In the middle of May, RACOM’s worldwide Sales team came together at a Sales Camp near our headquarters.
The Technical Support team spent a day at the camp discussing the pivotal role they play and ways in which levels of support can be extended in both directions during the tender process, when designing and commissioning networks, in an after sales capacity and to provide training at every level to our customers.
Our R&D department used their contact time receiving input on global issues that affect the market and our customers in particular, providing information about the processes R&D follow in their development work and how our Sales team can assist that process and how RACOM initiates and manages joint research programs with different universities.
Product management provided detailed information about new products currently under development in all of our product lines and how their own research supports the design process. Based on feedback from the Sales team, valuable decisions were taken about features that must be incorporated and those that might take on a lesser priority.
No Sales camp would be complete without the opportunity to renew old acquaintances and strengthen social bonds. The Sales and Support teams spent an enjoyable afternoon navigating their way around the countryside in a puzzle hunt and the R&D football team proved too strong in their match against the Sales Managers; even with instructions from their non-playing captain, Kamila, from the sidelines.
Perhaps the most difficult challenge was to provide catering for all the delegates in attendance. This was ably covered by individual members of RACOM’s staff. Lunches were prepared by members of the department who were taking part in workshops on that day and in the evenings, Sales managers came together to produce international cuisine from around the world. This culminated in a barbecue on the last night for thirty five people.
Such was the success of the event, there are already provisional plans in place to repeat this event on a regular basis.
RACOM recently enjoyed a busy and successful 3 days at the UTCAL [Utilities Council America Latina] Summit, held between 6th & 8th April in Florianopolis, Brazil. Thanks to UTCAL for their excellent organization. As a supporter and regular attendee of EUTC events, this event in Brazil surpassed all our expectations. We look forward to supporting UTCAL in future events.
There were over 400 registered attendees, representing over 70 companies from Brazil, Argentina and other Latin American countries. Interestingly, some 60% of those attending represented the Utilities sector, mainly from SCADA and telecommunication departments of power utilities.
The RACOM booth had a steady flow of visitors throughout every day of the summit, all of whom were very impressed with our products, appreciating the technical features which fit their current and potentially, future needs. We calculated that every company that attended the summit visited us to discuss our products and industry issues in general.
It was extremely encouraging, at one point, to overhear 2 prospective customers discussing and celebrating the fact they had finally found a source of equipment for their networks which met and surpassed all their needs after leaving our booth. Some of the features of our radio modems and cellular routers which received a warm reception from everyone who visited our booth included:
In summary, we increased our exposure within the Latin American market substantially and met with current and new customers. Everyone we met with really appreciates the presence of a RACOM area Sales Manager in Latin America (Peru), who is a native speaker of local languages and is ready to provide both pre-sales and after-sales support.
Furthermore, our current customers expressed high levels of satisfaction regarding the reliability, functionality and robustness of our equipment whilst new customers are looking forward to implementing and commissioning our equipment in their own networks; making best use of some of the unique features our equipment will offer them.
The Electronic Communications Committee (ECC) of The European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) recently held a two day workshop on M2M communications held 21. – 23.3. 2016 in Mainz, Germany; understood by the ECC as fully or largely automated communication (data transfer) between two or more information and communications (ICT) entities, that may be part of a predetermined group.
The overall aim of the workshop was to better understand the spectrum as well as numbering and addressing harmonisation needs of existing and future M2M applications, in one workshop, since related initiatives are present in various forms within the ECC. This will enable a general consultation and an exchange of views with the industry.
Specific workshops covered issues such as Standardisation & Regulation on M2M networks, Smart Cities and Metropolitan areas and Transportation, Industrial and Utility applications as part of the Internet of Things.
RACOM understand the need to have a effective voice at such events to consolidate our solid reputation as a trend-setting market leader in this industry.
The workshop provided RACOM with excellent opportunities to strengthen network connections with senior and influential figures in this industry. This included discussions regarding frequency and bandwidth needs for Utility applications and enjoying fruitful debate and discussion to ensure our own R&D work furthers the vision and desires the ECC have for this market. Our presence also allowed RACOM to better understand general needs in this expanding market and address the specific needs of our own customer base.
In order to remain a trend-setting global player in SCADA communication for the utilities, RACOM understands the need to engage with the market wherever and whenever possible to discuss problems the industry faces and requirements and solutions the market needs, now and in the future.
As part of this process RACOM will be participating at the UTCAL [Utilities Telecom Council America Latina] Summit 2016 at the Majestic Hotel in Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil from 5 – 8 April, 2016 where utilities companies, regulatory authorities, system integrators, suppliers and consulting companies will be meeting to debate, amongst others, their current and future communications needs.
