Reaching for the Stars With Digital Convergence ... - Korea IT Times

2006-03-12006.3.410:48AM페이지24001채널맥(3443-0701)
IT Leader / President Byun Bo-kyung
Managing the Change from ‘E’ to ‘U’
Kolon adapts to new trends by shifting emphasis to Ubiquitous business in 2006
Aleader “
who can’t contribute to a
transformation, is not a leader!” So
says Kolon Data Communication
(www. kdc.kolon.com) president & CEO
Byun Bo-kyung, who strongly believed in
this philosophy as he successfully mapped
out a new business blueprint for the
company’s restructuring over the past
three years.
The growing trend of an IT
industry environment shift from
“E” (Internet) to “U” (Ubiquitous)
has begun in earnest. Thus, the
spotlight is focusing more and
more on how fast IT enterprises
are adapting by acquiring the
capabilities needed in this
changing environment by
transforming their companies.
In anticipation of such trends,
Kolon Data Communication is
poised to produce goods and
services well-suited to the
Ubiquitous environment and to
leap into the next stage of
becoming a specialized total IT
service company. Byun Bo-kyung,
president & CEO, Kolon Data
Communication, underscores that
companies cannot survive without being
differentiated, adding that Kolon Data
Communication’s new challenge is to
transform itself such a specialized total IT
service enterprise, with priority given to
four business themes such as U City, U
Home, U Healthcare and RFID (Radio
Frequency Identification).
Ubiquitousness as the future business
engine
Kolon Data Communication’s
Ubiquitous business has devoted
considerable efforts to seeking and
selecting a business group befitting its
capabilities by excluding product
production participation such as chip and
equipment etc. As a result, the company
selected four business themes - namely, U
City, U Home, U Healthcare, & RFID.
Byun notes that Kolon Data
Communication is enlarging organization,
Strategic agreement between Kolon Data Communication and
US Echelon.
the personnel, and business performance
by reorganizing into a U solution team and
U Infra team, approaching 2006 as the first
year of Ubiquitous business.
On the business front, Kolon Data
Communication has concluded a
collaboration MOU (memorandum of
understanding) in conjunction with the
Ubiquitous part of IBM last year and has
entered into a strategic alliance with the
U.S. firm Echelon to make inroads into
open-model control networks in February
this year, Byun explained.
In particular, the company has been
progressing its preparations from last year,
regarding Kolon Data Communication’s
future business engine as ‘Ubiquitous’.
First, Byun is proud that Kolon Data
Communication has secured technology
power and competitiveness with its
Ubiquitous business cooperation MOU
conclusion with IBM on May, 2005 and
with the company’s participation
in Busan U City Project’s
Information Strategic Plan.
On the basis of such
experiences, Kolon Data
Communication has preparations
to participate in two or three local
autonomous entities’ U City
project business under way and
Kolon is planning to raise its
competitiveness by enlarging U
City project participation in the
coming months too.
In the case of U Healthcare as
well as U Learning field, results
began to pay off from the second
half of last year including
‘Gangwon Province remote
medical examination & treatment
system’ etc. and the ‘Seoul
National University Hospital Ubiquitous
medical management system’s order
followed in January this year.
Byun expects that such results will be
more brisk as Ubiquitous business begins
in earnest this year. Besides, Kolon Data
Communication is considering health
consultation business through wire &
wireless networks connected with medical
institutions and health information service
firms and plans to embark actively upon
remote medical examination and treatment
business.
Byun stresses that U Home field also is
one important area of its plans to begin in
earnest from this year. As its strategic
alliance with U.S. Echelon gets attained at
the beginning of Feb. this year, he said that
Kolon Data Communication will
commercialize open control networksassociated
technology and
NES(Networked Energy Service), an
intelligence-model remote inspection
system, in Korea.
Active Ubiquitous business unfolding
In regard to this year’s propulsion
strategy by its business division, Byun
explained that Kolon Data Communication
will provide the best service in concert
with the best partner in its established
system as well as solution business.
He notes that in the case of Ubiquitous
business, a new growth project, human and
material system construction and fund will
be thrown into three business themes
exclusive of RFID field in earnest. In the
event of RFID part, Byun judges it to be
effective to begin in earnest after three
business themes are on the track to a certain
degree by means of a strategic alliance
with established vendors such as IBM and
Oracle.
In the process of driving forward the
Ubiquitous project, he explained that the
connection with existing business as well
as synergy creation, the core solution as
well as an essential element technology
security, and effective human resources
operation as well as stable investment are
important tasks.
As to overseas business content and collaboration
system construction, Kolon
Data Communication agreed to make
inroads into markets at home and abroad
by beginning home production of NES
(Networked Energy Service) in cooperation
with Echelon. The two companies are
further slated to establish “LonWorks
Business Center” in conjunction with
Echelon’s open control networks technology
at the beginning of April this year at
Kolon Data Communication’s headquarter.
By establishing “LonWorks Business
Center,” CEO Byun said that Kolon Data
Communication is planning to attempt
technology transfer and develop business
model, referring to the
fact that LonWorks technology’s
competitiveness
as well as marketability
are good since it is recognized
as global standard.
As a result of profitoriented
business structure,
Kolon Data
Communication’s debt
ratio remains at the 60%
level, a very low level in
comparison with similar
data communications
firms and in addition is
practicing a transparent
management on the basis
of such superior stable
finance structure, continuing
its efforts to provide
customers as well as
shareholders with high
company value.
In the process of business
restructuring and
eliminating past mistakes,
Byun explains:
“Our company went into
the red over two years,
but I believe that this
year, Kolon Data
Communication will
gain a turnover of 150
billion won (approx.
$172 million), up 30%
compared with the previous
year, and a operating
profit of 4.5 billion won
(approx. $5.17 million)”.
Kolon Data
Communication is poised
to become an IT leading
enterprise which provides
customers with the
optimal IT service with
its accumulated knowhow
as an established IT
system special company,
market command and
launch of active
Ubiquitous business.
Kolon Data Communication president & CEO Byun Bo-kyung
“As a result of profit-oriented business
structure, Kolon Data
Communication’s debt ratio remains at
the 60% level, a very low level in
comparison with similar data
communications firms and in addition
is practicing a transparent
management on the basis of such
superior stable finance structure,
continuing its efforts to provide
customers as well as shareholders with
high company value.”
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