The first two traits naturally go together and they’re ideal for maximising space in your carry-on bag as well as taking from one client meeting to the next meeting. And being able to use the laptop at your airline’s departure lounge, during an international flight and still being able to do a quick email session at the airport while waiting for your bags to hit the carousel? That seals the deal.

So when will you be able to get a laptop that’s made for the long haul? When can you hit the road but leave the AC adaptor at home?

The answer to that question is today, depending on the price you’re prepared to pay and sometimes the compromises you’re willing to make. Some netbooks easily strut past the 10-hour mark but they lack the muscle, features and capabilities of a fully fledged laptop.

In some cases you can add a secondary battery which replaces the notebook’s CD/DVD drive or attaches to the notebook’s underside (this type of battery is sometimes called a ‘travel slice’) so you can hit the road with two full tanks of juice – although this adds to the laptop’s bulk.

But within the next few years that won’t even be an issue. The ever-onwards march of technology in computer chips and other components will make ‘all day computing’ a trait of almost every laptop.

“The challenge for us is to bring all-day battery life to the mainstream so that you take the laptop to work and leave the power supply at home,” says Mooly Eden, general manager of Intel’s Mobile Platforms group.

“But ‘all day’ means different things to different people,” Eden tells Dynamic Business. “For me it might be eight hours, for you it might be 10 hours. And we need to do even more than that, because as the laptop gets older the battery life will slowly get lower.”

Eden’s goal for Intel? “We need to deliver 10-to-12 hours without the charger. And we will be able to do that, because all-day battery life is not just possible, it is inevitable.”

The foundations are already in place. Intel’s family of Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 chips perform the neat trick of running faster than any previous generation of Intel silicon while drawing less power from the battery. And even that dollop of extra speed is being channelled into eking out extra battery life.

If you divide the laptop’s typical working day into tiny slices of time, most of that day is spent in varying states of idle rather than being actively used. More processing muscle means the notebook can do the heavy lifting faster so that it more quickly returns to the low-power idle state – and the more time it spends there, the longer the battery lasts.

Eden calls this feature “hurry up and get idle”, and it’s enhanced by ‘turbo boost’ modes which further accelerate the processor for short but intense bursts. These can be everyday tasks like opening an email attachment or previewing a PowerPoint deck as a set of thumbnails. Tasks that take six seconds suddenly take three or four: but it’s less about speed than sleep.

“The idea is wake the notebook up, do the job and then go to sleep again,” Eden explains. “If the chip does the job faster it can go back to sleep sooner, so you get better performance and you also get extended battery life. This is the real secret of energy efficiency.”

Yet the processor is just one part of the notebook. The screen is responsible for the largest portion of a laptop’s power drain, followed by the hard drive. Dramatic efficiencies in these areas are slower to come, with fewer breakthroughs and smaller leaps.

That said, notebook screens with LED backlighting draw less juice than the non-backlit models while also providing a brighter picture. And while ‘solid state drives’ (SSDs) draw almost no power compared to the conventional and battery-hungry spinning platters of a hard disk, their high price and relatively low capacity can make them impractical for many notebook users.

Seagate is leading the move towards a new wave of ‘hybrid’ hard drives where a high capacity hard disk is partnered with a slab of solid state memory which automatically stores the most commonly-used files and data.

There’s also a growing trend towards lightweight operating systems which let you dive into email, browse the web and play music or movies without loading Microsoft Windows. Typically based on the Linux operating system and embedded into a flash memory chip inside the laptop, these ‘instant on’ systems spring to life within seconds instead of the hard disk-hammering (and power sucking) minute that Windows often demands – making them a boon for short work sessions on the go.

Those are some of the technologies now converging into the next generation of notebooks. Give us a few years, the experts say, and almost every laptop will be built for the long haul.

Introducing the Ultrabook

If you’re in the market for a thin and light laptop you’ll soon start to hear a new bit of jargon being tossed around. It’s the ‘ultrabook’ – a notebook which is ultra thin and ultra light.

Conventional ‘thin and light’ laptops have a waistline less than 2cm and tip the scales at under 2kg, but ultrabooks blast past the 2+2 recipe. They’ll typically have a ‘flying wedge’ chassis tapering to 0.5cm and weighing closer to 1kg.

The posterchild for the ultrabook movement is the MacBook Air, although you won’t hear Apple spouting the ‘u-word’ – it’s a term used by the makers of Windows notebooks. The typical ultrabook will resume instantly from sleep mode, use flash memory SSD chips rather than spinning mechanical hard disks, run for four-to-six hours and be priced at around $1,000.

