 |
||
|
|
||
| |||||||||||
An embedded market position Maybe you never think about the software that runs your printers and copiers - but Xionics does. Together with the biggest manufacturers, such as Hewlett-Packard, Sharp, Xerox and IBM, Xionics Document Technologies, Inc. designs, develops, and markets embedded digital systems for printers, copiers, and multifunction peripherals. That means everything from your collating to your scanning. A harsh beginning In 1994, the merger of two firms, Xionics and Phoenix Technologies Ltd., gave birth to Xionics and its sales that year were an unimpressive $9 million. In that year, the company brought in Oxford and Cambridge-educated CEO Robert E. Gilkes to turn the company around. A tentative turnaround By 1997, Gilkes had doubled the number of employees to more than 200, boosted sales to $40 million, and taken the company public. However, despite the upturn in the company's sales and morale, Xionics stock, which started at $12 and soared to $22, has dropped to under $11. (Wall Street is not happy with Xionics' continuing losses.) Xionics is counting on the development of a new chip and new products, among them a user-friendly box that gives users access to stereos, VCRs, televisions, and computers, enabling them to send and receive computer files, music, and other information. A new approach In addition to Gilkes' new approach to product development, the CEO has committed himself to lowering the average age of Xionics engineers and to infusing energy and diversity into the company itself. Xionics has long been known for its stodginess and archaic attitude towards women and minorities. At the same time that Gilkes doubled the number of employees, he made sure to focus hiring standards towards recruiting creative, dynamic, young engineers. (The CEO is now Peter Simone.) Promising new tech Along with the embedded printer software that Xionics typically produces, the company introduced in 1999 CopyColor, software that adds high quality color capability to printers linked to scanners. Another notable technical advance: it is increasingly possible to combine print, copy, fax and scanning devices. This new convergence means a shakeout in the copier/fax business - and new opportunities for Xionics. These new opportunities translated into unprecedented growth for Xionics -- and also made it a prime acquistion target. Xionics had relationships with 35 partners who comprise more than 80 percent of the printing peripherals market before its acquisition by Oak. New beginnings Xionics was acquired in early 2000 by Oak Technology, a company with similar aims and technology. Pete Simone, Xionics CEO, joined the Oak Board of Directors.
Xionics takes part in technical career fairs in and around Boston and prospective applicants are encouraged to attend so that they may meet with a Xionics representative in person. Call (617) 229-4102 or contact them via e-mail at jobs@xionics.com to find out when the next career fair is scheduled or to learn more about specific openings within the company.
Alterations in culture Although the culture in the past has "felt old," the company "has changed in the last couple of years to become more cutting-edge." One insider says "Corporate culture is a slightly conservative twist on typical high tech East Coast companies." Another called it "still start-up-like," with all the frenetic atmosphere that entails. Heartwarming benefits Xionics is family-oriented but liberal; its benefits are a good reflection on the company's attitude. Among such benefits are flex time, job share and same-sex partner health insurance. This attitude towards insuring its employees is "progressive and rare for a big corporation," say insiders. "I don't think perks are anything unusual, but they are comprehensive," says one insider. Another points out that Xionics employees get "discount movie tickets and plenty of parking." Hours could be worse Hours are reasonable for high tech - contacts say they normally "come in between 7 and 10, and leave 8 to 10 hours later, depending on the state of one's project." At the same time, says one contact "hours are supposed to be 40 hours a week- but this is high tech we're talking about, right?" Tech life Programmers and engineers often find themselves stressed by the requirements of Xionics culture, which is "pretty much a Unix and C house." One insider says "We've accumulated a huge amount of source code over a decade. It's highly variable in quality and it doesn't always fit together very well. People who are relatively new to the company have a tendency to be intimidated by just how big the database is and how hard it can be to get a meaningful answer out of the people who have been here longer."
Human Resources
XipChip Multiprocessor CPU;Intelligent Peripheral Systems
JetFax;Peerless Systems More Company Profiles For more career information, go to Vault.com ©2000, Vault.com Inc
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
