Brogent Technologies Inc (智崴資訊), a manufacturer of theme park rides and attractions, aims to expand its presence in Asian markets by promoting its large-scale flying simulation ride and its newly developed smaller virtual reality (VR) simulation facility, a company executive said yesterday.
“We have spent the past few years building our reputation and market share in Europe and North America. We think it is time to focus more on Asia,” Brogent chief executive officer C.H. Ouyang (歐陽志宏) told an investors’ conference in Taipei.
The Kaohsiung-based firm, which was founded in 2001, has helped theme parks in Canada, the US and Europe build a total of 29 i-Ride motion-based simulation facilities since 2013.
The i-Ride at the Europa Park in Rust, Germany, has had 2 million visitors since the attraction was opened in June, Ouyang said, adding that it was awarded the European Star Award for Europe’s best new ride this year.
“The recognition we have received in the West has gained us the attention of clients in Asia,” Ouyang said.
Brogent has secured high-end i-Ride orders from theme parks in Abu Dhabi and Dubai and is in talks with theme park operators in Japan, South Korea, China and Russia to customize the i-Ride to meet their specifications, Ouyang added.
Ten new i-Ride facilities, priced between US$5 million and US$20 million each, are expected to open next year, mainly in Asia, he said.
Ouyang said Brogent earlier this month unveiled a smaller-scale simulation facility with VR technology — the Q-Ride — which will expand the company’s scope to lower-priced products.
The Q-Ride targets shopping mall and arcade operators, as it has only 12 seats and is smaller than 10 ping (33.05m2), Ouyang said, adding that the product is expected to start receiving orders as early as next month.
Acer Inc’s (宏碁) VR headset is used for Brogent’s Q-Ride and the content is provided by Japanese software companies, Ouyang said.
Brogent’s combined profit jumped significantly to NT$161.34 million (US$5.37 million) in the first three quarters of this year from the NT$22.3 million recorded over the same period a year ago.
Earnings per share were NT$3.65 in the first nine months, compared with NT$0.51 last year.
Over the same period, the company’s average gross margin rose 0.24 percentage points annually to 45.15 percent, while its operating margin grew 17.67 percentage points year-on-year to 20.68 percent, company data showed.
Brogent stock closed at NT$272 in yesterday’s trading.
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