That specification is a tall order against the price-tag . Notebooks with those spec sets have usually belonged to the ‘ultra premium’ category with a much higher price tag. However, Apple has demonstrated that it’s entirely possible to produce a laptop that meets these requirements, with the entry level 11-inch MacBook Air selling for $1,150.

The first Windows-powered ultrabooks, from Acer and Asus, should be on sale by the time you read this, with models from Dell, HP and Toshiba tipped to follow before the year is out.

This article first appeared on Dynamic Business.

In Australia, this disparity has been repeatedly highlighted in recent years by the widespread amazement whenever foreign minister and former prime minister Kevin Rudd speaks fluent Mandarin while addressing Chinese officials. However, Australians seem unsurprised by other world leaders who converse coherently in languages not their own. As business becomes increasingly international, a question emerges: Is the English-speaking world in danger of being left behind in the language stakes?

“It’s not that English speakers are worse at acquiring other languages,” says Chihiro Kinoshita Thomson, a professor of Japanese Studies in the School of Languages and Linguistics at the University of New South Wales. “It’s just they don’t have the same need to acquire other languages because so many people across the world speak English as a second or foreign language.” However, Thomson fears the perception that “you can get by with just English” when doing business overseas is very limiting – both now and in the future, and on a variety of levels.

Internet usage is just one reason why. The US has the world’s largest Internet usage, but the second and third highest users are Japan and China. “If an English speaker learned written Japanese or Chinese to an advanced professional level, they would open up a vast number of professional opportunities for themselves. With English only, your access to information is limited,” indicates Thomson. On a more fundamental level, she notes that business develops through relationships, and those who don’t speak the language are excluded from those relationships. “You can penetrate into a culture with English only – but only so far. While English is widely spoken in larger companies overseas, this is less the case with medium and small-sized companies. Importantly, without the language, it can be difficult to develop an understanding of another society. Your understanding is going to be given to you by someone else.”

Thomson notes that between 2006 and 2009, the number of students learning Japanese in primary and secondary school in Australia reduced by 25%. The same period, however, saw an increase in the teaching of Asian languages at tertiary level. “At university, people choose to study a language,” says Thomson. “At school, though, it’s determined by budgets and government policy. Developing professional-level Asian languages takes years, and really should start in primary school,” she argues. NSW high school students are required to undertake only 100 hours of language classes between years 7 to 10. By contrast, when Thomson was studying English in Japan, English was a required subject for all in years 7-12, and at tertiary level it was mandatory for her to study two other foreign languages.

While Asian languages are thriving at university level, in Thomson’s experience this fact conceals a very revealing truth. One-third of her Japanese language students are from overseas, many of them students from Asia learning Japanese as a third or further language. “You could say we’re already teaching the converted.”

Thomson also teaches beginner Japanese classes, which students can take as ’general education’. These are unrelated to a student’s major, and she has 550 students doing the class this year, of which the majority are general education students or those taking the language as an option. “Many quit after one semester, but it’s better than nothing! This level of language skills would be appreciated by business colleagues abroad, but it wouldn’t go very far,” Thomson points out.

What does this all mean for Australia’s small-to-medium exporters? It means the government has a goal of trying to remove the distortions in international trade flow that detract from quality and price being the determinants of success in another market. Some of these distortions are created by high tariff barriers at the border, but increasingly they are the ‘behind the border’ issues like quotas, content rules or trade facilitation charges and requirements that effectively bar, or price-out products and services from certain countries.

In addition to tariff reductions, as a large services exporter we need to see our businesses given the same opportunity to compete and win business as both local providers and other international players. Ensuring that IP protection is honoured in these partner countries is another important consideration.

The government has teams led by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) working on the content of future FTAs to ensure Australian business is not disadvantaged by exclusions from the partner country, and to highlight any existing issues that restrict access by our exporters.

How do they know? Well to a large extent they rely on information given by Australian businesses currently exporting to or working in, or wishing to work in, the partner country. To this end consultation sessions are run in each state to seek the experiences and views of Australian business and those that support them. There is also the ability to forward submissions, by email, letter or fax, to the negotiating teams or via your DFAT State Manager. Addresses for the FTA teams can be found on the DFAT website pages on each FTA negotiation. These views are listened to and incorporated into discussions, and the size of your company is not the determinant.

So the important action for exporters, and particularly for the small-to-medium exporter without a full time advisor, is to have a look at the agreements under negotiation, and provide your legitimate feedback and views. This is the stage where your concerns will be taken into consideration, and perhaps influence a key part of the outcome for your company and others.

The existing agreements that we have in place are also reviewed at regular intervals to see how effectively they are working, so practical experiences should also be forwarded through to DFAT.

