'To make the world a better place to live'
NEC Australia was established as an Australian branch for manufacture of NEC products, and until several years ago it had manufactured electrical domestic appliances and communication equipment. But now, the company operates as an overseas centre for R & D and marketing with companies and governments as its main clients.
Let's see how each division works.
Research and Development Division
In this division, NEC Australia engages in the development of broadband access systems (fast Internet connection devices), mobile phones and mobile network devices, and “unified communications” software.
(Unified communications)
Unified communications (UC) is the integration of real-time communication services. For example, a PBX (private branch exchange) used in a company has the same mechanism as the Internet? with the server installed in its switchboard. And not only does this system allow users to talk over the phone, but also to do information processing including doing a search.
Marketing Division
There are two main kinds of business in this division. One is selling products such as communications devices like PBX‘? for business use, broadband access systems ( also exported to other countries ), image solution systems like projectors and public monitors, and broadcasting transmitters and receivers ( 90 percent of digital broadcasting transmitters and receivers that are in use in Australian TV stations are NEC-made.)
The other one is the integration of services and systems. The most important of the services the division offers is outsourcing to the call centres of state governments. In addition to offering systems, it takes on the service of answering telephone inquiries and connecting them to the people in charge.
They also offer the service called SaaS ( Software as a Service ),which allows customers to install and run applications on their computers via the Internet.
Until now, in order to use applications software, customers have had to purchase and set up the software by themselves, but SaaS provides customers with a useful service that allows them to use applications by just logging in after they pay the fee.
System integration is a comprehensive range of services. For example, there is a program called “Broadband for Seniors”, which has been introduced by the government for facilities for senior citizens.
Under this program, as well as selling communication lines and personal computers to such senior facilities, NEC Australia helps manage the facilities by teaching the residents how to use computers and opening the websites of the facilities on the NEC Australia data centre.
Thus, NEC Australia has not only been developing and selling products, but also offering a variety of services by means of them.
NEC Australia is now doing well in the fields of communications and technologies, and is going to focus on the fields of computers and software in the future.
What kind of advantages can they expect in expanding the business in Australia?
They say that Australia is an English-speaking country and unlike European countries and America, there is virtually no time difference between Australia and Japan, so that they can hold a video conference with their headquarters in Japan in the business hours for both sides. And as there are still not so many businesses of the same line in Australia, they say, they can recruit top-class personnel resources.
Mr. Takeuchi, the company’s president, showed me around the office.
Probably because NEC Australia is a centre for research and development, the office has the kind of atmosphere that a “laboratory” rather than a “company” usually offers.
Previous models of mobile phone exhibited in the hallway brought back a lot of good memories.
And I was really surprised to know that telephone operators are on duty around the clock to quickly deal with system problems, because I had an impression of Australian companies that they close their office at 5pm unlike Japanese ones.
It's a good news for the customers that they can expect a 24-hour support from the company.
