Delivering solutions for automatic fare collection (AFC) and IT systems, Mikroelektronika has become one of the leading European producers of fare collection systems for public transport. Their devices serve more than 20 million people in 25 countries every day. Sales Director Mr.Vojacek puts Mikroelektronika in perspective.
We're a very dynamic company applying our expertise to state-of-the-art technologies. Formed in 1991, we initially focused on AFC activities in the Czech Republic and grew steadily in reputation and size. Then, about three years ago, we experienced major success in the international business territory and haven't looked back.
In the early years, everyone in the company knew about everything! Now, with some 150 people, our style of work and communication has changed. Teams are now crucial - the era of the 'one-man-show' is over - and we adopted project oriented management to meet the challenges of individual projects. We are definitely a 'job-order' company these days, focused on our customers and their needs.
In essence we cover four groups of products: on-board computers, terminals, vending machines and control software for clearing systems. However, this distinction has become rather arbitrary with the increasing overlap in functionality of individual devices.
Priority on design
Design ergonomics, low operating costs and high reliability are our top priorities. Construction robustness is also very important, delivering maximum resistance against external impacts, including vandalism.
A key aspect in our approach to good design involves close cooperation with professional designers during product development. We always seek to provide solutions that are ergonomically sound, even attractive, and over the years we've won many design awards. These range from the 1995 'Good Design' competition for our ticket validator, to our most recent success with the multi-functional 'AVJ H' terminal in the 'Excellent design of 2007' competition.
One of our best known products is the yellow 'NJ' ticket validator which can be found in most public transport vehicles in the Czech Republic. In intercity transport you will also see our grey 'USV' ticket vending devices. And the rise of contactless cards means our 'Camel' card validator is fast becoming a key product for us.
A dynamic approach
Apart from adapting quickly to market changes - by giving customers what they need, when they need it - we also aim to initiate some of those changes ourselves. We like to be trail-blazers!
From the start, we have supported open systems, hence our use of MIFARE, giving customers independence from the original supplier when extending a system. We were also among the first to use MIFARE Ultralight paper tickets, and have also upgraded our clearing systems' security level using NXP's cryptographic SAM modules and DESFire technology.
Trail-blazing applies to markets too. Our domestic market is still very important to us but we also have a dynamic approach to developing and extending our customer base. As well as European countries we are now very active in Latin America.
Projects at home and abroad
Our success abroad has recently been marked with some substantial contracts. One example is the delivery of equipment for 5,100 buses in the city of Santiago de Chile. This is more than the total number of buses in the entire Czech Republic!
At home, we are now delivering self-service zones for the system in Pilzen. This is a brand new approach giving owners of contactless chip cards independence and 24/7 access to a range of services. People will be able to recharge their cards, pay via their bank card, book cinema tickets and even access internet sites and applications. It's an attractive solution, particularly for those who work late night hours, as it removes the inconvenience of limited opening times.
In Bulgaria, the Sofia Public Transport Company (SKGT) has chosen us for their contactless ticketing project. The first phase includes 475 trams and trolley buses, followed later by a further 800 buses to create one integrated system. All vehicles will be equipped with our MS fare boxes (coin systems), CAMEL contactless smart card terminals and 'RFM' communication units for data transfer. This combination enables fare payment both by contactless cards and coins.
Choosing MIFARE
From the beginning Mikroelektronika adopted MIFARE technology, so our ongoing cooperation with NXP is based on long experience. Our portfolio is 100 % MIFARE-based and benefits from several NXP components.
We really appreciate NXP's interest in its customers' needs and professional sales representation. We have also benefited from a very high level of technical support including access to crucial information in the customers' section of NXP's web site.
The future of RFID and Mikroelektronika
In the longer term we see that the key role for RFID in AFC will be multi-function cards - one card supporting many applications (libraries, access systems, theatres, loyal systems, etc). However, right now we are looking at the how best to integrate the different city-, region- and nationwide systems in the Czech Republic. Fortunately, many of these separate systems are based on MIFARE. As well as being an open standard, it is also the most popular standard for transport ticketing. We hope that there will soon be an agreement on the integration of services within the Czech Republic, and that it will be based on MIFARE.
As for Mikroelektronika, our trail-blazing attitude will continue - we don't want to follow trends but create them.