Mr Danny Ng, Senior Sales Manager

At the forefront of conferencing and audio visual technology integration, Ultra Active Technology Ltd (UAT) is the market leader in its field, constantly innovating to keep a step ahead of its competitors. Established in Hong Kong by Tony Cheung in 1997, UAT has gained its healthy market share by teaming up with the world’s leading vendors such as Polycom Inc to offer award-winning systems and technologies. The company’s range of communication solutions has expanded rapidly in the last 12 months with the introduction of many new initiatives, including Polycom’s TPX Telepresence Experience, a high definition visual solution that creates an intimate yet business-like ‘across the table’ meeting encounter. There is also the Converged Management Application (CMA), real-time video conferencing able to connect with up to 1,500 concurrent calls. The HDX9000, which combines HD video, HD voice and simultaneous HD multimedia content-sharing capabilities, also launched this year, as did the company’s own digital signage, AdBoom, a multimedia platform that can be tailored to meet the communication needs of its diverse client base. “All the information is centralised on the server so clients can easily maintain and schedule the information, be that the weather, live news, company stock report, or welcome message,” explains UAT’s Senior Sales Manager Danny Ng. “Similar signage is quite common already but the advantage of our system is that clients can easily change the content as often as they want, and display a wider range of communications.”

The company’s forward-looking approach and focus on bespoke communication solutions means that business is booming, especially in China, and Ng confirms that the number of projects they are working on in the mainland has increased fivefold over the last year. “Beijing and Shanghai continue to grow, and cities like Tianjin and Qingdao are up and coming for us. Many of our clients in China are in the diversified industries, particularly Hong Kong businesses investing in mainland China. Once they have offices there, they not only need to communicate with their clients but also staff, and there is lots of internal communication going on.”  To get staff and clients up to speed, communication must be straightforward as well as eye-catching, and UAT is able to deliver on both counts.

According to Ng, one of UAT’s most popular new solutions is CMA, a centralised video system that ‘virtually’ connects groups in conference rooms with individuals sitting at their personal workspaces. “Some CEOs and managers prefer to talk from the comfort of their own desk, and this virtual conferencing solution is able to support up to 5,000 concurrently registered endpoints and 1,500 concurrent calls. If you want to talk to someone, then you simply click on an icon to call or instant message them.” In addition to the convenience and user-friendliness of video conferencing, another advantage is its environmentally friendly nature, as delegates don’t need to travel to events.

As a provider of advanced communication solutions to top-tier clients including Goldman Sachs and Adidas, UAT is all too aware of the importance of being equipped with the latest technology itself. “We have invested a lot of money into our IT and AV hardware, and our server is able to operate at an extremely speedy rate – it’s around three times faster than before. This means we can access our database more rapidly, and deal with clients’ requests quicker. Once a customer calls us up, we have a lot of information about them already, whether it’s a sales or service call, which saves time. Time management is very important for doing good business,” says Ng, who adds that streamlining workflow wherever possible and standardising documentation have also equipped UAT to provide the best services to all clients.

Polycom is not the only top vendor that UAT partners with – it is also the designated supplier of the Sharp 108-inch LCD HDTV, the largest television of its kind. Providing a clean and sharp display without flickering light or distracting edges, it boasts a resolution nine times better than other leading brands, says Ng.

Over the next 12 months, Ng reveals that the company will continue to innovate by keeping a close eye on market trends in the world of videoconference and audio/video solutions. “We are expecting to see more demand for desktop conferencing as well as audio/visual conferencing, and we will be looking to differentiate ourselves from the very aggressive competition by emphasising to clients how knowledgeable our staff are, whether they are in the technical support team, customer service, or sales department. Targeted training is key for this, but we also look at the bigger picture when training employees – we want everyone to understand the company’s goals,” he concludes.
– Helen Dalley

PHILOSOPHY
UAT is dedicated to its customers and employees, to the quality of its products and services, and to giving something back to society. These core values are central to the corporate spirit. Fulfilling corporate social responsibility, the company helps the local community by sponsoring local events, promoting culture and sports in the city, and taking on interns throughout the summer. It considers the staff its biggest asset and offers an excellent working environment; benefits include educational subsidies, team building activities and overseas training. UAT insists on quality, value and simplicity to ensure a clear message is always communicated, helping to create a world without boundaries

FAST FACTS

2009
• Introduced Polycom RPX HD RealPresence, a deluxe boardroom with all furnishings, lightings, curtains, conferencing system and electronics
2008
• Introduced several new communication solutions, including the TPX (Telepresence) Video Conferencing solution and AdBoom, customised information boards for clients
2007
• Celebrated 10th anniversary with an eventful cocktail party
in July, and also acquired more top tier partners, such as global AV Integrators SPL, plus Hong Kong architect and design houses Fiona Hardie and M. Moser Associates
2005
• Actively sponsored a number of sports activities in Hong Kong and further participated in the community by providing internships to college, IVE and university students
2004
• Enhanced customer service on even the most complex enquiries helped ensure rapid growth of business