NMBS the last two years has done the right thing by positioning itself for the future. It has been early to market with innovative ideas like holographic images, and copy protection routines, which have helped it land important contracts like Microsoft, and Divx. It's early commitment to DVD is a critical decision for this company's future. Those that are late to the market, will face significant competitive disadvantages. This is all while maintaining a 17% return on equity.
The following NMBS's vision of the future. I believe it is the right vision. Those who do not, should find other companies in which to invest.
NIMBUS: Turning the Vision into RealityBuilding and maintaining an industry leadership position, like the one Nimbus has earned in CD manufacturing, is never easy. It takes vision to recognize business opportunities just when customer demands are beginning to emerge, and before the competition has caught on. But, more importantly, turning the vision into reality takes a commitment to early investment. For Nimbus, this investment includes advanced technology and manufacturing resources, superior product development, a timely presence in key global markets, and the retention of some of the most skilled people in the industry.ÿÿ
Early investments have paid off for Nimbus. Today, it has the capacity to produce approximately 260 million discs a year to serve a diverse base of more than 1,700 customers. Nimbus is recognized as one of the world's largest independent audio CD producers and the fifth largest global manufacturer of CD-ROM discs. Moving forward, Nimbus is actively applying both its vision and its commitment to DVD.ÿÿ
Foresight and Insightÿ
Nimbus was built on the premise that leadership is achieved through continually challenging conventional wisdom. In the early 1980s, it was this belief that enabled the Company to realize the dramatic impact CD technology would have on the recording, storage and distribution of entertainment and information. This in turn led the Company to build one of the world's first compact disc manufacturing facilities, with the vision of servicing the quality, flexibility and cost needs of the music industry.ÿÿ
In the mid 1980s, Nimbus quickly moved to capitalize on the market potential of CD-ROM by establishing a foundation of technical expertise and market position well ahead of the competition. Mastering this powerful new format quickly led to Nimbus' capability to be an early provider of a variety of next-generation and cross-platform applications, such as Enhanced CD. Driving the technology beyond its current boundaries, Nimbus has taken a market leadership position in the production of DVD. Early recognition of the potential of DVD has led the Company to become one of the world's first suppliers of DVD and to begin to capture its unfolding market opportunities.ÿÿ
Technology Today and Tomorrowÿ
In an optical world, technology moves at the speed of light. Extensive research, testing, refinement and integration of the industry's most advanced manufacturing technology has allowed Nimbus to stay ahead of the competition in providing early market access to innovations in compact disc production. Early investments in production technology, including high-speed, high-density UV mastering, magazine-quality offset printing, laser graphics and dual cavity molding, have made Nimbus one of the most versatile and cost-efficient producers of discs in the industry. Nimbus has a long-standing commitment to technology investments which support and protect the industry from the costly problems of piracy and counterfeiting. The Company currently offers the world's most sophisticated deterrents, including 3-D holographic images, digital and analog copy protection systems and source identification coding.ÿÿ
Targeting Markets and Customersÿ
Maintaining leadership over the long term takes more than just leading-edge technology. It also takes a successful formula of targeting the right markets at the right time. A keen understanding of industry and market dynamics led Nimbus to envision that CD products would be a global phenomenon. The vision became a successful strategy of international expansion into the world's largest markets, most recently by EuroNimbus, a joint venture company. Capitalizing on its market savvy, the Company continues to build upon its strong track record of being a one-stop, fully-integrated resource for CD manufacturing on an international scale. Skillfully evaluating and anticipating opportunities for growth as markets emerge, both geographically and by customer base, Nimbus fulfills the diverse business needs of each market segment for advanced products and continues to exceed customer expectations for exceptional service.ÿÿ
Quality People Making Quality Productsÿ
It takes a team of people to develop and implement a vision. It also takes a company that empowers and challenges its people to get personally involved in making quality a cornerstone of its business. And, it takes a company like Nimbus to implement a program like QUEST. QUEST, an acronym for Quality at Every Stage, is a program dedicated to getting employees involved in process improvements in every aspect of production and customer interface. Nearly half of the Company's employees have participated on QUEST teams since its inception last year. Working together, each contribution is a testimony to the belief that better products and customer relationships invariably require a "human touch."ÿÿ
DVD: A Focus on the Futureÿ
Although the market for DVD is still in its infancy, Nimbus has already taken action to make the most of this opportunity by applying its time-tested principles of vision and investment. When the first consumer DVD products reached stores in early 1997, Nimbus had already produced over 60 different DVD projects. The Company's capacity to manufacture DVDs is currently one of the largest in the industry and growing. With an eye toward the future, Nimbus is positioned for expansion of both its DVD and CD production, providing operational flexibility and capacity to meet the diverse demands of its rapidly growing customer base.ÿÿ
With foresight and commitment, Nimbus continues to build an enterprise rooted in technological excellence, customer service and international market leadership. Using these time-tested qualities, the Company believes it is positioned as a strong, long-term winner in the optical disc manufacturing industry.ÿ |