FTAs include a lot of detail, and there may be many exporters who are not aware of the potential benefits of the agreements we have in place for their business. For instance under the tariff reduction schedules for their particular product, there may be relative advantages in exporting under say the Australia-Thailand FTA vs the AANZ FTA (which also includes Thailand). The full details on the agreements and the tariff levels (and the origin certificates where required) can be found on the DFAT website at www.dfat.gov.au.

We would encourage exporters then to take advantage of the FTAs in three ways:

1. Provide information on any issues effecting, or likely to affect your business under an FTA under negotiation.
2. Review existing agreements to ensure you are aware of benefits for your company.
3. Provide feedback on experiences (both good and bad) under existing agreements so that they work as effectively as possible.

With FTAs, the Government is listening, so have your say…

Many of Australia s trading partners are members of the Madrid Protocol, including China, Korea, Japan, Singapore, the United States of America, and countries in the European Union. As a general rule of thumb, if you wish to protect your brands through trade mark registration in three or more of these territories, it will best be done through an International Registration filed using the Madrid Protocol.

What is the Madrid Protocol?

The Madrid Protocol is a treaty providing for a centralized system of trade mark registration. It allows for a trade mark to be protected in numerous countries with just one application and resulting registration. This can provide for cheaper and simpler management of your trade mark portfolio. For example, the application will attract just one set of fees, and changes to ownership of the registration or attendance on its renewal can be completed with a single request instead of multiple forms to different Trade Marks Offices. This can result in savings at the time of launch, and also in reducing subsequent maintenance costs.

Requirements for filing

Although administered through the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the initial paperwork for a filing can be lodged locally with the Australian Trade Marks Office and official fees paid in Australian dollars. The application for International Registration needs to be based on an Australian trade mark application or registration. This is referred to as the basic trade mark. It can be a long established Australian registration, an application filed immediately prior to the filing of the International Registration, or anything in between. The International Registration must have the same owner, be for the same mark and claim

the same or only some of the goods and/or services covered by the basic trade mark.

It is advisable to have the application for an International Registration prepared and filed by a professional experienced in such matters, such as a trade mark attorney, as certain amendments are not permitted once the application has been filed and there are deadlines to monitor and meet.

Registration process

Once an application for an International Registration has been lodged with the Australian Trade Marks Office, it is checked for formalities and, if all is in order the application is forwarded to WIPO where it undergoes further formalities and classification checks. Then, once all is in order, a Certificate for the International Registration is issued. This is a misnomer, as at this stage no registration rights have been secured. Rights are only granted once protection for the International Registration has been extended to designated countries. This usually occurs after national examination processes.

WIPO sends the details of the International Registration to each of the relevant Trade Marks Offices, which then treat the International Registration in much the same way as they would a nationally filed application. Each national Trade Marks Office has its own requirements for registration. Where no objections are made by the Trade Marks Office, and no opposition is filed by a third party, the International Registration can proceed to protection in that particular country without any further action being taken.

Where objections are raised, the applicant has the option of responding to the objections or taking no further action. Sometimes an objection is made in respect of only some of the goods and/or services claimed. In some countries, like Australia, even where no response is filed, in the absence of opposition from a third party protection for an International Registration will automatically be extended to all of the other goods and services. If a response is to be filed, an address for service in the relevant designated country will be required. You will need a trade mark attorney on the ground and Australian attorneys have access to associates worldwide.

International Registrations are afforded the same rights as nationally filed applications. The protection provided by an International Registration runs for a term of 10 years from the date of its filing and can be renewed indefinitely on payment of the appropriate fees. It is possible to add further countries to the International Registration as your business grows and/or as more countries join the treaty. For example, preparation is currently being made for New Zealand to join the Madrid Protocol.

Dependency period

It should be noted that the International Registration is dependent on the Australian application or registration on which it was based for a period of five years after the filing date of the International Registration. Accordingly, owners of International Registrations should ensure that the basic trade mark is not compromised during the five-year dependency period. Otherwise, the International Registration risks cancellation, for example, through a failure to renew the basic mark or through a successful removal action for non-use.

There is an increased risk when basing an International Registration on an Australian application because if the application does not proceed to registration, the International Registration will be cancelled. In the event of a cancellation there is, however, a limited time in which it is possible to transform the International Registration into corresponding national applications or registrations.

When to act

An application for an International Registration can be made anytime once a basic trade mark is in place. Where the International Registration is filed within six months of the filing of the basic trade mark, it can receive the benefit of the basic trade mark’s priority date. This effectively backdates the filing date of the International Registration, and this strategy of claiming convention priority can be used to spread filing costs between an initial, national filing and an International Registration.

