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| Prime Minister's meeting aimed to advance the cooperation between China and Denmark in business and climate-related issues |
When President and CEO Lars Thinggaard from Milestone Systems landed in Shanghai on Monday October 20th, it was in the company of the Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen and a select team of leading Danish organizations. As a representative for the only software company in the delegation, Lars Thinggaard visited a technology research park, and participated in meetings with the prime minister and top-level Chinese politicians and businessmen, including people from the Chinese security industry.
The main goal of the prime minister's visit was to advance the cooperation between China and Denmark in business and climate-related issues. For Milestone Systems the agenda was investigation of the region's potential and collaboration opportunities for software development and sales in Asian markets. Today, Milestone open platform IP network-based video surveillance software is sold via partners in 90 countries, including Japan, Thailand, Vietnam and Taiwan.
"Milestone Systems is a company in continuing fast growth, so China - and Asia in general - is one of the important regions where we want to strengthen our presence. We are already in discussions with a number of big players in the Chinese security market with an eye to establishing a subsidiary there, so we can support our Asian customers even better," says Lars Thinggaard, President and CEO of Milestone Systems.
Sales in Asia up by 100 percent
In December 2006 Milestone Systems opened an office in Singapore to handle sales and distribution in the Asian markets. Milestone reports that the company's sales of open platform IP video software in the Asian region in 2008 is up by more than 100 percent compared to 2007, so there are good reasons to increase the focus in this area, including China.
| For Milestone Systems, it was a natural opportunity to share how video surveillance can be used to the benefit of the environment |
Milestone is looking for long-term collaborations with Chinese software and security firms. While in China on this trip, Thinggaard also had discussions with some of China's biggest telecommunications companies, who are increasingly interested in offering video services as part of their product portfolios.
"The Chinese market without a doubt represents huge potential and will be a natural place to have representation in relation to our partner network in all of the Asian markets. Milestone Systems has now signed a partner agreement with Hikvision, China's leading manufacturer of Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) and network cameras with over 1,000 dealers in that country. This is a big step on our way to increase our footprint in the Chinese business landscape," states Thinggaard.
Video surveillance protecting the environment
While the visit in Shanghai primarily had a focus on business development and innovation, the subjects highlighted during the Beijing leg of the tour were climate and energy. Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen and the Danish delegation discussed sustainable energy sources and industrial influences. For Milestone Systems, it was a natural opportunity to share how video surveillance can be used to the benefit of the environment.
"We have software solutions operating in windmill parks and also have installations in public works' water supplies and energy utilities around the world. Here the video surveillance is used to alert operators to potential dangers and to track production or other processes. Our software serves to protect people against terrorism and contamination - thereby safeguarding the environment," explains Thinggaard.
The road to Copenhagen
In June 2008, representatives from more than 172 countries met in Bonn, Germany, to work on a new global climate agreement for improving the environment. The Kyoto Protocol already provides some of the elements for the blueprint, and together these will feed into what is being called the "Copenhagen Outcome" - the next agreement that negotiators are hoping to achieve when the Danish capital of Copenhagen hosts the annual UN climate summit in 2009.
