Gennum wins an Emmy technical award for achievement in HDTV innovation in 2007

The company, which previously focused much of its resources on high-end research and development, intends to capitalize on its industry-leading innovations and market them in areas with highgrowth potential.

‘‘It’s imperative that we take these innovations and deploy them to global markets with a wider customer base. With this in mind, cost and integration will clearly take priority for us in the coming years,’’ explains President and CEO Dr.Franz Fink, who believes that growth depends on the company’s ability to see ‘‘the value beyond the chip.’’

As a former executive in Freescale Semiconductor and Motorola, Fink brings with him the knowledge of what a semiconductor company’s value proposition should be. ‘‘Over time we will need to direct our efforts to a platform approach — the successful players in the industry all recognize the value of integrated solutions,’’ he says.

His three-step program to ‘‘redirect, strengthen and accelerate growth’’ includes the introduction of Gennum’s technology to the Asian market, where growth prospects are high.

‘‘We will redirect some of the current spending into areas where we absolutely need to build capabilities immediately, like in a global sales team, a corporate business development team and into product lines that are critical to customers,’’ Fink explains.

With a strong team in Japan that includes 18 employees supporting the video capabilities, Fink believes that Gennum remains ‘‘clearly underrepresented in Asia,’’ especially in the higher-volume and middle-tier consumer segments.

Dr. Franz J. Fink, Gennum’s president and CEO

‘‘In Japan, we have a significant market share. We want to continue this trend and ensure that our customers there get the service that they need. Our team in Japan has been doing a good job working with all the Japanese broadcast equipment makers in driving our technology road map,’’ he says.

‘‘We will use Japan as a first step to see where to expand in the rest of Asia because that’s where we are the strongest today. We realize that if you want to be in the volume business with the consumer, you’d better have strong relations with Japan,’’ he adds.

As Gennum looks at the global picture, it also wants to make sure that its brand image grows with its reputation.

‘‘We will expand with respect to the market in North America, Asia and Japan. So, you will see us sell much more aggressively what we have, using the appropriate channels involved,’’ Fink says. ‘‘We are also focusing our investment in key video, data communications and wireless technologies that are at the core of home consumer and enterprise applications, including IPTV, broadband access and home media distribution.’’

Knowing that results will not be instant based on his ‘‘three-step plan,’’ Fink predicts that the initial effects will be evident by 2008.

‘‘In order to grow, we need to instill a sense of urgency, a notion of speed and a relentless focus on the customer,’’ explains Fink.

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