Since its inception, Guangzhou Amsky Technology Co., Ltd. (Amsky) has completed the upgrade from market-oriented service company to R&D-oriented technology company, which makes Amsky closer to the market demand, more competitive and closer to the international leading companies.
1.Market-oriented
Since Amsky is founded, it was market-oriented and specialized in the sales and service of prepress equipment and material at that time. Based on it, Amsky obtained a deep understanding to the technique, production, market background, market demand and industry development, also accumulated rich practical experience and customer resources, which laid a foundation for the company’s upgrade to R&D and production company.
With the experience of sales and service and the keen insight to market demand, Amsky set up its own technological team and paved the way for the upgrade to R&D and production company.
2.Pre-analysis to the upgrade
To upgrade from the market-oriented sales and service company to R&D and production company, Amsky firstly made an analysis to the industry barrier, market demand and prospect.
(1)Industry barrier
Technology barrier
CTP consists of precise and sophisticated optical system, circuitry system and mechanical system and needs complete process control software. Involved in high technology content, CTP requires long period of research, accumulation and innovation in design, production and assembly of software and hardware, building up a high technology barrier to new-comers.
Talent barrier
The R&D, design and production of CTP relate to many disciplines and need a group of high-quality interdisciplinary talents and professional talents with knowledge in printing, optics, electronics, mechanical automation, software control, etc. Therefore, talent is the key factor that restricts other companies to enter into CTP industry.
Brand barrier
The brand build-up of CTP can’t be done in a short period via advertising or other methods. It requires excellent product quality, continuous technology innovation, complete service system and good industry reputation to earn the recognition from the mass customers. As a result, companies which have been recognized by the market enjoy brand edge, which sets a high barrier to new-comers.
Funding barrier
Firstly, CTP is high-precision equipment requiring high technology content, long R&D cycle (usually over 5 years) and a large amount of investment. Secondly, with high production cost (generally over RMB100,000 for each one), it needs more circulating capital to achieve the mass production. Thirdly, against the domestic background of relatively small capital scale of end customers, the industry usually sells the products on installment, which takes up more circulating capital.
In all, CTP industry has barriers in technology, talent, branding and funding, which set a high industry threshold.
(2)Market demand and prospect
Since its birth, CTP technology has withnessed a rapid adoption in the Europe, the USA and other developed countries and regions due to its outstanding performance in enhancing the quality and efficiency of printing. According to the statistics of Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (GATF), there were 311 sets of CTP around the world in 1995, while the data hit 12,150 in 2000, an increase of 40 times in 5 years. Most of them were installed in the Europe, the USA, Japan and other developed countries and regions. Since 2000, the Europe, the USA and Japan have kept a stable yearly growth in the quantity of newly-installed CTP. Since 2007, China, India and other emerging countries have become the new force in driving CTP growth.
According to the reports of overseas professional consultant companies VSM and GATF, there were about 19,000 CTPs installed around the world in 2003, while the number reached 77,616 in 2011. From 2008 to 2011, the global CTP installations rose to 77,616 from 42,667 at a compound average growth rate of 22.07%. It is expected that the quantity of CTP will see a stable growth year on year around the world in the following years, with total number exspecting to exceed 100,000.
In terms of the quantity of CTP installed, the market propect will remain rosy in the following years.
The large market demand, rosy market prospect and less competition in CTP industy promote Amsky to move in. It’s not a blind move, of course.
3.Target to R&D and production
Through the analysis to the above-mentioned barriers, Amsky adopted the following measures and finally achieved the upgrade from market-oriented company to R&D and production company.
(1)R&D team building
By establishing a professional R&D center in Hangzhou, Amsky has built a high-quality and interdisciplinary R&D team with background of famous universities. They specialize in design and production of precision machinary, software engineering, electronic and circuit engineering, laser control and other fields related with printing technology industrialization, and are equipped with advanced theoretical knowledge and rich practical experience. Besides, Amsky has gradually set a complete training system to build an employee team with high quality and excellent skills. The company has also improved the incentive measures and established a fair and open evaluation system to stimulate the management innovation and technological innovation.
(2)Core technology development
Since 2000, Amsky has started the R&D of printing technology and developed laser print head of 32-channel, 48-channel, etc. in succession. In June, 2005, by adopting them on CTP successfully, Amsky launched the first generation Alpha 900 series and produced them in small scale. By virtue of it, Amsky has become a high-tech company with R&D of digital printing technology, production of prepress equipment and sales of prepress consumptive material.
(3)R&D fund-raising
During the R&D and testing phase for the first Alpha 900 in 2006, Amsky was recognized by DT Capital and landed the first round of financing. In 2008, against the background of financial crisis engulfing the global economies, Amsky closed another round of financing with DT Capital and JAFCO by virtue of strong technical strength and excellent marketing sales. Driven by the two rounds of financing, Amsky kept growing in R&D strength and team and developed technical innovations with strong vitality.
(4)Management philosophy
In 2007, Amsky brought the initial leasing service mode of CTP into Chinese market. Since then, Amsky has become the first to successfully integrate CTP sales with continuous CTP service, which offers customers an applicable CTP sales mode with high-quality equipment, low entry threshold and low cost. By virtue of it, Amsky becomes one of the main promoters in driving China’s CTP technology.
Since 2008, with the successful introduction of overseas capital, Amsky put more emphasis on R&D and promoted the rapid upgrade of products. In June 2010, the company launched Ausetter 800T series and Ausetter 800U series. In February, 2011, Amsky launched Ausetter 400T and Ausetter 400U applicable to quarto plate to meet the demands of small and medium printing companies. In April, 2011, Aurora 800T and Aurora 800U were brought into the market. With the rapid development of CTP market, Amsky gradually achieved the mass-production of CTP and completed the upgrade to R&D and production company.
4.Targeting to develop core technology
Thanks to its strong R&D capacity and continuous innovations in technology, Amsky adopted Fast Balance & Auto Switch of Laser Beam, Auto Constant Thermostatic Control of Laser box, DDS Frequency Multiplication and Drum Auto Balance, and other technologies in CTP products, especially the successful adoption of auto focus system to the CTP optical carriage, marking a new level of Amsky’s products.
In addition to the R&D of CTP, Amsky started the R&D of printing technology applied in electronic industry in 2011. Now, the product design has been completed. With the continuous growth of the company, Amsky will make more efforts on R&D of printing technology in other industrialized applications.
On the way of upgrading from the market-oriented company to the R&D and production company, Amsky is faced with national opportunities of developing high-end equipment manufacturing industry and enjoys the advantages of printing technology industrialization on its growing trend. Amsky will vigorously promote the technological innovations to be more excellent and stronger.
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