How much of a challenge is it to revamp the company’s focus?
It’s not an easy process. It’s one thing for us to work on a project; it’s another thing to get a project that has some features that are unique, that are different from what the others have to offer, and, more importantly, is to make it extremely stable, extremely robust. It takes time.
With respect to storage products, this is the year where I would say AMI (will have) some products which will attract industry attention, will probably create interest in the minds of some of the major players. I think the product that we have to offer has been well-tested.
This is a robust product. It takes time — maybe a couple of years, maybe three years. It depends on the technology.
How have changes in the PC industry affected your strategy?
One of the things we noticed is, as the PC industry has matured, there is less of the standard that used to exist in the old days. In the old days, it was much easier to develop a product because the standards were very strong, and it was easy to develop one component that you can expect would work flawlessly with some other component or some other module developed by some other vendor.
That’s no longer true. Compatibility, interoperability are much more today, and that is one of the reasons I think it takes longer to get a robust product. You can get a working product, but a product that works with other products offered by other people that would seamlessly work with other companies’ products, that will take some time in terms of testing, in terms of exchange of ideas and information.
Where is AMI’s next big venture?
We hope to be the No. 1 company in terms of some area of storage. We think that we’ll be able to identify certain specialized areas in storage where we will become No. 1. We have some great ideas, some great people, some great talent.
One of the things I have learned is to never give up and to continue to try and try and try again. How to reach: American Megatrends Inc. (770) 246-8600 or www.ami.com
