Company Profiles - DEK Technologies
DEK Technologies |
| A long history of innovation in the design and development of microchip technology makes Melbourne-based DEK Technologies a logical partner for one of the world's largest telecommunications supplier and other global ICT companies. |
| http://www.dektech.com.au/ |
The story so far |
| Formed by three ex-Ericsson hardware designers in 1999, DEK Technologies initially provided additional capability for Ericsson's Melbourne office, but has since grown to work worldwide with Ericsson and a range of other global companies. DEK's core business is the design and development of microchip technology for the telecommunications industry. The company designs both 'Application Specific Integrated Circuits' (ASICs) - which are used in high volume devices such as mobile phones – as well as 'Field Programmable Gate Arrays' (FPGAs), which contain programmable logic blocks and allow a single chip to be used in many different applications. One of the company's biggest recent contracts with Ericsson was the ground-up development of key components of a distributed central processor system for mobile and fixed line platforms. "In the beginning we were just one of many companies supplying to Ericsson but, because of our high competence and in-depth familiarity with their products, we are now seen as one of their preferred suppliers. Other companies are also taking notice," explained General Manager, Robert Bunn. DEK employs about 45 people at its Melbourne headquarters and 10 staff at its Stockholm office, most of whom are embedded in large R&D projects for the Ericsson Fixed and Mobile Platform groups. "Our guys have lots of expertise in that space," said Bunn. The company has grown between 25 to 30 per cent each year since 1999. It offers end-to-end services from early-phase feasibility studies through to embedded software and hardware design, and project management expertise. "A member of our Melbourne team is currently in Sweden managing an Ericsson project with about 1,200 people reporting to him from all around the world." DEK is also establishing wholly owned companies in Rome and Ho Chi Minh City. The latter is a drive to establish low cost capability in Asia in order to be more competitive in the global market. |
Reaching new markets |
| Although about 85 per cent of DEK Technologies business is currently with Ericsson, the company is rapidly diversifying its client base and service offer. "We’re actively out there pursuing new opportunities across a range of industry sectors," explained Bunn. One of the company's recent collaborations is with Southern Innovation, an Australian company focused on the development and licensing of pulse processing technologies for rapid detection and measurement of radiation. This work is a typical example of how hardware implementation can overcome the 'real time' limitations of software solutions. Based on Southern Innovation's advanced theoretical models, DEK has developed an FPGA-based, nonlinear, digital signal processing device that results in dramatic increases in measurement efficiency and negligible data corruption over traditional solutions. This has significant benefits in applications such as medical imaging, material analysis, defence, security and exploration. "A lot of people thought that it wasn't achievable to incorporate such a complex algorithm into a microchip but we managed to do it. And since Southern Innovation has showcased the technology in the US, huge opportunities have opened up," said Mr Bunn. More recently DEK has also started networking with NICTA, Australia's national ICT centre of excellence, which is supporting fundamental advances in ICT to underpin the development of globally competitive products, processes and services. The company is in the early stages of investigating two large, iconic projects in the biomedical and automotive sectors. |
Why Victoria? |
| "One of the major advantages of being based,’ in Victoria, according to Mr Bunn, "is access to skilled, experienced and loyal staff. We have a lot of highly skilled, creative people working for us who like the lifestyle Melbourne offers, plus we provide exciting opportunities to young professionals who want to get some overseas work experience." Over recent years the company has developed strong relationships with Victorian universities including La Trobe University and Victoria University. These relationships involve working on technology-specific projects and participating in work placement programs. Mr Bunn added that another great strength of Victoria is its business culture and attitude to life, which is very similar to that of European countries such as Sweden. "Europeans find it very easy to relate to us and do business here. They know they can trust that what we say is what we mean. We don’t always say 'yes' to our clients just because we think that's what they want to hear. I think Europeans appreciate our integrity and our direct approach." The difference in time zones between Australia, Europe and the United States isn't an obstacle for DEK either, according to Bunn. "Our staff are happy to fit in with overseas time zones. We have the infrastructure in place to allow people to work from home, or conduct a business meeting though VPN or Skype, and we’re very used to this way of working." |
The future |
| One of DEK’s most exciting recent achievements is its acceptance into the global Xilinx Alliance. A worldwide leader in programmable logic solutions with over 51 per cent market share in 2007, Xilinx looks for third-party partners who have the expertise to optimise its products for efficient use in a wide range of devices. One of only six Australian companies to qualify for membership of the Xilinx Alliance, DEK is already building relationships with a number of Xilinx distribution partners in Australia, who are starting to feed the company new work. "It's great recognition of the skills and competence that we have, and we should be able to use it as a launching pad to advertise our capability to solve complex technical problems," Mr Bunn observed. |
