"Writing/General manager's Office"
What’s the Model of Entrepreneurs?
This award is given out by the National Association of Young Entrepreneurs, R.O.C. (Taiwan) and instructed by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Overseas Community Affairs Council. It’s the yearly award that all Chinese entrepreneurs around the world fight for. All candidates should be judged and evaluated with four stages by the specialist of industry, official and university. The selection of award is based on the criteria that if the entrepreneur performs excellently on economic growth enhancement, product innovation, industry upgrade, and business operation. After the severe competition, the candidates who have the strength would stand out and win the honor.
Attentitive Arrangement of Award-winning Events
BXB is regarded as the frontrunner of global economic development by the government. BXB specially perceives the great honor from the series of great events. The welcome banquet got the event started. And then President Tsai granted an interview to all the winners. Finally, the Speaker of Legislative Yuan- Mr. Su was invited as the award guest of the award ceremony. There were nearly 500 guests attending the ceremony, making the event more lively and cheerful. It apparently shows that this award is highly concerned and certified with the government and business circles.
Jerry Hung, with the role of son-in-law, picked up the responsibilities of company transformation and upgrade. After 7 years, Jerry lived up to everyone’s expectations. BXB’s product line has transformed from the traditional analog PA system to audio/video conference system and IP-based AV broadcasting system. The advantage of the product differentiation makes BXB reach the commanding point in the market and leap to the leading brand of PA system in Taiwan. Penny Wu, now BXB’s President, had been the international sales for 18 years. Together with Jerry, she has lots of experiences with holding exhibitions and developing customers. They always trust and support each other as well as overcome obstacles together on the way of expanding BXB’s business.
Now, let’s read how do Jerry and Penny lead BXB into the prosperous achievement and bring BXB’s brand on the international stage!
Flipping Thinking, Taking the Blue Ocean Opportunities
Jerry has abundant experiences of being an electronics engineer, CNC lathe operating technician, and sales for AV equipment, which accumulates lots of electronic and mechanical energy. In 2001, he established his own business which offers services of arranging and installing light current systems. Afterward, his company became BXB’s partner and he fell in love with Penny, who was BXB’s International Sales Manager at that time. In those years, BXB’s business just developed. Company’s vision of the future was just the same as Jerry’s blue-printed plan to his career. Therefore, in 2002 BXB’s founder Mr. Wu invited Jerry joining BXB’s team. This also started the new evolution to BXB’s brand.
BXB Electronics Co., Ltd. was established in 1991. The main business was the production and development of analog PA system and conference system. In 1994, BXB has its own brand. However, at that time European and Japanese brands took the most market shares in Taiwan. Small brands could hardly earn customers trust and generate the power of market effect. Under this situation, BXB saw the phenomenon “there are something big companies don’t want to do; small companies cannot do.” Therefore, BXB took the action of getting the niche market and offering quick and professional services. Finally, BXB successfully enhanced the brand image and earned lots customers’ recognition and trust.
Although BXB has gained the foothold, with the rapid growth of internet and high market competitiveness it’s imperative and urgent to make company transformation. In the past, PA system could only transmit one-way analog signals. In 2006, Jerry was certain about the trend of smart technology and started developing the related products that differentiate with the market. He applied IoT integration to innovate the IP-based PA system and multi-media conference system that can transmit both audio and video signals as well as for two-way speaking and smart management. The full-function total solution can meet the demands of “smart teaching”, “smart management”, and “smart safety”, making BXB quickly take the absolute superiority in the market.
At present, BXB’s product line includes conference system, AV IoT Audio & Video Broadcasting and Environmental Control Solution, PA system, image tracking products, and language lab system. Among them, the applications of PA system and conference system has spread to more than 100 countries; they has also took the market share of 60% and 70% in Taiwan and Indonesia individually. “BXB’s end-users are mostly schools and government organizations. However, Korean market is different. The end-users are mainly the big enterprises. Therefore, you can see BXB’s products shown on many Korean dramas.”
Grasp the Trend, Raise the Brand Name Benefit
“BXB’s competitive strength comes from the technique and brand.” BXB’s LOGO represents the promise and determination of being “Best X Best”. Jerry knows the importance of brand’s role to company’s transformation, upgrade, development, and positioning. Therefore, he is absorbed in building the brand image and enhancing the brand benefit and value. Presently, only parts of BXB product’s componoents are outsourced. The fabrication and product testing are all done by BXB personally to ensure the stability of product quality.
Why can BXB have its own brand image? Jerry perceives a brand not only a landmark, but the mark of agglomerating customers consensus and trust. Jerry said, “We’re truly responsible to customers rather than only sell products.” Recent years, BXB’s technical development has the revolutionary progress. To appreciate the customers who selected BXB’s products at the time that company’s techniques are not quite ready yet, Jerry invested nearly 2 hundred thousand US dollars in upgrading customers’ conference systems for free. There was no one else in the industry that offers such feedback then. Although it costed a lot, BXB’s brand value and benefit had greatly enhanced.
