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Joakim Nylund is the CEO of Pro-Vision Finland, who is a passionate AV expert and always develops solutions for the customer's needs. His interest in electronics goes back to his teenage years, when he became interested in computers. This topic has remained his greatest interest and led him to study to become an electronics fitter. Electronics has always been close to Joakim's heart, and his passion can be seen in his work, where he develops solutions for customers' needs.
We sat with him over a cup of coffee in the office, and talked about our very own EasyTouch AV controller.
Where did the story begin to create EasyTouch?
The story of the EasyTouch controller began with a customer's need. The customer wanted a controller that could command all AV devices, and we decided to solve the problem with a competitor's product, which I repackaged a bit. According to the spirit of the times, the controller in question was mechanical.
Over time, I was asked to consider the possibility of making my own touch screen version. At first I wasn't enthusiastic about the challenge, but one day I decided to take it and started studying. After a few weeks, the prototype was ready, and from that began the story of the EasyTouch controller.
What has been the most good feedback from customers regarding EasyTouch?
Over the years, EasyTouch users have praised many of its features. Most positive feedback has come from schools. some received such good feedback that he didn't even believe the smallest things himself. For example, the image freeze function was the same, which was surprisingly the number one thing for users.
It is also often the case in Finland that you don't necessarily hear anything unless there are problems. This is especially true on the business side, where positive feedback is rarely received, unless it is specifically asked. It's enough from there if more orders come in the future.
On the school side, things are a little different. There is more often positive feedback, but especially if someone is not working, it is reported immediately, which is a good thing. For example, one school had dozens of rooms and teachers, and each room had different equipment. This caused some challenges for users, but once they were introduced to the EasyTouch controls, the problems went away.
Where have you personally gotten the biggest kicks so far in developing EasyTouch?
When asked where I personally got the biggest kicks in developing the EasyTouch AV controller, it's hard to name just one thing. Although there have been many downs and my faith has often gone, I have experienced several aha experiences that have woken me up even in the middle of the night. When I have tried new ideas that have started to work, the day has started quite well.
The latest example is my currently running EasyTouch model, the IC circuit of which I have designed and where the stacker partially does the work for me. At first the prototypes weren't perfect, so I had to make at least eight versions of the IC before it worked. I had already lost faith and assumed that I had wired or designed something wrong.
But then I got an idea that I thought I'd try in the last circuit. I did it quickly and suddenly it started working! There was a small error in the background that I hadn't noticed before and I was able to fix it. It gave me the faith to keep going. Even after years, I constantly get new ideas and I still get those aha moments almost every week.
What makes a small Finnish company believe that it is worth producing its own product like EasyTouch?
In my opinion, it is possible for our small company to compete with large manufacturers for products like EasyTouch. Even though big manufacturers have thousands of employees, we can still compete with them both in terms of product quality and prices. In terms of shelf availability, customizability and close support, we are in a class of our own on the Finnish - and why not European market. This is what makes me believe in our product.
