Paul Norbury
Debbie Williams
Paul Norbury
Founder and CEO of Cardwave
Cardwave is a Devizes based technology company specialising in flash memory technology. They provide a number of solutions for a range of devices including laptops, mobile phones and digital cameras. We met with founder Paul Norbury to find out more about him and the business.
What did you do before setting up the business?
I worked for several privately owned businesses in telecoms and IT, and a memory distributor in Swindon. Various roles in operations, customer service and business development.
How did you come to set up Cardwave?
I could see an opportunity for a services business specialising in preloading content for OEMs and other large organisations. Flash memory products were new to the market, there was a knowledge gap and I believed there would be a demand for such a business.
Why did you choose Devizes to launch Cardwave?
I live in Devizes and at the time, I had a young family and did not want to travel. There was no need to locate the business in another town, Devizes had the people, resources and it is great place for the company.
What makes the business unique?
Our knowledge of the technology and all its complexities, expertise, relationships with manufacturers are all important. The central theme of our uniqueness is that we understand what a services business is meant to be, our focus is always on the customer and helping them with their business. There have been so many occasions when we’ ve gone more than the extra mile for our customers, this has created loyalty and respect that is very central to everything we do. Over the last 11 years Cardwave has continually invested in its infrastructure and this has enabled us to create our own niche.
Who are your customers?
We work predominantly with blue-chip customers from the automotive, industrial computing and telecoms sectors, but we also have excellent relationships and historical business with mobile phone operators, handset manufacturers, film studios, music labels and many many more.
What are the different products you provide?
Cardwave specialise in removable and embedded memory products, such as SD cards, USB flash drives and solid-state drives. We also have our own brand called SafeToGo, this is our range of hardware encrypted storage devices and a newly launched data recovery service- Data Resus.
Are their certain market places / areas geographically you are winning new business?
We are heavily involved in the automotive sector and we are investing more resources to ensure this growth continues. We have an office in Dallas, Texas and are just beginning to understand the opportunities in North America as these stretch beyond automotive. Our SafeToGo business is focused on Europe but the launch of our new data recovery business will enable us to trade with companies and consumers all over the world.
What are the greatest challenges in your business?
The business is constantly being challenged in so many ways. Customers expect cost reduction, but they don’ t always understand what we do for them and this can be an issue. The technology we specialise in is changing so whilst it isn’ t a major concern to me, we need to adapt and ensure we are relevant to the customers we support.
IN PROFILE
What would you say is your biggest achievement to date?
This is a hard question because I don’ t look at my own achievements. I am proud that Cardwave has grown up and I am proud of everything it does to support its staff, community and customers. Achievements to me are all about seeing the good we do, whether this is getting a customer out of hole, being able to support a charity or even win a new contract from a new customer.
What do you think is the key to your success?
Most of my staff will tell you that I am never happy with anything, but I am usually smiling when I say it. I want us to be the best, do the best and work with the best. This requires a focused attitude and a constant appraisal of the business. I am not afraid to take risks and I have invested in people and our infrastructure to ensure we can be successful. Success to me is something we are constantly aiming for.
What are the biggest concerns in the industry at the moment?
The industry is healthy and growing, so I wouldn’ t say there are any major concerns. The technology is constantly evolving and we have to stay up to date with everything. I see these changes all the time, but to existing and new customers who do not have the same level of knowledge, it can be very daunting for them. I know some people talk about Cloud computing as a disruptive technology and that it is changing the industry, but I don’ t see it that way. Everything is evolving so we need to evolve with it otherwise we won’ t be relevant, so this would be my biggest concern.
What are your plans for business growth and development?
I would like to see less dependency on our OEM business and this is why we are growing the SafeToGo and Data Resus brands. The US office will work with its own set of customers and this will reduce risk and support our growth plans as well. Whilst we are ambitious, in my experience business development takes a very long time to come to fruition and whilst nothing is guaranteed, we have to be ready for the future.
How are you evolving to meet the needs of the marketplace?
Cardwave has recently launched Data Resus and we are about to launch a self-updating USB flash drive, called SmartDrive. We do not sell into one particular marketplace but we are aware that all products and services need to meet a need, they have to have value otherwise no-one will purchase them.
Who would be your dream client?
I am not sure as I have never been asked this question, but thinking about it we already work with some excellent customers and it is their partnership and friendship with us that makes the business more enjoyable. We have a particular way of working, our culture is important to us, so I don’ t really want to work with any company that would change this. Happy customers are more important than chasing revenue.
Next edition we interview:
Debbie Williams
John Williams Heating Services
THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2016 29