This strategy can also be used to assess the prospects of an Australian application before committing to an International Registration for the same mark. The Australian Trade Marks Office currently examines applications within four-to-five months of filing; however, this period can be shortened to one-to-two months by applying to have the examination expedited on the basis of wishing to file a corresponding application overseas.

The best way to assess the availability of your chosen trade mark and the likelihood of your Australian application or International Registration proceeding to registration is by conducting a thorough clearance search. This involves an assessment of pre-existing rights and is best conducted by a professional advisor before you launch a new brand.

Conclusion

Securing registration for your brands in all relevant markets is an important step in protecting your business. This is often best done through an International Registration, which can streamline the process for obtaining and maintaining these rights and can achieve this in the most cost-effective and expedient manner.

–Michelle Cooper is a Senior Associate with Shelton IP.

Online: www.shelstonip.com

But this doesn’t seem to go far enough these days. If you actually look at where and how people are shopping “online” you can quickly see that a more apt definition might actually be “commerce conducted via any digital means available and convenient for the consumer”.

24/7 convenience, time-efficiency, global choice, easy value-for-money comparisons, home delivery and good return policies; these are all reasons why “digital commerce” is a booming industry. They are also reasons why exporters need to think well beyond just an “eCommerce” strategy when considering their market-entry and/or marketing options.

A ‘digital strategy’ could include social media, email, sms/mms, RSS, online banner ads, digital displays and even “old” technologies like television. The best digital strategy is of course one that uses multiple techniques to “layer” the messages while also building up the database of knowledge on their customers.

Anthony Lye, President of CRM for Oracle, recently noted that businesses providing cross-channel processes and providing customers with flexibility to choose different ways to interact with the business will do far better than those trying to limit a customer to just one or two channels.

Let me give you a quick example which blends some of the various experiences I’ve had recently in the Sydney retail scene into a hypothetical scenario.

About six months ago I purchased a suit from a Sydney fashion retailer. At the time they asked if I’d like to receive a $20 voucher for my next purchase. For me to get the voucher I had to give them my email address, which I did.

They then sent me the voucher and asked if I wanted to know about their sales and if so, would I spend a few minutes filling in an online survey which would help them identify when to send messages to me. They asked if I’d like information delivered via email or a text to my phone. I opted for phone and gave them my BlackBerry number. About three weeks later I got a text message indicating this season’s suits (which matched my criteria) were going on sale in about a week. They also asked if I would I like to preview them at a special VIP sales night. I SMS-d an acceptance. At that evening, I was asked if I liked to order items online now that there was a track record in terms of my size and preferences. So I set up an online account with a full profile and I can now just order items online and have them delivered to my home or office.

In six months I have been into that store four times and bought outfits three times out of four. This from a store I’d never been into until six months ago and which I walked into just because I liked a suit I saw in their display window. So a digital strategy works nicely to build your customer base, loyalty and repeat sales. But my example still requires a physical “bricks and mortar” or “shop-front” set-up. Are there any other alternatives?

Interestingly, this is where television is making a comeback. Television retailing is big business. Thankfully, I’m not talking about cheesy, cheap infomercials peppering our favourite TV shows here, but rather actual dedicated television retail channels.

The biggest television retailer in the world is QVC. In fact, QVC is now the second largest television channel in the US after CBS – and it does nothing except sell things! In 2010 they had a turnover of almost US$8 billion. They broadcast live 24x7x364 days a year (Christmas is pre-recorded) to almost 200 million households on three continents.

They use numerous digital channels to service their customer base, including a website qvc.com and its international equivalents, as well as an integrated mobile/telephone support network. Their website gets 18 million visits from 6 million distinct visitors each month. They also have a very active community on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

The scale of QVC can be a bit mind-boggling when you think they delivered more than 158 million packages to their customers in 2008/09, who by the way, all recorded a 95 percent intention to re-order. That’s about seven or eight packages per annum delivered to every man, woman and child in Australia from just one business alone. One can’t even imagine that would be possible for a major Australian retailer like David Jones or Myer.

So it’s clear it’s a business model that works in the US and by the spread of QVC and competitors like it into markets like the UK, Japan, Germany and even India, it’s clear it’s a channel that works in other markets too.

If we look closely at QVC’s demographics and major product categories, you can pretty quickly see there is s natural, although evolving, focus on fast moving consumer goods. In 1998 over 50 percent of the items sold on QVC were household items. In 2008, this had changed to reflect a broader range of items but 45 percent of sales were still household items.

