The economic downturn affected Asian makers like Hitron Systems. " Last year's sales figures were little short of disastrous," said Jin Jung, Head of Overseas Sales III. Its sales for 2009 dropped, due to weak market conditions and fewer new construction projects. Its business for 2010 is expected to return to 2008 levels, thanks to strong demand.

STRATEGIES AND CORE COMPETENCE
The company " solid product development helped it recover from the recession. " Our core competence is our optimized and customized video solutions, offering our customers more choice in products," Jung said. " Along this line, the company has invested more than 5 percent of sales in engineering and R&D investments every year." Hitron has an extensive video lineup. Its speed domes include video analytics and software integration with DVRs. Other edge devices have high resolution of 650 TVLs, as well as day-night abilities with DNR and WDR, including smart analytic functions. In displays, Hitron's LCD monitor can go up to 700 TVLs, suited for viewing high-resolution footage. The company is also committed to network solutions and interoperability. It joined ONVIF and offers compliant products, increasing its functionality.

FUTURE OUTLOOK
As the video surveillance market matures, Hitron faces more competition. It plans to adapt its accumulated experience of 25 years in analog products toward developing integrated and intelligent solutions, such as video analytics. " Hitron has also expected network security market's growth and has been preparing in advance," Jun said. Hitron recognized the importance of ONVIF, as network video uptake is set to surpass analog surveillance within the next three to four years. " Now we are pouring our energy and effort into here," Jung said.