Taiwanese cabinet manufacturer Weche has become well established within the international gaming industry for its high-end products. Helen Fletcher speaks with Vincent Lai to find out what's next for the manufacturer
InterGame: You’ve been involved in the gaming industry for almost 30 years. How do you feel the industry has changed?
Vincent Lai: "In the 80s products were mainly made of metal, plastic and even wood but over the past couple of decades the quality has improved and we have manufactured a variety of slot machine products from bases to cabinets to toppers. Also with the improvement of visual technology we have seen the gaming industry change from CRT to LCD-based display systems and from reel slot machines to video slot machines. The cost of design, production and delivery has also significantly reduced."
IG: How does Weche continue to provide high quality products and service when working at an international level?
VL: "We first entered the international gaming scene via eastern Europe, gradually expanding to southern and western Europe and then moved on to the US, Canada and Australia - so we are used to serving clients all over the world. From a full range of designing, manufacturing and engineering service our team becomes an information resource for clients worldwide, offering collaborative ideas and options to refine the product development process. No matter whether we are creating a new product concept or working for an existing design, we grab any chance to create success and see it as a goal to achieve 100 per cent customer satisfaction."
IG: Have you experienced any effect of the global recession?
VL: "Coupled with innovative system integration, the global recession has seen a move toward online gaming platforms which are more or less making the most impact on the gaming industry. Revenues in the casino markets of Las Vegas and Macau have both dropped dramatically due to the global recession and based on our experience through visiting trade shows such as G2E Las Vegas and Macau and ATEI in London, we feel the road to recovery will be long and the situation might not be any clearer until the second quarter of 2010. In spite of all this Weche is dedicated to bettering the amusement and gaming industry."
IG: With this in mind, will Weche be moving into any new markets and how do you see the industry changing?
VL: "With regard to the gaming industry cabinets are becoming much slimmer, sleeker and contemporary in their design and yes, due to the global recession and the decline in casino revenues we will still concentrate on slot cabinets but mainly focus on products for the amusement sector such as information/interactive kiosks, jukeboxes and so on. We are looking to get into the Middle East as this is a market where gaming is prohibited and we have also been looking at markets within Europe, North and South America, which are very important and we have spent time promoting sales there.
IG: Do you have plans to further promote your move into amusement through trade shows?
VL: "Yes, we will be promoting our latest amusement products at some domestic and international trade shows and we have already exhibited at the GTI Asia Taipei show in May this year."
