After concluding 2012 with a resounding success (annual revenue exceeded US$100 million), VIVOTEK has become the largest video surveillance equipment provider based in Taiwan and one of the Top 10 in Asia. Q1 of 2013 also yielded a remarkable 40+ percent year-on-year growth, with Chindia and the U.S. at full throttle. a&s speaks to William Ku, VP of International Business and Company Spokesperson, to find out more about the company’s plans for the coming months.
After concluding 2012 with a resounding success (annual revenue exceeded US$100 million), VIVOTEK has become the largest video surveillance equipment provider based in Taiwan and one of the Top 10 in Asia. Q1 of 2013 also yielded a remarkable 40+ percent year-on-year growth, with Chindia and the U.S. at full throttle. a&s speaks to William Ku, VP of International Business and Company Spokesperson, to find out more about the company's plans for the coming months.
Despite intensifying competition from other manufacturers, VIVOTEK managed to outperform other small giants like Avtech, EverFocus Electronics and Geovision in 2012 and became Taiwan's biggest video surveillance equipment provider in terms of annual revenue. It was a monumental milestone, according to Ku, but it also means that the company now has to step up its efforts in product and service differentiation. Asian manufacturers are advancing by leaps and bounds, and more are showing capabilities in similar products, so keeping the momentum, competitiveness and the $100+ million revenue up would be VIVOTEK's No. 1 priority.
North America, the Middle East and Eastern Europe were the biggest growth contributors in 2012. The US branch office was established in 2008, Ku said, and over time the company has set up the necessary infrastructure and processes, and is now reaping the rewards. Year-on-year growth for Q2 of 2013 will probably be even higher than Q1's 45 percent, as the company continues to strengthen its technology/channel ecosystem and development efforts in emerging markets such as Latin America, Chindia and Southeast Asia. To Ku, it all comes down to technology differentiation, solution 
packaging/marketing/training and overall value adds.
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Plans, Packages & Programs
IMS Research has pegged the CAGR of 2013 at 23 to 24 percent, and VIVOTEK's goal is to exceed that. One of the “weapons” that will help the company do just that is the new panoramic PTZ system, combining a 5-megapixel fisheye with a 2-megapixel PTZ dome, with VCA features to come in the very near future. This is integral to VIVOTEK's verticalization initiative, whereby the company thinks ahead for its customers and packages what is needed in one bundle. The panoramic PTZ, along with an NVR and third-party VMS support, is particularly useful for retail applications. Other verticals that are on VIVOTEK's radar include vehicular security/safety and industrial automation/compliance/security. For industrial applications, it is beyond surveillance, Ku pointed out, as production and management efficiencies are equally critical.
To date, VIVOTEK solutions are known to be well-suited for SMB deployments; Ku's next course of action is to bring everyone up to the next, mid to high-end level. It will take a village — or rather, an ecosystem of technology, accessory and channel partners. To facilitate education and training, the company launched a certification program in March. VIVOTEK aims to provide something different, Ku stressed, and through the global program, the company gets feedback from its valued partners and customers more timely and can respond more swiftly.
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