they acquire fat clients (FC) for their project, they won’t be interested in TC due to switch over cost. Here we need to market TC as a device which will not only reduce the total cost of ownership but also provide simple solution for all comfort requirements.

* Less Techno Savvy with Medium Range Investment Capabilities:- These types of customers don’t have their own IT department. They generally play safe and go for the fat client technology being used by other players in their segment. More over they consider their computing needs are minimal and don’t find IT investments much attractive. Here, we need to educate them about various advantage of server based computing and advantage of TC over FC. These types of firms should be approached for providing total solution.

Market Redefinition

Frequently, as markets evolve, the fundamental definition of the market changes in ways which increasingly disqualify some competitors while providing opportunity for the others. The trend towards marketing “system” of products as opposed to individual piece of equipments provides many examples of this phenomenon. We will discuss this point with the help of Docutel case.

To introduce you with call centers, they are classified on basis of the service provided to any customer, thus named as inbound and outbound call centers. Here we are going to know about the inbound call centers alone. The function of a call center office is where employees attend customer calls of inbound type to answer their inquiry and provide satisfactory information, and it also includes outbound calls to a client or prospective customer.

The inbound call center is one place where the customers and the employees create a good bond. For any organization to be successful there should be good flow of customers and the inbound call centers bring that in for the organization. The inbound call centers play a major role in the development of the companies. They are available in different sizes that is, from small organizations to large organizations have inbound call centers.

The call center outsourcing is also very necessary and there are various advantages of this type of outsourcing. The different type of inbound services are offered by various organization and if you would like to improve your business development then there should be certain areas that you would like to consider. The areas like customer service call center where series of efforts are made to improve the standard of the company and organization. There are many customers who would like to gain better services and support in some areas. You should work on it and find the best ways to improve their satisfaction.

There should be live interaction between the customer and the customer representative for the taking of orders. The help desk services in which the information and assistance is provided to the customers and so if you are able to improve all these services you would be able to have a better future.