Contrary to popular opinion, television retailing is not the “back-water” of retail selling excess product or cheap, disposable items. QVC’s biggest movers are in fact high-end brands. QVC’s customers are predominately “above average income households”. They are however, predominately female; over 90 percent of QVC’s revenue comes from female customers aged 35-to-59. So if your product is designed for the more affluent, brand-aware and design-savvy female consumer, you might just want to look at market-entry options like QVC.

Of course, the hurdles to get selected can be significant and you have to be able to supply in large-scale quantities. It’s not uncommon for 2,000 units to be sold within minutes of a segment airing. You also need to be sure to keep your QVC airtime by delivering a regular schedule of new products, colours and seasonal items.

You need to train to present the product professionally and you need to work with QVC to set a price point that gives both parties the margins they need, while still appealing to the customer.

But there can be no doubt, if you’re selected as a television retail product for a channel like QVC and you manage to survive your first two airings, then most Australian exporters wouldn’t need to worry to much about any other channel to market!

­–Kylie Hargreaves is Executive Director, International Markets and Trade, Department of Trade and Investment, Regional Infrastructure and Services (DTIRIS).

Online: www.business.nsw.gov.au

After a few months of research, it became clear that there wasn’t a one-stop-shop type brand in Australia that sold affordable products which would make a difference in women’s lives. “There were expensive brands out of Europe for skincare and cosmetics, and there were cheap brands out of Asia.” Maakrun launched Sasy n Savy as a skincare and aromatherapy company pitched somewhere in between. The name combines two aspects of her personality. “Women are sassy and they’re also savvy. They’re beautiful, they’ve got flair, they’ve got passion. They get what they want, they know what they want and they go out and get it.” Which is exactly what Maakrun herself has done.

The Asian opportunity

Starting with just her own savings and a small loan from her mother and sister, Maakrun began developing essential oils and aromatherapy from native Australian plants, launching the brand at the Mind, Body, Spirit expo in 2004. A week later, the brand was on shelves in Hong Kong. “We picked up a Hong Kong distributor and started developing the Asian market. We spent a couple of years just travelling around the Asian market, knocking on clients’ doors, presenting what we had.” Over the years, Sasy n Savy has developed a range of skincare products to complement the aromatherapy range, and Maakrun expects that will continue to grow.

The brand now sells in Hong Kong, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Japan, but Maakrun says Sasy n Savy’s Asian success didn’t happen overnight. “We’re constantly visiting, doing expos, seeing visitors and seeing what their demands are.” Sasy n Savy now has a Hong Kong office. “Because if you’re not there, a competitor will come along. There’s no brand loyalty because retailers want high profit margins and high turnover. You need to have an actual physical presence in the market for the longevity of the brand.”

Australian products are popular in Asia because they are perceived to be clean and green, Maakrun says. Realising Australia has strict research and development procedures and high quality ingredients, some Asian brands actually get Australian companies to manufacture for them, under their brand. “Big brands have been using our ingredients for a very long time. We import the end products back in and pay 20 times the price,” she adds.

The Australian edge

The ‘Australianness’ of the brand is its unique selling point, Maakrun explains. “We use Kakadu Plum, which is the world’s most vitamin C rich fruit. It stimulates skin cells and collagen. We use wild rosella and grass lily. Those ingredients will create the vitamins, antioxidants and nutrients for your skin’s daily intake.” While the ingredients may be unfamiliar to an international audience, customers understand the value of Australian natives. The brand has been using the ‘Australian Made’ logo from the beginning, and Maakrun wants to do more to capitalise on the popularity of Australian products. “We’re changing our packaging to slap ‘Made in Australia’ right across everything.”

Following its success in Asia, Sasy n Savy looked for a distributor in the Middle East (“it took three goes to get the right person”) and now sells throughout Europe. “Overseas, you’re competing against the top notch European brands that sit beside us on the shelf at Harrods. But people travel. The UK market is full of Asian and Arabic buyers, and it helps that we have a presence in Asia and the Middle East. People know the brand, that it’s from Australia and all that.”

Maakrun is determined to keep Sasy n Savy’s manufacturing in Australia. “There’s not many of us left. My aim is to still say Australian made, Australian owned.” But disappointingly, selling in Australia has been a difficult path. Many Australian retailers don’t have any confidence in Australian brands, Maakrun says. “A lot of retailers will only take on the big brands with the big marketing dollar. They want products to hit the shelf and walk back out again.” It’s starting to change, but many companies find it more profitable to invest in developing sales outside the Australian market. “We were doing expos, we were advertising in magazines, we had the website presence, we were doing seminars, newsletters, fax outs, everything; but at the end of the day the investment compared to the return wasn’t to be seen compared to the international market.”

