When 3COM's new chief operating officer, Mr Bruce Claflin, was introduced to Mr Al Gore at a function in Washington recently, little elaboration was required.
The US Vice-President reached into his breast pocket, pulled out the company's hand-held PalmPilot computer and declared that he loved the device. "I don't think you can get a better example of brand awareness than that," Mr Claflin told The Irish Times.
He was speaking during a visit to the company's Dublin plant - conducted as part of his commitment to tour all 3Com's operations within his first 100 days as chief operating officer.
As a networking company, 3Com's business is the supply of data, voice and video communications technology - one of the most exciting areas of IT development as voice and video communications are increasingly delivered over data networks.
Since his appointment as chief operating officer in July, Mr Claflin has had something of an uphill struggle to realign the data networking company following its $10.2 million (£6.8 million) acquisition of US Robotics last year. That deal doubled 3Com's workforce and increased revenues by 78 per cent. But the firm's executive management team remained unchanged and the appointment of a new chief operating officer was broadly welcomed as a move to lighten the load of chief executive officer, Mr Eric Benhamou.
Mr Claflin (46) represents the archetypal figurehead of a young company on a rapid upward spiral. "We've had a tough time over the past year trying to integrate a company as big as ourselves. But on balance we feel good about the business now." Mr Claflin is encouraged by the Irish facility which is located in Ballycoolin Business Park in Blanchardstown. In particular he is impressed by the unusual move to have the manufacturing line showcased at the building's main reception point. "I like the fact that the company's real heroes are the first people you see when you enter the building."
3Com's Irish workforce has grown significantly since the company located here in 1991. In 1996 it revised its future employment target upwards to 725 people by the end of 1999. Today it employs 1,050 people on a permanent basis in a $70 million manufacturing, R&D, customer services and distribution facility. "When we think of the Dublin operation we certainly don't see low-level employment. The quality of people we require is consistently high and will get higher over time. Our business is growing rapidly, particularly in Europe, and we are working with the IDA on further expansion."
Though he would not disclose the details of these plans, Mr Donal Connell, general manager of 3Com Ireland, indicated the company would be looking at securing planning permission in the near future.
From January next, 3Com's distribution is being centralised in Dublin, where all products will be shipped directly onward to customers in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Last month, 3Com deployed its technology to network 10 Dublin schools in an exercise aimed at reflecting an ongoing commitment to educational development through the use of information technology. The schools now have speedy access via ISDN lines to communicate with each other, and with schools worldwide. When 3Com describes itself as a networking company, it means it enables the supply of data, voice and video communications technology to enterprises of all sizes. "Now a major US long-distance telecoms carrier has the opportunity to deliver extraordinary new services beyond voice at a fraction of the cost. The traditional rate structure can be practically eliminated. Instead of the long distance carrier paying the local telco's 60 per cent of the call-cost, this can eventually be reduced to 5 per cent over Internet protocol," says Mr Claflin.
Eventually he envisages all domestic communications services - PC, TV, video, telephone and fax - being delivered to the home through a single pipe, and an increasing demand for domestic networks. "Soon children will be able to play an online game against someone in another country, and talk to them in real time over the Internet."
In a logical next step, he predicts a new call option button will be added to email packages which when hit will automatically dial the telephone number of the email sender.
And to save time, users will be able to compile emails by simply giving voice commands to the computer. "We are only at the beginning of this revolution - just scratching the surface. We still have a long way to go before these technologies become as simple to use as household appliances."
Despite Mr Claflin's insistence that the 3Com brand is the most widely known in the networking space - others include Cisco, Ascend, Intel and Bay Networks - it has only recently started to build brand awareness beyond the IT specialist arena.
This has been greatly helped by the development and launch of its PalmPilot, a lightweight handheld computer organiser the size of a shirt pocket. The consumer device comes with two megabytes of RAM and flash memory, allowing the organiser to store 6,000 addresses, five years of appointments (about 3,000 entries), 1,500 to-do's, 1,500 memos and 200 email messages. ee in Washington, Mr Claflin was introduced to US vice-President Al Gore, in his new capacity as COO of 3Com. Immediately Mr Gore smiled, and reaching into his breast pocket he pulled out the PalmPilot and declared "I love it". "I don't think you can get a better example of brand awareness than that," Mr Claflin beams. Mr Claflin previously served as senior vice-president and general manager of sales and marketing at Digital. He worked at IBM for 22 years where he rose to the post of group director of marketing.
But his new post presents exciting opportunities for him as he takes on responsibility for the worldwide operations of 3Com's $5.4 billion networking business across four business units.
"I was attracted to this industry in terms of the enormous rate of growth and change. As data and voice networks converge, traditional leaders will be threatened by the new innovative companies."
