[THE INVESTOR] Hancom is targeting annual sales of 100 billion won (US$88.10 million) in 2016 by reforming itself and moving more aggressively into new emerging markets, the Korean software maker said on July 15.

The firm said it has logged a surplus in sales for 53 quarters in a row and posted 84.9 billion won in sales last year.

“I want to say with confidence that Hancom will achieve the goal of 100 billion won in sales by the end of the year and generate profits worth 15 percent of the total from overseas markets,” said CEO Kim Sang-cheol during a press conference on the southern resort island of Jejudo.

Hancom, well-known among South Koreans with its mainstay word processing computer software based on the Korean language, has stood as a competitive and viable rival here to the US giant Microsoft.

“The market share of Hancom Office will be increased from the current 30 percent to 51 percent (in the South Korean market),” said Lee, noting that the company also aims to increase its market share in the global market to up to 5 percent.

Microsoft controls 90.8 percent of the global market in terms of sales, followed by Adobe Systems with 3.8 percent, Google with 2.6 percent and Hancom with 0.4 percent.

Hancom said it will focus on five new emerging markets -- Russia, China, India, the Middle East and South America -- through enhancing marketing toward local business consumers.

Hancom argues that many of the users in the five markets have asked the company to provide alternatives to Microsoft programs.

Hancom’s latest Neo, rolled out earlier this year, is highly compatible with Microsoft Word files and comes with an automatic document translation feature as well.

Besides its office software, Hancom has expanded its business into other platforms, including Wepubl -- an e-book publishing platform that allows 
users to convert PDF files into e-book files or create their own e-books.


(theinvestor@heraldcorp.com)