Finding a way to finance Australian product development has been key to the brand’s success on a business level. This came in the form of private label manufacturing. After seeing Sasy n Savy products in a luxury hotel in Hong Kong, the Marriott hotel in Sydney approached Maakrun and suggested private label. One deal begets another, and now Sasy n Savy does private label manufacturing for a number of 5-star hotels in Australia and internationally. “The R&D for product development is extremely expensive, trying to get products right, testing back and forth,” Maakrun explains. “I’m not an expert so we have to consult that part out of our business.” Despite never advertising private label manufacturing, the profits now pay for product development.

Highs and lows

Manufacturing is a consistent challenge, Maakrun says. “”Every day is a different day. It’s non-stop, go-go. Nothing stays the same: regulations are changing, laws are changing, aromas are changing. Different countries like different aromas and different colours.” Finding and maintaining relationships with distributors can be extremely difficult, Maakrun warns. “You don’t always know who to trust and who’s ethical and professional and who’s not.” Distributors come and go, so you need to have a firm market presence in the country that isn’t reliant on that contract. “Then you’ve got a firmer hold on the country and more activity in the market.”

After nearly a decade of export triumphs and the odd mistake, the 37-year-old entrepreneur has learned it is vital to do your research and understand your market if you plan to trade internationally. “Understand your customers and your competitors, and make sure there’s a good profit margin in it. Be passionate and just go for it.”

Immensely proud of the work the brand has achieved to date, Maakrun says customer feedback remains her guide for measuring success. “People start to say my skin’s feeling firmer, tighter, nourished. You get a lot of good feedback from our products.”  Most importantly, the Sasy n Savy team of 12 have travelled the world and had fun growing the brand. “We’ve enjoyed our life. Which is one of our trademarks: Live, Inspire, Feel Good and Empower. We’ve managed to do that by developing these products for our lifestyle.”

It’s a future that Sydney company Laservision couldn’t have anticipated when it started out doing laser shows in nightclubs in the 1980s. “CEO Paul McCloskey was a pioneer,” says Shannon Brooks, director of projects and marketing. “Lasers were being used in medical research, but he really harnessed laser power for use in entertainment for the first time.” The company now has 21 permanent employees and operates light installations all over the world.

International innovation

Driving innovation through the company’s dedicated research and development facility at Dural in Sydney’s north-west, Laservision keeps ahead of the technology curve. During the early 1990s, the company began orchestrating laser billboards and light shows for special events. As shows incorporated more and more multimedia, it became clear technology wasn’t keeping up.

“Traditionally when you go to an attraction, you’ve got all these third-party controllers that talk all these different languages (controlling different types of lights, for example),” Brooks explains. “We designed a show control system capable of integrating all of these different mediums on the one server. We have one protocol, which keeps everything in sync. It’s talking across all the different mediums at the same time.” Even more impressive, the controls can be operated from the Dural facility. Brooks can stop and start the Hong Kong light show from a rural Sydney suburb.

The technology development, funded by the Australian Government, put Laservision ahead of its competitors in terms of the ability to design and implement large-scale complex permanent attractions. “The technology we have is scalable. We’re unlimited in terms of how large our shows can be.” The recently opened “Wonder Full” installation at the Marina Bay Sands complex in Singapore is a 360-degree extravaganza over the 40-acre property. Fourteen ‘universes’ containing 512 lighting channels are required to operate the show.

“Winning the Marina Bay Sands contract was a proud moment because the Las Vegas Sands corporation singled us out.” Identifying Laservision as a contender with 13 other world competitors, the Sands corporation audited the Laservision business for 18 months. “It’s not often the United States will look outside itself to provide a solution. But we were identified as the right choice for them,” Brooks says.

Laservision does most of its work overseas, with a permanent presence in Hong Kong and Singapore and projects lined up in Russia, India and Pakistan. “Every single week we get inquiries from different exotic parts of the world, from Iran, from Qatar.” The majority of inquiries come from South East Asia, so the company focuses on that region as a core market, with offices in Singapore and Hong Kong. “Lots of those countries look to areas like Australia because they know we’ve got a high grasp of technology and we’ve got the skills.” Austrade’s backing has helped immensely in securing contracts. “They were instrumental in facilitating the talks with Samsung for our first installation in Everland in Korea. We’d never done international business on that scale before.”

Laservision’s first major international installation was the Hong Kong Symphony of Lights, commissioned by the Hong Kong Tourism Board to boost visitor numbers after the 2002 SARS epidemic brought tourist numbers to an all time low. “We had a study done,” Brooks said. “The Symphony of Lights increased the average nightly stay in Hong Kong by 1.8 nights. You can image what that did for tourism sector.”

