Collapse of the car industry weakens demand for navigation systems and GPS smartphones

By: Alexandra Teodorescu - Wall-Street - August 7th, 2009

 

The collapse of the car industry and consumers’ reassessment of their gadget habits has led to a decline in sales of navigation systems and smartphones with built-in GPS.

As a consequence, the business of Arobs Transilvania, software developer for mobile applications and GPS device distributor, was severely dented ever since the economic crisis set in.

“Even if certain business lines performed well, such as those dedicated to spending cutback, other were affected – distribution of navigation devices”, Voicu Oprean, managing director of Arobs told Wall-Street.

 

The distributor’s first-half turnover stood at 3 million euros, up 10% from year-ago period.

The advance reflects the high demand for software products designed to spending cuts and increase in staff efficiency.

 

However, if at the end of last year the head of the company had projected a 10 mn euro turnover in 2009, the first-half trend indicates revenues of around 8-9 million euros by year-end. “But it depends upon the general economic conditions, upon what happens both in Romania and abroad”, said the manager of the company.

 

The first quarter was marked by the impact of the uncertainty on consumer spending. Clients have reassessed their gadget habits, and set other priorities.

“If we look at Q1 2009 in contrast with Q12008, we can say that in outsourcing and tech solutions designed to spending cut and efficiency improvement, the increase in client database was considerable, and therefore, the turnover on this business line went up 15%”, said Voicu Oprean.

 

The company's main objectives for the remainder of the year is to increase its client base and to tailor its services to their needs, whether it's a distributor, constructor, security company, or even producer.

 

Mihai Pantis is „The Lord of the Words”

By: Vasile Ielciu - Foaia Transilvana - August 5th, 2009

 

Two players will represent Romania at the World English Language Scrabble Championship that will take place in Malaysia. Mihai Pantiş and Adrian Tămaş will be leaving from Cluj Napoca as both are players of Universitatea Sports Club.

 

For the first time, Romania will benefit of two positions at the World English Language Scrabble Championship. In the final round of the qualification tournament in Bucharest, Mihai Pantiş defeated his opponent with a score 5:4, after he had come back from a score 0:3. “A very good performance is needed in order to maintain these two positions, but if everything goes well, we can get even three positions”, said Pantiş, thinking about his evolution in Malaysia.

 

First steps in scrabble

 

Mihai Pantiş’ debut in this sport was in 2003, when he was participating in a chess competition in Constanţa, and accidentally played a simultaneous game of scrabble. In his first year at the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics, he met Septimiu Crivei, a professor passionate about this sport, founder of scrabble department at “U” Sports Club, who initiated him in this domain. First, he participated in national contests in Romanian, and in 2006 he started participating in contests in English. He won the first round of the national championship right from the beginning.

 

Mind of a software developper

 

Mihai Pantiş works as software developer in a Cluj-Napoca based software company. In his free time, Mihai takes part in amateur swimming competitions. He trains mainly individually, but still he gets his most important experience during his participation in competitions.

 

AROBS plans to raise company's business at 10 million euros in 2009

By: Alexandra Teodorescu - Wall-Street - December, 5th

AROBS Transilvania, software developer for mobile applications and GPS kit distributor, said it will keep its financial objective for this year and expects 7-8 million euros turnover together with a 305 growth from a year earlier. The company eyes 10 million euros turnover in 2009.

The turnover eyed by the company does not include the objective for the newly-absorbed company, Televoice.

In the GPS segment, AROBS sees a narrower growth rate this year than last year’s 80% up to nearly 5 million euros. The company sees a market share between 20 and 25% for this year”, managing director of AROBS, Voicu Oprean told Wall-Street.

For 2009, the company was unable to estimate the extent of the market share, given the recent acquisition of Televoice Grup.

If in this segment AROBS will achieve more than a half of the expected market share for yearend, Oprean sees the outsourcing services at two million euros. Outsourcing services gear nearly 20-30% of AROBS’ overall business, according to own statements.

AROBS’ outsourcing center collaborates with foreign companies, mostly from Nordic countries, but also from Germany, UK, United States of America and Switzerland.

The company has 171 employees, and by yearend, it plans to increase workforce to 180, including Televoice Group.

“By the end of 2008, we will likely enhance team to 200”, he said.

AROBS opens new headquarters in Cluj, result of 1 Million Euro investment

By: Sabin Popescu - Ziarul Financiar - October, 29th 2008

AROBS Transilvania Software, leading provider of software solutions for mobile devices and reseller of GPS Navigation Systems invested 1 Million Euro in the new headquarters of almost 1,000 square meters, close to Cluj-Napoca city centre.

According to company’s officials, the inauguration of this new headquarters represents a stage in the company’s strategy, strategy which aims at the consolidation of AROBS’ position on the national software development market, and its expansion on the international market. The company currently has over 150 employees, being in a continuous growth, and aiming at 180 by the end of the year. AROBS expects a turnover of 4 - 5 Million Euro for GPS equipments sector, which represent half the proposed total turnover of 10 Million Euro for this year. In April 2008, the company launched Smailo, its own GPS brand, and anticipated sales of over 12,000 units in Romania and abroad by the end of this year.