As a supporter of UTC events, RACOM is well aware of the excellent opportunities UTC gives us, to have a prominent voice in this debate and the opportunity to share invaluable information about current and future needs, the latest innovative thinking and alternative solutions to problems the industry faces. RACOM is proud of its reputation as a trend-setting market leader and wants to ensure we remain at the forefront of development and change in the industry.
Research conducted by UTC shows that the resources allocated to the telecommunications market and lT are expected to increase considerably in the coming years. Many telecom networks require modernization to replace ageing infrastructure and smart grids need to be implemented. RACOM is already well placed to provide future-proofed solutions to these and other problems encountered in the utilities market.
Our local LATAM sales representative and our Sales Director would be delighted to meet with you at our booth during the summit to discuss industry issues and the solutions RACOM can provide.
RACOM enjoyed a busy two days at MUM, Slovenia. Our stand attracted many visitors and this, coupled with the many private discussions we had previously arranged with other attendees, ensured our presence was worthwhile.
The opportunity to meet up with suppliers, partners and distributors and to gain quality feedback on market issues from our customer base attending the event was mutually beneficial.
Additionally, we shared positive dialogue with potential customers from many European countries and have further raised our profile throughout the region. It was also nice to record that although this was primarily a showcase of our RAy Microwave link, we also attracted interest and orders for our Radio modems and Cellular routers.
One of the main attractions of the whole event over the two days was the opportunity to win a RAy link complete with Jirous antennas as part of the promotion run by our Product Marketing team. Attendees were keen to fill in our questionnaire, providing input that will help fine tune our products to meet current and future needs of the ISP market; we always value market feedback to ensure we are producing products that will be valued by the market.
The link was donated to be given out as star prize in the tombola. Over 1000 conference attendees stayed to the end of the event for the eagerly awaited draw. Congratulations to Mr Miguel Valli, CEO of Comowireless on winning the link and based on discussions at the presentation, we look forward to working with your company in the future.
Thanks once again to MUM for running an efficient operation and making us feel welcome. We look forward to continuing our association with MUM in the future.
On February 25th and 26th 2016, RACOM will be exhibiting at MUM [Microtik User Meeting], Ljubljana, Slovenia. RACOM are pleased to support what will be the European flagship event for MUM in 2016. As well as having an exhibition hall, the event will host two full days of lectures and workshops.
RACOM’s representatives would be delighted to meet with as many people as possible over the two days to discuss industry issues and key advantages of implementing our own microwave unit, RAy, in Microtik’s product environment.
This full outdoor microwave radio is very compact, weighing less than 3 kgs. It includes some unique features that have proven very popular in the market and particularly useful in applications. We would be more than happy to discuss these and other features in person. Come visit us on our stand; we will be represented at MUM by staff from our sales, product management and technical departments.
For the duration of the show, RACOM will be offering a substantial discount on a limited number of Microwave links across every frequency we produce. Please visit our stand for more information and your opportunity to qualify for this special offer.
On 18th December, RACOM staff once again gathered to share some time together and celebrate another successful year. It is always enjoyable for staff from RACOM Slovakia, the SMT facility in Blansko, our Mechanical production facility and departments from Head Office to have the opportunity to meet in relaxing surroundings and share some quality time together; the family traditions of our company still hold strong.
During the celebrations various members of staff were honoured for long service, amongst them three colleagues who have been with RACOM for 20 years. Our HR Director noted that every year the number of long service awards increases, in part due to the growth of the company, but also due to the loyalty shown to the company by our staff.
The CEO delivered his customary annual review of company performance to ensure all colleagues are kept up to date with our progress. This year’s review took the form of a presentation. Jiri described some of the more interesting applications that use our products; a full list can be seen on our website. Each department was thanked personally for their contribution to RACOM’s overall success and humorous illustrations were used to describe parts of the company’s business. In keeping with the relaxed mood of his audience, Jiri also chose to list some of the more interesting statistics from RACOM’s performance in 2015 such as the number of e-mails and phone calls sent, the number of hits and page views on our website, the distance travelled to bring our products to the market, the amount of data storage on our servers and even the 200 kg of coffee consumed over the year!
After the formal toast, everyone relaxed to enjoy the food and drink provided, the live music and dancing [to burn off some of those calories] and the opportunity to share stories and have a laugh.
RACOM realizes the importance of such events and colleagues also appreciate the opportunities these occasions offer. Now we must all wait and look forward to the summer barbecue but before then, smaller groups have a family trip to the planetarium in Brno and a go kart meeting to look forward to.