About 90 percent of Laservision’s business comes through its website, Brooks says, due to months of optimisation work. “We don’t do any active marketing.” While industry best practice is usually to tender for big installations, Brooks says Laservision is often approached for advice on developing the tender. “We have a bit of a unique advantage then.”

Trials at the top

Like most businesses, Laservision needs to manage cashflow, but unlike most businesses, the initial outlays are very, very high. The company takes on a project in phases to protect the business from pullouts and cancelled contracts. Working on a consultancy basis, the company starts with a low cost phase where the team flies over to assess a location. “That’s a good culling process, we find out which clients are for real. A lot of clients don’t put a value on time,” Brooks explains. “They think if they approach us, we can miraculously bring up a quote straight away. But we want to give the client exactly what they want.” Clients must pay for each phase up front. “We have to make sure we’re always in a positive cashflow.”

But you can’t plan for everything, and the Global Financial Crisis hurt the business. “A lot of large installations were put on hold around the world. We provide a high-priced exotic item. When the GFC hit, everyone was counting their dollars. They put money into infrastructure, deciding the attraction can come later.” Laservision survived with the help of ongoing maintenance contracts for existing attractions and one-off displays around the world.

Working internationally has its challenges, number one being the language barrier and cultural differences. “Australian culture is abrupt, we’re straight to the point. In Asia, it’s very important to save face. If you embarrass your workers or your client in front of anyone else, they lose face and there goes your contract.” In the Middle East, the challenges came in learning to operate under Sharia Law. “You can’t make money off interest. We had to deal with a lot of local banks to find out how to implement that into potential contracts.”

Having market presence has been vital to developing the business. When people find out the company is Australian based, they say ‘Oh my gosh how do you do business?’ Brooks says. “When you say you’re based in Singapore, suddenly they’re a lot more interested, because they get you on the phone and you could have a meeting in an hour. There’s no time difference, no paying for flights.” Brooks is relocating from Sydney to head up the Singapore operation, and he expects business to grow exponentially in that region as a result of Laservision’s increased presence.

A fiery future

“The permanent attraction industry is only going to increase over the next few years. Everyone is trying to have the biggest and best next big thing.” Brooks doesn’t believe there will soon be laser overload and the market will reach saturation. “All these government agencies are always trying to outdo each other. Every client wants a different outcome. We can adapt the technology and multimedia and make all these attractions appear to be different.”

Brooks predicts lighting will become an important part of architecture, particularly in the Middle East. “It creates identity for your building. It makes it an icon.” That’s what Laservision intended at Marina Bay Sands. “The building had an image by day, but by night it’s in darkness. We’ve created a solution so the Marina Bay Sands brand would continue all the way through the evening.”

Q: Please comment on the contribution of export to the economy.

A: Australia is a great trading nation, with our exports reaching $254 billion in 2009-10. Australia’s exports go to more than 200 different countries and generate more than 22 per cent of the nation’s income.

Small and medium-sized enterprises are vital to the Australian economy and its export performance. Australia has around two million small businesses, employing more than three million Australians. Of all the Australian companies that export their goods and services, about 90 per cent are small and medium-sized enterprises.

A study by the Centre for International Economics (CIE) in 2009 found that one in five Australian jobs is linked to trade and one in seven working Australians is involved in the production of exports. The study also found that trade liberalisation had added up to $3,900 per annum to the real income of the average Australian family.

The Australian dollar surpassed parity with the greenback in November 2010. While this puts downward pressure on prices of imported goods and services, the strong Australian dollar is making it tougher for our import-competing and export industries.

In Australia’s open economy, our businesses need to be as productive as possible if they are to succeed against tough international competition. Exposure to competition obliges governments to remove unnecessary impediments to doing business.

Recognising this, the Gillard Government is removing unnecessary business regulation and eliminating unwarranted differences between the States’ regulatory systems.

There are other initiatives. In her recent visit to China, Prime Minister Julia Gillard signed a memorandum of understanding establishing a sector promotion forum for the services sector. The forum will bring together high-level business people who have substantive interests in the Australian and Chinese services sectors to hold annual talks with the trade ministers from both countries.

As the Chinese economy evolves, a strong partnership with China in services will provide plenty of opportunity for Australian businesses engaged in areas like engineering, education, accountancy, law and architecture, through to entertainment, tourism and hospitality.

A close partnership with Chinese investors, who value our expertise and experience, is an obvious way to expand our already close relationship and better cement our future prosperity.

