East London-based Vektronix received the Gold award at the biennial ADEC Expo held at Kyalami Exhibition Centre in Johannesburg recently. First time exhibitors Vektronix won the top award for the best stand in the ‘small stand category’, which was designed by an East London company, Creative Public Relations.
Vektronix managing director Craig Tyzack said the Expo had been a tremendous success. "This was the first year that we entered and judging from the outcome we will definitely enter again."
Vektronix resulted from a management buy-out of a Tellumat electronics contract manufacturing plant, which put it in the hands of some of South Africa's pioneers of television decoder technology earlier this year. One of two local companies commissioned in 1987 by M-Net to build analog decoders for its pay television service, the company says it has manufactured 1,5 million (60%) of the 2,4 million decoders made so far. Vektronix revenues from the decoders have exceeded R750m, with more than 860 000 decoders exported to Africa and countries in Europe.
Analog decoders were responsible for transforming the local television industry and adding more than R1 billion to the South African economy. Says Vektronix managing director, Craig Tyzack: "Although we manufacture for many different industries, our confidence in going for the management buy-out stems from those days of being one of the change agents in a high-profile sector.
Vektronix made headlines earlier this year with its multimillion rand buy-out following Cape Town-based Tellumat's decision to close down its 30-year-old Wilsonia plant. The intervention saved 124 jobs and successfully vetoed the loss of millions of rands to the local economy. According to Vektronix, in its first weeks of operation it successfully secured almost 25 million in orders including R18m from existing orders since the takeover.
With M-Net's introduction some years ago of its DSTV service, its analog subscriber base is gradually declining. However, says Vektronix, there are still some 500 000 analog users in South Africa, Africa and Greece - with some 11 000 new decoders being ordered each year and phase-out expected only after 2010. Vektronix is the only manufacturer still making and refurbishing analog decoders, making it a crucial supplier to the television industry.
"Vektronix's input and commitment helped build the M-Net/Multichoice group into the major market influencer that it is today," says Marius du Plessis, general manager broadcast engineering, Multichoice Broadcast Technology Division "And, Vektronix's refurbishment business will provide a very important service to our subscribers over the next four to seven years."
Vektronix also manufactures products for the telecommunications, automotive, pre-payment and audio industries.
For further information contact Craig Tyzack, Vektronix, 043 707 1000, [email protected], www.vektronix.com
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