“If we let the customers who supported us at the beginning use BXB’s products with negative experiences, in the future as renewing/replacing products they would not choose BXB at all.” Enhancing brand awareness is always not easy. Although BXB’s channel has reached to the end-users market in Taiwan, it still needs to overcome the obstacles overseas. “In the past, we authorized our agents selling BXB’s products. However, the agents are only responsible with sales, not promoting BXB’s brand and company culture.” Therefore, Jerry determined to change the course and rethink the global-channel strategies. Besides constructing the mechanism of agent selection and encouragement, BXB also actively collects data for grasping the market trend and target customers of each country. Moreover, BXB generates effective marketing strategies based on the advantage of product differentiation. The strategies can not only offer instant customer services, but possess competitive business models. BXB’s oversea market has expanded with faster progress.
To offer global customers instant and professional services, Jerry doesn’t cultivate sales talents with sales view but rather with “situational planning” point of view. BXB doesn’t sell products only, but offer touchable services with customization and case design. The purpose is to offer the perfect experiences and using efficacy to customers.
Therefore, “when I search for BXB’s talents, the traits I concern the most are free thinking, and self-discipline. BXB is an innovative company; thus, every creative ideas employees raise is extremely precious ”, Jerry said. To keep employee’s coherence, Jerry always holds the spirit of “letting employees be the boss of their posts.” Employees can learn how to self-control and develop creativity within the free working atmosphere, which reaches the goals of adaptive development, self-management, and self-realization. It can be the solid footstone of BXB’s competitiveness and development.
Make a Technical Breakthrough, Stand Firmly on the International Stage
“The biggest differences between running my own business and joining BXB’s team is that the later is involved with the negotiation with the founder. Our founder’s generation, background, specialty, operation ideas, and the vision to the future are different with mine.” For instance, to expand international market and enhance BXB’s brand awareness, Jerry considered that attending oversea exhibitions frequently is compulsory. However, the founder insisted on controlling company’s cost and considered that the resources should be allocated more to R&D. Attending exhibitions is costly so that the founder also considered that taking part in the shows one time per 2 years is enough. On the contrary, Jerry insisted that “brand is the accumulated asset of a company. Attending oversea exhibitions can not only find suitable partners but transmit company culture to customers. Visitors can also personally experience what BXB’s products can do for them.” After the negotiations for several times, the open-minded founder decided to give young people a chance and afterward he also handed over the company to Jerry and Penny. Therefore, Jerry stood on the stage that let him heartily show his talent and ambition to the career.
At the time of company transformation, it costed lots of funds and the R&D power wasn’t strong enough. Therefore, there were many uncertain factors affecting the R&D progress, which caused that there has been no product released for nearly 3 years. This made customers doubted about BXB’s growth and operation. Under the extremely high pressure, Jerry spent many nights awake. Especially, his child was just born, he had a lot on his plate during the time.
Fortunately, BXB was finally transformed successfully and the turning point of growth came. Following with the market trend, BXB continually developed competitive products that make BXB keep the technical advantage and leading position in the market. “In the past, BXB’s team still thought from the OEM perspective and were used to passively waiting for customers’ inquiries and demands. The spirit of free thinking and innovation was neglected. Now, we tend to recruit freshmen because they normally have courage to try and think out of box. The traits are the key factors of making BXB more innovative and competitive.”
Innovative Technology Develops Smart Life
The hottest technology topic now must belong to AI. BXB also has started developing the conference system and PA system with AI technology, which includes the functions of voice/image identification and AI data analysis. During the meeting, you can easily identify each attendee; the system can also instantly record each person’s speaking and then transform into text files. The meeting could be smarter and more efficient. Presently, BXB has set up unmanned display room in the Taipei Word Trade Center. Now, BXB is actively recruiting the followers for establishing a RD office in Taipei next year. In the future, with the forward-looking thinking and techniques BXB would keep innovating various smart solutions for conference and PA and developing more convenient life to the world.
Technology has always come from human nature. Since the establishment, BXB always holds the thought of “taking human beings as the essential” to generate the energy of product innovation and transform users’ demands and feeling into the core value of product design. Therefore, BXB could continually offer the products and services beyond market’s expectations. The strong and solid R&D ability also makes BXB win Taiwan Excellence, iF Design Award, G-mark Award, and other great honors. Recently, BXB develops the PA system that integrates with the cloud and APP techniques. This system is also the first one for smart emergency command in Taiwan. We can see that the products and services that BXB offers are more multivariant; the business territory is also expanded more.
BXB sincerely appreciates the judges’ recognition and the congratulations from all BXB’s friends. Your supports encourage BXB goes forward to the dream. Jerry and Penny would keep leading BXB team innovating more smart products and services, making BXB become the No. 1 brand in the world.