Q: What is the Government doing to finalise some of the FTAs in negotiation and what does your department propose?

A: For Australia and the world, 2011 can be the year of trade. The coming year can be one during which the Doha Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations can be brought to a successful conclusion, the Trans-Pacific Partnership of nine APEC economies can be advanced ahead of the US-hosted November APEC meeting in Honolulu, a trade agreement with Korea can be finalised, an agreement with Japan can be advanced, deadlocked negotiations with China can be unlocked, further liberalisation with countries like Indonesia and Malaysia and the Gulf states can be progressed and perhaps negotiations with India and a number of Latin American countries can be commenced.

The Gillard Government is seeking to complete negotiations on a Korea-Australia Free Trade Agreement. The Republic of Korea is our fourth largest trading partner. Despite struggling with the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami, the Japanese Government has told the Australian Government it would like negotiations for the free trade agreement to be completed in 2011 if possible.

Australia and China began negotiations toward a free trade agreement in 2005. These are complex negotiations covering an array of sensitive products and issues, including agricultural tariffs and quotas in China, manufactured goods, services, temporary entry of people and foreign investment.

The Government is also engaged in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The current members are Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Peru, the US and Vietnam. The TPP is more than a traditional trade agreement; it will also deal with behind-the-border impediments to trade and investment.

These multilateral, regional and bilateral negotiations constitute a hugely ambitious trade agenda. As Trade Minister, I am interested in results for our country and the global trading system, not in appearances of looking busy, mired in interminable processes that simply enable us to say that negotiations are proceeding.

The Government recently conducted a review of Australia’s trade policy and the new Trade Policy Statement, Trading our way to more jobs and prosperity, released in April, puts the pursuit of free trade at the heart of the Gillard Government’s economic reform program.

Visibility in an important tool for importers—it means understanding the many manufacturing issues that could impact their project and being able to respond to them. In Chinese factories visibility can be a difficult, given that communications are complicated by language and cultural barriers. Importers rely on email, Skype, phone calls and the occasional quick trip to China to visit the factory. This means much of the onus is on the factory to update the importer on developments—both good and bad.

Cultural factors

While we shouldn’t generalise about why factories get it wrong—as there are plenty of factories that manufacture to an excellent standard—there are those that present the same common challenges. One such challenge is the challenge of communication, which can be seen at many different levels.

Key role

Your import success hinges on your sales manager’s communication skills. When working with a Chinese manufacturer your first point of contact is the sales and marketing department. This department plays a significant role, being required to not only source new customers but also service them, passing on all your product specifications to the production department (who are generally Chinese speaking only).

Employees in this sales role must firstly have an English (or other) language competency that allows them to communicate with their export market customers:—i.e. you the importer. As a general rule this is a highly sought after role with good advancement prospects for any Chinese employee. And for this reason, you will notice that good sales managers are often not long in one position, tending to job shop due to the being in high demand.

Communication at the beginning of a manufacturing project is critical. The sales manager must understand and then pass on your product information to the relevant departments in the factory. If you are fortunate to work with a sales manager who has great language skills, understands the manufacturing process and is efficient, you are off to a good start. If they are lazy, overburdened, have limited English or only a basic understanding of the manufacturing process, then this could be a warning sign. A communication blockage at the beginning of a project could result in the wrong product being produced, unclear lead times, unapproved materials changes and unforeseen costs.

Nepotism in this position is also a recurring feature. Given the prestige attached to being a sales manager in China, it is often a position filled by family members, partners or friends. In a shoe factory we know, this role is held by the owner’s nephew. The nephew has no English language or shoe making experience, nor is there an expectation for him to gain these skills. Simply turning up is considered sufficient. Even worse there is no recourse for poor performance, laziness or when he makes blatant mistakes.

Having this barrier limits our client’s ability to pass on product information efficiently. It also means monitoring the progress of sample making and full scale production is almost impossible. This can be a costly process, as the client in this situation is forced to wait until the products are 100 percent complete before they can assess whether or not the products have been made according to the specifications.

How do you address the sales manager challenge? Find out who your sales manager is, what their experience is and whether they are happy working in the company they are with. Monitor their performance and always double check their work. Communicate with them daily to ensure they do not forget you. On the flip side, do not burden them with longwinded wordy emails. Set out the facts in plain English and ensure you product requirements are prepared in a detailed specification sheet—not over the course of 10 emails.

Make sure you also have realistic expectations and don’t leave change to the last minute, then expect immediate results. Expletives, CAPITAL LETTERS and ‘!!!!!’ are all clearly understood in China, so think twice before firing off an angry email, you may be shooting your only messenger.