DRAGOS BURIU – CEO
How would you describe the services offered by your company over the previous years?
For sure, the progress and the will to excel have spoken. I have build a business which as time passed by it became a resounding name in an industry with a harsh competition. From the beginning I developed this company as one with an international potential. My main objective was to build a brand on the gambling market. And therefore in comparison with the previous years, we are not just a business, we are a brand that offers premium services. At the moment we became the best software products supplier intended for the gambling industry, more exactly for the slotmachines type.
Which is the current position of the competition over Newton’s services?
The Newton monitoring system has won several times the title “Year’s best system”. Still there are multiple systems on the market that practice a low price policy. From the desire to enter or to remain on this industry, the price often makes the objective of a strategic guideline. Over any competitor, I know that our products have the value that they deserve and the level of our price corresponds to the requirements, needs and values of our customers. Investors have understood that we offer more than a legal imposed monitoring system. We made available to the customers and we have improved constantly a service that helps them develop a real marketing mix. Low prices keep a business on a mediocre level. We offer premium services because we hope that our partners will become premium in their turn. I have staked on educating the clients and over time they understood which are the benefits of purchasing a leading product.
Talk to us about one component which has helped you build this successful business.
Building an unitary team is the pillar of strength of a successful business. I am focused on maintaining a balance in the working environement of my team. Success is guaranteed when you have by your side united and motivated people. Only with a strong foundation you can turn a company into a market leader. With the help and dedication of my team, we have gained the above mentioned title.
What is the most important characteristic of your employees?
More important than any characteristic or than experience, I have been looking for people who want to do something notable, because these are the successful type. The right attitude brings performance no matter in what field the employee is involved. Valuable people form teams of exception and such a team always represents a sustainable competitive advantage.
Online casinos are starting to gain field in front of the land based ones. Where do you think is heading the future of the traditional casinos?
I can’t help noticing the bright side of things. I don’t think there will be a bounding box or a drastic fall of the land based industry. Technology’s fast progress compeles us to adhere, therefore the opening of the online market became an opportunity in Romanian gambling. Especially the owners of game halls have the chance of creating an extension of their business towards the online area. Several companies have already chosen to develop partnerships with specialized firms for developing an online division.
What are Newton’s plans for the future?
We mentain our attention to the continuous development of the monitoring system, but we also move towards a new business line. We are working on an online project which will soon be launched. It will bring new operating options for the licensed slotmachines gaming companies.
ROBERT ISTRATOIU – MARKETING MANAGER
The Newton system has received several times the title “The best system of the year”. Which is the strong point of the service that you offer?
The system has gained the above mentioned nomination because it combines an amalgam of strengths. There cannot exist a nomination and an effective given title if the product or service that you offer doesn’t blend a sum of benefits, values or qualities. I can present to you a global strength, namely that we are national leaders on the profile market. We own over 100 customers in the country and we offer monitoring services to over 23000 already connected slotmachines.
What is the major component that distinguishes your services from those of the competition?
We are not focusing only on a continuous development, on innovation and offering services which facilitate building a successful business, but we also pay close attention on constructing partnerships with the system operators. A suitable attitude has helped us to record increases in revenues from year to year. Our competitive advantage is related to the quality of our services. So we are perceived by operators as being on a higher level through all the providers, therefore we have created brand loyalty. We are not just a company in a multitude of system suppliers, we are a high-sounding name, we gave birth to a strong brand identity. In other words you can’t win unless you are cheaper or you are different. We chose to be different.
To what would you attribute the over achievements of Newton products?
We are in a continuous evolution and innovation and adaptation are part of our quality package. The company’s success is due to the complexity of services that we offer, but also on the fact that we have invested resources in a constant development , in research and permanent improvement of the products. Of course, another important element with an important contribution on the success of our services is the existence of a dedicated and motivated team.
Why do customers choose you instead of the competition?
The relationship with our customers doesn’t end after signing the sales contract, but it goes beyond that. We support our partners to implement our services in an optimal way to ensure their development. Newton operators have support from our entire team – the support of the technical department and the customer service, the marketing department and last but not least the permanent contact with the sales team. At Newton, we develop partnerships focused on measuring results. Efficient and continuous communication ensures performance for both parties.
OANA DUMITRACHE – MARKETING MANAGER
What would you recommend, from your point of view, to an investor that wishes to open a land based casino?
Before any start-up, it is essential to analize the profile market, the competitors, the chances of success. Owning finance doesn’t ensure success unless there is a well-implemented marketing strategy. I reccomend to the potential investors to ensure themselves that they will benefit of a monitoring system training as this will be the starting engine of their business. The Newton system for example is the pillar of a success for a gambling hall because it offers step by step the possibility to build the basic marketing plan to attract and build clients loyalty.
Regarding your domain, what is the next important element in building a success gambling hall?
As I was saying, an essential component is building a marketing plan related to the planned objectives, but also to the nearby competitors. Regarding the fact that this is an industry with fierce competition, the lack of a communication plan can lead to failure. I have met operators who faced difficulties because they didn’t do a preliminary research, they didn’t set objectives or build a promotional campaign, but mostly they did not understood the functionality and importance of the monitoring system.
What is your advice for future investors or gaming hall owners who are not heading the right direction?
There has been noticed a natural sorting of the operators that know how to use the system, dedicating themselves to the business and understanding all of the involved aspects and the ones who do not use a marketing mix to raise the level of their location.
Just because we have noticed the deficiencies in the industry, we have decided to offer our clients and to the future investors customized marketing campaigns to support them. Each campaign is based on a competition analysis and folds on the budget that the operators want to spend. Along with this service we offer, it is really important for the monitoring system to be understood and used at maximum capacity.
Because we know that you come from a different area of activity, please tell us what difficulties you have encountered?
The gambling area is challenging because the legal reglemantations are restrictive and they quite limit the creative process. Whether it’s a company that distributes software products for this area, whether it’s land based casino or an online casino, marketing communication in this industry must be a responsible one.
CATALIN CADU – TECHNICAL MANAGER
Please talk to us in a few words about your experience at Newton Slots.
Newton is the company with which I grew up and evolved with. I became productive, I succeeded to manage time and human resources so that the global effort can be exploited. The Newton environment is a dynamic and challenging one, it gave me the opportunity to reach various locations in the country, to meet people in the industry.
We know that you guide two departments – the customer and the technical support department. Do you manage with difficulty the two areas?
Managing them is quite easy because between them two there is a common vision of perspectives and goals. In both departments the focus is on results and everyone in the team has a developed sense of priorities. I have succeeded to coordinate people so that they would focus on performance and customer needs. Each assumes responsibility for the task he has, but also regarding the needs of the team.
What obstacle do you encounter most often in your area of activity?
I don’t know if I can call it an obstacle because it has to do with the high level of demand and this thing highlights once again the undeniable value of our services. Continuous orders, equipment requests keeps us on our toes. For example, close to Christmas holidays when most people are more relaxed, we are working on full capacity, we prepare Santa’s trolley with Newton equipment.
Being an end of year interview, what is the main goal for the next year?
The basic objective remains unchanged, namely the continuous development of the hardware products. I will, together with my team, put all the experience in raising the quality of the Newton services and products.