Unlike most entrepreneurs in Taiwan’s risk phobic security industry, Nally Chang is a daring CEO. Her experience in the USA Trading Center as an interpreter fostered her business acumen, while her technology-savvy background allowed her to see opportunities in various industries.
Unlike most entrepreneurs in Taiwan's risk phobic security industry, Nally Chang is a daring CEO. Her experience in the USA Trading Center as an interpreter fostered her business acumen, while her technology-savvy background allowed her to see opportunities in various industries. In 1980, Taiwan-based Everspring was founded as a intruder alarm manufacturer, but has never limited itself to just being a security maker. Fast forward 30 years—Chang is now leads the 1000-employee enterprise in a transition toward becoming a total solution provider for the smart home from 2011
“We started in 1980 by making sensors and alarm systems, later expanding to lighting and video surveillance. In 2001, Everspring started to integrate disparate product lines into a home automation system, which is the foundation of our current smart home solutions,” said Chang. “Our shift from device provider to integrated system provider to smart home solution provider will contribute to this transition.”Taking a 30-year-old company and turning it in a new direction takes a lot of courage. “In 2013, we began to gradually move away from OEM and ODM services, focusing instead on becoming a service provider,” Chang continued. “We had to do it because we saw Chinese manufacturers competing aggressively in price and improving rapidly in quality; we also saw abundant opportunities in a changing market. Everspring needed to transform itself in order to continue its growth.”
Integration is essential
A smart home needs three components to materialize: eyes and ears, a brain, and limbs. The eyes and ears are cameras and sensors that collect data; the brain is software that analyzes that data; the limbs are devices like door locks and lights that follow's the brain's orders to perform actions that are meaningful to end-users.
Chang has had a front-row seat in the evolution of security and home automation. She knows that integration is the key to taking home automation to the masses. While security and IT were traditionally two different industries, they have been bridged by smartphones and apps, which have significantly simplified integration for manufacturers, software developers and consumers. Chang has seen business trends beginning to favor integration. As the borderline between security, monitoring and automation blurs, the ubiquity of smartphones and the rise of the app economy has accelerated the development of smart home solutions.
Ten years ago, Everspring founded World Trend Security, a security service provider. According to Chang, this has allowed the company to gain a deep understanding of customer needs, while also improving its R&D department to develop products that focus on solving real-world problems for consumers. Last April, Everspring launched the second generation smart home solution--U-Home2. Based on SIP structure and fiber optic network, it integrates access control, door phone, security services, lighting and other smart home functions via just one power line and one Ethernet cable.
From the device maker to a smart home solution provider, one challenge of the transition is integrating individual products into an open solution. Everspring develops IP-based solutions to open up infinite applications and possibilities. “Taking advantage of this requires a significant change in mindset, but this is improving rapidly as younger generations enter the workforce,” noted Chang.
During 2012 and 2013, Everspring observed and experimented extensively in the smart home market. “The time is right for bigger moves. In 2013, our smart home business accounted for 25% of our total revenue. By 2014 that will grow to at least 35%; by 2015, we predict more than half of our revenue will come from smart home related businesses,“ Chang said.