We can learn a lot from Elti
Jinmyung Communications was established in 1995 and is a South Korean company specialising in manufacturing and selling TV and radio broadcast-related equipment. We talked to the company’s President Mr. Kim Joong-Il.
T: Mr. Kim Joong-Il, for a start can you please say a few words about your company - Jinmyung Communications.
KJ-I: Jinmyung Communications was established in 1995 but in fact its team has much more experience. I have been working in the field of RF technology for more than 30 years while our main engineer and sales managers have more than 20 years of experience. Basically we manufacture and sell TV and radio broadcasting equipment (i.e. AM, FM and TV transmitters, TV, FM translators and antennas) to major Korean broadcasting companies. Our main products today are broadcasting antennas and the DTV Low Power Transmitter as our company is one of the few in South Korea to produce them. In 2002 we became the first Korean company to (in co-operation with LG Electronic) develop and to now offer a Digital TV Transmitter & Translator for the ATSC standard.
T: Besides experience, which qualities do you think secured Jinmyung Communications the position it enjoys today?
KJ-I: In South Korea there are not many firms offering RF broadcasting engineering. Many small companies are trading in RF broadcasting products imported into the Korean market, but do not manufacture them nor do they have much engineering knowledge to support their business activities. This approach proves inappropriate when a problem occurs. To resolve the problem they must call in an engineer from a manufacturer based far away. On the other hand, Jinmyung Communications designs, manufactures and assembles its own RF equipment. Because of this and the fact we employ experienced engineering staff, we can provide prompt and full troubleshooting support. Of course, we don’t manufacture everything ourselves. We do import some equipment from other manufacturers – Elti is one of our most significant suppliers. But even with the equipment so supplied our staff has engineering knowledge that allows us to provide basic support.
T: Can you describe to us the level of development of Korean networks today? What is the competition like?
KJ-I: South Korea is one of the most developed countries regarding information technology. South Korea enjoys an excellent Mobile Network and practically every Korean household has Internet access. South Korea has set up a fully functional DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) network which allows South Koreans to watch TV or access the Internet anywhere. The toughest competition exists in the field of receivers. In the field of transmitter production the competition is not so strong. One reason for that is the limited number of potential customers – broadcasting companies. The legal requirements for establishing a broadcasting company in South Korea are very strict. The other reason is to be found in alternative media – multimedia. South Koreans don not necessarily watch TV through a broadcasting network. They also watch it through Internet connections. Of course, the fact that the competition in our specific field is not so numerous does not make it easy for us. We have to compete with alternative technologies, foreign manufacturers. We have to maintain our excellence.
T: Does the co-operation with Elti help you stay at your best?
KJ-I: It sure does. Their equipment helps us in many ways. Fail-safe equipment is currently unavailable and the question is whether it ever will be. The best solution is to have high quality equipment and related parts. This ensures as few malfunctions as possible and when they do inevitably happen they helps minimise the time between the cut out and restart of the network. I would especially mention Elti’s lever-type patch panels that Jinmyung Communications is effectively integrating into its transmitters. They significantly shorten the time between a cut out and restart and at the same time increase the stability of network functioning. With the fast and simple lever action we can switch between antennas and thus save a lot of trouble and time when an error occurs. Another advantage of Elti’s patch panel I would like to stress is its superb tuning units. Besides patch panels, Elti also provides us with cable connectors, power dividers and some types of antennas. We are very satisfied with their products.
T: So you are satisfied with the quality of Elti products, their price and the support they offer? Do you think your co-operation will continue in the future?
KJ-I: We are very satisfied with our co-operation. The main advantage of Elti for us is its range of products – it manufactures everything. We can get all sorts of high quality products from it. Elti’s prices are very reasonable, especially when comparing the quality, service and support they offer us. The only downside I see is the transport costs because of the distance. It is our sincere wish that our co-operation with Elti will develop further in the future. In that way we could learn a lot from them and gain insights into their technology. Though I must say that our feeling is that they are already doing everything they can to help us. At Jinmyung Communications we are very grateful for that.