Romania makes successful debut in Deloitte CE FAST 50

By BBW - October, 20th 2008

Romanian software developers Arobs Transilvania Software (Cluj-Napoca), TeamNet International (Bucharest) and Lasting Software (Timisoara) ranked fifth, seventh and 38th respectively in the Deloitte Central Europe Technology FAST 50 2008, a ranking of the top 50 fastest growing technology companies in the region, now at its ninth edition.

 "This is the first time Romania joins the program and its debut has been more than promising, as we have had three companies qualified, two of them directly among the top 10, with solid growth rates in turnover over the past five years," said George Mucibabici, chairman, Deloitte Romania.

Cluj-Napoca-based Arobs Transilvania, which ranked fifth, reported a 2,722 per cent turnover growth rate from 2003 to 2007. TeamNet International, part of the Asesoft Group, ranked seventh with 2,028 per cent, while Lasting Software, part of Timisoara-based Lasting System, was 38th, with 407 per cent. According to the Deloitte report, the result places Romania in fifth place among the countries in the region (alongside Bulgaria) with 6% of total companies included in the ranking. "Romanian companies' performance in this ranking for Intellectual Property producers is remarkable," emphasized Mucibabici.

The Deloitte Technology Fast 50 program started in Silicon Valley, California, in 1995, and later on expanded into a Technology Fast 500 in North America, Asia-Pacific and Europe. This program operates independently in 17 countries outside the United States and also in the Central European region, in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Slovakia, Bulgaria and this year also in Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Lithuania.

Three Romanian companies report high growth rates

By Financiarul.ro - October, 20th 2008
 
Arobs Transylvania Sofware, TeamNet International and Lasting System registered the highest growth rate in the Romanian IT market, they were included in a classification of the companies with the highest growth rate in Central and Eastern Europe, made by Deloitte consultancy and auditing company.
 
Arobs Transylvania Software, one of the most important developers of software for mobile applications, reported a growth rate of 2,722% in the past five years, it ranks fifth among the most rapid companies in Central Europe.
 
The company reported in 2007 business worth five million euros, and for 2008 it expects its turnover to double, due to the dynamics of the three business lines, i.e distribution of GPS navigation systems and smartphones with GPS, development of software solutions for the domestic market and development of outsourcing software solutions for customers from Romania and abroad, according to representatives of the company.
 
Arobs grew significantly in the period 2006-2008, by more than 100% each year, due to the launch of its own software GPS solution, according to the Delloite study.

           

First Romanian GPS Brand

By Market Watch - April, 16th 2008
 
AROBS Transilvania Software (www.arobs.com) has launched Smailo - the first Romanian trademark navigation system.

Smailo is positioned as the perfect device for the owners of middle class vehicles and is commercialized at the price 699 lei with the Eastern Europe map, or with 799 lei with the Europe map- 43 countries (VAT included). Smailo is at the moment the most accessible GPS navigation system, It allows navigation throughout 43 countries in Europe, using detailed maps of these countries and plenty of POI’s. Reliable, precise and accessible, Smailo offers fast calculation of the routes due to the newest SiFR III technology, and facilitates navigation at the ‘highest’ dimensions on the 4.3” wide touch screen.

"Smailo has followed the growing trend of the GPS consumers’ needs, as well as AROBS’ will to consolidate its position on the GPS devices market. Smailo has a very accessible price, which will most likely contribute to the positioning of this GPS navigation system as a “must have” for every Romanian driver” has stated Mr. Voicu Oprean, the General Manager of AROBS Transilvania Software.
…
Smailo is available through AROBS' reseller network (UltraPro, eMAG, EURO-GSM, ITpl@za, Neomax, Esal) and will be launched in retail market soon. Smailo is also available on www.gps-auto.ro - The first GPS incorporated shop - the most thorough online shop for GPS systems.

Smailo, first Romanian GPS navigation system brand

By Financiarul.ro - April, 16th 2008

Smailo, the first local brand of GPS navigation systems, hit the market on April 16. The device is available for 700 or 800 lei (the equivalent of some 195 - 225 euro), depending on whether the map coverage is that of Eastern Europe or of entire Europe, informs daily Evenimentul zilei.
 
Smailo features an 11 cm touchscreen, the most wallet-friendly device with a monitor of that size, incorporates iGO navigation maps and is sold in the AROBS distribution network.
 
The device is the result of the joint efforts of AROBS and consultancy and design company Branzas Design, using the Business Advisory Services program managed by the European Bank for Development and financed by the Austrian government.
 
According to company representatives, the initial investment for the launch of the product intended for middle-class motorists was some 200,000 euro.
 
The local market of GPS systems might hit this year about 80,000 sold units, twice the figure registered in 2007, when estimated sales were of about 40,000 GPS navigation systems worth a total of ten million euro, reveal data presented by the distributor’s representatives.
 
The cited sources said the local market of GPS systems has skyrocketed since the launch, in 2006, of the first GPS navigation solution for Romania, iGO. Improving maps for Romania might significantly expand the local market of GPS equipment.
 
In Romania, Mio provides the best selling GPS car navigation systems, that are actually PDAs with incorporated GPS, reports daily Ziarul Financiar.