The 2007 Frost & Sullivan European Human Machine Interface Competitive Strategy Leadership Award is presented to Beijer Electronics in recognition of its ability to compete and grow in the highly competitive European Human Machine Interface (HMI) market. Strategic mergers and acquisitions, unique product positioning, the capacity to meet the rising demand for better quality HMIs, and a strategic sales and marketing network underline Beijer’s Electronics receipt of this award.
Through its focus on strategic mergers and acquisition activities and the integration of its two main strategic business divisions — automation and HMI products – the company stands out in the HMI arena. Interaction and coordination between these two business units has been central to the company’s growth in the HMI market in Europe as well as globally.
The HMI products business division has been registering strong growth since 2005, setting new sales and profit records. Sales grew robustly by 33%, from nearly € 31.4 million in 2005 to about € 41.8 million in 2006. The operating margin also rose by 13.5% in 2006 to nearly €5.6 million compared to 5.7% in 2003, when the operating profit was about €0.90 million.
To retain its competitive advantage in the European HMI market, Beijer Electronics has implemented several strategies. “Among them are extending sales resources with more distributors: Beijer Electronics operates with leading global corporations that sell products on a brand label basis,” explains Saha. “Also, consolidating in-house export resources: the company exports resources, sells operator terminals through distributors or directly to end-user customers under its proprietary brands – EXTER, CIMREX and H-series.”
Moreover, the company has focused on production outsourcing on a contractual basis to other manufacturers to attain greater product flexibility, specialisation and cost efficiency. Here, encashing on their expertise in the arena, Beijer Electronics has engaged the sales resources of leading manufacturers in the Asian market and their network of distributors in HMI products and LCD modules.
The Frost & Sullivan Award for Competitive Strategy Leadership of the Year is presented to a company whose competitive strategy has yielded significant gains in market share during the research period. Often, the recognised company has taken advantage of recent market changes that facilitate the introduction of never-before seen methods of capturing and solidifying market presence. Alternatively, the Award recipient may have executed an innovative strategy within the existing competitive landscape, empowering the company to overtake the competition. In either case, the company captures the attention of the competition, which quickly adjusts in order to protect its own market position. Frost & Sullivan analysts expect such innovations to produce lasting, precedent-setting trends in the industry.
Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognise companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices in the industry.
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Filed Under: Electronics • electrical, HMIs • operator interfaces • monitors
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