Harnessing the power of IoT

Etechan International is a national business established under Dubai SME that develops new and unique smart technologies. The company was founded by UAE Nationals, who are well-reputed as strong experts and pioneers within international business development. “The technologies Etechan works with are highly advanced and reflect UAE’s 2021 smart government vision on continuous drive towards modernization. It focuses on smart technology development providing turnkey solutions to its customers in compliance with its objectives in adopting smart technologies.”

Adnan of Etechan International talks to SME Advisor about the opportunities and challenges of being a growing business in the region…

The company’s services include Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Hologram, Beacon, IoT, gamification, mobile and web apps, 3D design & animation, and smart learning solutions. It also provides consultancy of technological business development, monitoring and ensuring the best adoption of provided solutions.

Current state of growth

Speaking of where his business currently is, Adnan says: “The market has launched, and we’ve got 12 months of real-world performance and major tech players’ strategies emerging. That’s changed our views on VR/AR growth. Emerging technologies are likely to have a large impact on teaching, learning, or creative inquiry on college and university campuses within the next five years.”

“Over the last six months to a year, we have created customer solutions for various sectors such as education, health, marketing, awareness, and tourism. Our customers are categorised as government (60 per cent) and private sector (40 percent),” he adds.

Surviving against all odds

“The major challenges we’ve faced are high development costs and difficulty in undertaking business research. What we’ve realised is that it takes quite long to assess the market and develop the right ideas. But, the team is brainstorming ideas to come around it. There is no challenge that you can’t overcome. Everything has a solution. In this case, we are looking at raising more personal funds to invest in the business, conducting more marketing activities, improving our mechanisms to develop customer relationships, leverage on our personal networks and focus on selling our product.” The strategy is working for Adnan and his team. It has helped stabilise the current situation, improve market manifestation and make the company more optimistic in terms of increase in revenue, staff productivity and regional expansion.

Product development is another area of priority for the audacious entrepreneur. “Most importantly, we are developing more of our own products that are unique, innovative and easy-to-use. We are also improving our product development process to make it more efficient. Given that we operate in a competitive market, it is important to focus on more marketing, more connections, generating out-of-the-box ideas that meet the needs of the customers, and developing reliable and sustainable solutions.”

He continues: that “Instead of relying on the customer to approach us and demand for the services they need, we have now created our very own product that is not only fun and innovative but also a great tool for developing skills and knowledge of the new generation. We control our processes and systems using SME applications and ERP system,” he explains.

Big ambitions

Adan’s plan for the short term is to focus on developing technologically advanced products and selling them in the market. Whereas in the long term, he wants to develop IoT and AI solutions. He also wants to expand into other parts of the GCC by 2020. And, what does Adnan do every day to take his company’s mission one step further? “Raise the company reputation by sharing our success story,” he smiles.
He also foresees solar energy, 3D printing and education technologies as being game changers within the regional space and he is fully prepared to take on the challenge head on. In fact, he advises other aspiring entrepreneurs in the region to do the same. “I would advise every tech entrepreneur to take a step in the right direction and use these technologies NOW – and to make a future impact!”