Wishing everyone a happy festive season and successful year ahead.
2015 has been another busy year for trade shows, conferences and seminars. This listing provides brief information on events we took part in during the last quarter of 2015. We will be using our News page to promote future shows we will be attending and reports on shows we have attended.
Organised by RACOM and aimed at the Middle East market, this event had three main points of focus.
RACOM were an exhibitor at this show, focusing on brand awareness of RipEX to an audience mainly consisting of power utilities and large system integrators. The show was for the European market and our main aims were:
RACOM attended this conference in a visitor capacity. The forum explored ‘the technological themes, applications and value-added services related to remote control and automation systems aiming to increase networks performance in industry and improve the community quality of life’. RACOM’s attendance allowed us to:
RACOM is keen supporter of MUM events and had already attended the European event in Prague and MUM Miami earlier in the year. This event focused mainly on the Spanish and Iberian market. RACOM shared a stand with our local distributor and were glad of the opportunity to share discussions with the local ISP market. By attending RACOM were able to:
ITU brought together governments, corporates and small and medium entrerprises (SMEs) from over 50 countries around the world. It combined an exhibition for digital solutions, a forum for sharing knowledge and a networking hub between nations, organizations and individuals. RACOM attended in a visitor capacity for the express purpose of discussing spectrum issues in different areas of the world. Outcomes of our attendance were:
RACOM recently met with CTU (Czech telecommunications office) in Prague. Such meetings provide a valuable portal allowing RACOM to express the needs and desires of its customers and the market in general. They also provide an ideal opportunity to gain insight into issues currently under consideration by National, European and Global telecommunications standards authorities.
Having been given the opportunity to take an active part in open discussions about general utilisation of the frequency bands from 960 to 1700 MHz, RACOM also shared informal discussions about possible plans for other frequency bands.
It was suggested in discussions, there might be a possibility channel width on the 400 MHz frequency band be increased from the current 25 KHz available although no final decision has been made.
The main purpose of the meeting was to provide input to the open discussion ‘Comments from Czech Radiokomunikace on the draft general measures of the radio spectrum utilization plan no. PV-P / 20 / XX.2015-YY for the frequency band from 960 to 1700 MHz’.
In summary, this is how best to address the problems of higher demands for data throughput for radio SCADA networks.
RACOM suggested an ideal solution would be to open up new frequencies specifically for radio SCADA networks. It was emphasised this is required to meet present, not future demand. Further it was suggested 1.4 GHz, currently unused in Czech Republic, would be ideal to provide the required capacity for current and future demand. A European recommendation already exists for communications at these frequencies and they are currently being used for p-t-p links in some other European States.
Should the CTU agree to RACOM’s suggestion, it would allow RACOM and other manufacturers to provide equipment to meet market need without having to undergo additional research and testing of equipment operating on different frequencies. Furthermore, RACOM’s suggestion that these frequencies be dedicated to SCADA point to multi point network communications will protect frequency bands for this important sector of radio communications.
RACOM also meet the CTU regarding higher frequency broad band issues and are happy to keep our market informed of outcomes from these discussions.
RACOM recently invited regional and national ISP operators from the Czech market and our national distributors to a wine tasting. Guests enjoyed traditional Moravian music and a tour of the wine cellar.
The event was organised as a way of saying thank you for choosing RACOM products and to allow customers to meet to exchange views about the industry and to discuss its future. Collectively, these customers operate backhaul and or last mile applications.
It was very helpful to meet Management and Senior Technicians from the ISP operators in attendance and listen to their opinions and experiences. RACOM had representatives from Sales, Technical support, Development and Management at the event; all were keen to engage in discussions about general market needs and trends and specific problems experienced by customers.
We also appreciate the role distributors play in RACOM’s success. The positive relationships and understanding we enjoy with them, the market feedback they provide and their ideas and views are a valuable part of our continuing success.
We are happy that discussions revealed RACOM do indeed have an understanding of the needs of operators in this industry and in particular, the specific requirements of networks of varying size and purpose. Customers are very satisfied with the parameters of RAy2; it was described as a ‘very well defined radio’.
Positive comments from customers also highlighted:
Whilst grateful for the positive feedback, we fully accept future needs will be different and are glad of input received from our customers to help take another step toward refining the properties of future generations of our products.
In our modern world, where we have so many forms of electronic communications available to us, events such as these confirm the benefits of face to face contact for positive and creative discussions.
Thank you to all our customers and distributors for taking the time and effort to join the event. It was great to be part of these open and frank discussions and it is hoped RACOM can host more of these types of event in the future.
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