SEOUL, KOREA - Long waits for busses on hot summer days or cold winter days are an unpleasant experience everybody dreads. However, now, BISs (Bus Information System) have been making the long waits a thing of the past. BISs provide commuters with real-time information on when the bus arrives and which stop the bus has just left, so they are spared long wait times at bus stops. As a result, commutes back and forth to work have become much more hassle-free.
The monitors installed inside KTX (Korea Train eXpress) bullet trains, which run at speeds nearing 300 km, stream videos in real time without compromising picture quality. Media contents and news reports, provided by news outlets, are transmitted to KTX trains’ video and broadcasting systems through access points (AP) at train stations, KTX train passengers can enjoy watching high-resolution videos in a seamless manner.
All the software and hardware that take care of customer demands, such as systems designed for crime prevention and disaster prevention and CCTV total control systems (which can monitor and control through cameras andsensorsunder any circumstances) are called “solutions” in the ICT industry.
DongNam TDS, a Korea-based company which has been engaged in all kinds of information communications projects for the past 24 years (including engineering, construction supervision, construction, maintenance & repair) has recently changed its name to DongNam EnS (Engineering & Solution). “Building on our ample experiences with engineering projects for the nation’s key industries, DongNam EnS will develop ICT convergence technology by grafting solutions on to engineering technologies and will successfully export ICT convergence technology to overseas markets,” CEO Kim Hak-chulof DongNam EnS said in an effort to explain why he changed the company name to DongNam EnS this year.
As a matter of fact, for the past 24 years, DongNam EnS has made remarkable achievements in the ICT sector, including public communications networks, train communications networks, airport communications facilities, ITS (intelligent transport systems), CCTV integrated control systems, etc. As of now, DongNam EnS is committed to adding ICT solutions to its many years of engineering experiences, with a view to entering more overseas markets.
“Following my overseas business trips, I have learned that many oversea customers are more interested in Korean companies with excellent application technologies than those with fundamental technologies,” said CEO Kim. “Since the Korean wave, fueled by Korean culture and art, is also sweeping through the ICT sector, the export of Korean ICT technologies will create more convergence technologies and new business opportunities, therefore broadening the foundation for the nation’s exports. That’s why we are pressing ahead with DongNam EnS’s global expansion,” added CEO Kim.
In addition, global transportation systems’ transitioning into eco-friendly ones in tandem with the global trend towards low carbon, green growth (regulations on carbon emissions) offers great business opportunities to DongNam EnS, which excels in railway and transportation systems. Furthermore, heightened interests in environmental issues have led to a growing preference for trains over cars when it comes to transportation and logistics. As a result, railroad construction is booming in many nations around the world.
What’s more, though the aviation industry has grown on the back of air plains’ advantages speed-wise, a continued pickup in human traffic and freight transportation ran into barriers in the sky: air transport’s high costs and limitations on air freight volumes. As a result, more nations are trying to build railroads for high-speed trains that can travel with huge amounts of freight on board.
Therefore, DongNam EnS has made its presence felt in a range of overseas projects, from Brazil’s railroad project and Indonesia’s monorail project to small- and large-scale projects in Algeria, Nepal, Qatar, Azerbaijan, etc. DongNam EnS has not only participated in system building and designing but also introduced reasonably-priced equipment to infrastructure-poor nations that decided to build railroad networks for the first time. Also, DongNam EnS has also played a bridging role between excellent solutions developed by Korean SMEs and overseas construction and engineering projects.
DongNam EnS’s entry into overseas markets was not always smooth sailing. Due to shortages of capital and manpower, most SMEs have made forays into overseas markets by serving as contractors of large companies. However, CEO Kim did not follow suit.
Bearing in mind that SMEs can stand on its own in the global market as long as they have business capabilities, CEO Kim ventured into overseas markets on his own, refusing to ride on the coattails of large companies. DongNam EnS, armed with technologies whose safety has been already verified in South Korea, first embarked on localization projects so as to target each overseas market. CEO Kim’s bold moves paid off. Backed by technological prowess and knowhow, DongNam EnS has been leading Korean SME consortiums, thereby helping more Korean SMEs make inroads into overseas markets.
“The S. Korean government’s pledge to proactively support Korean SME’s overseas market entry is very much encouraging. This year, DongNam EnS will continue to move beyond the domestic market boundaries towards the global market,” said CEO Kim.
As regards “convergence,” by far the most frequently mentioned policy keyword in the nation, CEO Kim said that convergence boils down to idea projects. BIS (Bus Information Systems) are the convergence of transportation and ICT. In other words, developing new technologies is important, but innovative ideas to produce convergence technologies by fusing existing technologies with one another are also needed.
When it comes to convergence, DongNam EnS’s strength comes from its many years of engineering experiences. In other word, DongNam EnS has the ability to reflect varied factors, such as the condition of construction sites, inventories of various equipment and users’ demands, in projects in a comprehensive manner. DongNam EnS is situated in the middle of customers who need construction companies, as well as suppliers of products, DongNam ENS is good at understanding what customers want and then furnishing them with optimized systems and services. Therefore, DongNam EnS’s first-stage action plan for its global business is to turn solutions developed by Korean companies into convergence technologies in consideration of overseas consumer needs.
On the other hand, DongNam EnS has not neglected the undertaking of strengthening its software competencies in its key business areas. This is because hardware alone hardly guarantees success in overseas markets. “When software and ICT solutions are beautifully grafted on to each element of hardware to fully satisfy customer demands, “convergence” takes place. That is the materialization of the creative economy agenda, put forth by the S. Korean government,” said CEO Kim.
“Once you have brilliant ideas and guts, convergence will materialize in various forms. Yet, how to flesh out your ideas and how to hammer out reasonable ways to move forward with them are of great importance. Though some say ICT is increasingly losing ground, I beg to differ. If ICT experts and experts on different technologies get together to communicate with one another, a new ICT convergence sector will be created. There is always a way forward if people put their heads together,” CEO Kim emphasized. CEO Kim also mentioned “communication” as the most important element in promoting convergence between different industries.
