Meeting with the leader. Seagate looks ahead

Evgenie Rudometov

Recently our country once again with short-term working visit was visited by Alister Stewart (Alastair Stewart) the director of company Seagate for sales of locale EMEA.

Alister Stewart works in the industry of hard disks of 20 years. Has come to company Seagate in 1998 as the representative of department of the sales, the responsible Near East and Africa. Since January, 2005 it is appointed to the post sales managers of locale EMEA. Has higher education in the field of electronics and computer sciences.

Photo 1. Alister Stewart (Alastair Stewart), the director of company Seagate for sales of locale EMEA

Alister Stewart's arrival has not casually coincided with the recent official announcement of new products and processing techniques, and also with a number of initiatives of company Seagate. All these events assume further hardening in the Russian market of positions of the given manufacturer of the hard disks occupying already long time the in the lead role among the similar companies.

Popularising reachings of the company, large head Seagate has kindly agreed to give exclusive interview to the oldest computer Petersburg log. Endurances from it interview are resulted more low.

To begin with our conversation a traditional question how you estimate the Russian market?

Situation in the market quite good, for our company.

And you are happy?

Even I am forced to tell "Yes". Certainly, can be and it is better. The Russian market very fast develops. Company Seagate considers its very perspective.

Whether company Seagate plans opening of constant office in Russia?

Not in all countries we have constant offices. Buildings, and people work, as is known, not. Now in Russia the strong group of the experts providing support of products Seagate is formed.

On November, 11th the new Partner Program in Russia and locale EMEA has been declared. For its participants possibility of access to the special site protected by the password is given. Than necessity of protection is called?

This site is calculated for a narrow circle of computer professionals. The technical information allocated there would overload a traditional site. Besides, many substances of a specialised site will be uninteresting and difficult for understanding of nonspecialists. For this reason we have limited access to this site.

Simultaneously with the program it is declared prolongation of a guarantee till 5 years on all internal storage devices. How it will be carried out guarantee certificates?

Within a guaranty period disabled products will be easily and to exchange fast on the new.

How exchange procedure will be carried out?

The end user will access in the corporation, sold to it a hard disk made Seagate. Further through the distributor the disabled product will be handled in appropriate centres Seagate.

Unfortunately, in some cases corporations essentially underestimate a guaranty period. While company Seagate gave 3 years of the guarantee, some corporations practised only two or even 1 year. Whether company Seagate is gathered to struggle with such practice?

We will work with the partners and we will try to watch similar cases.

And nevertheless how to be to the end user if it will not manage to agree with the corporation-seller?

In this case he should access in appropriate centres of company Seagate and the due help will be rendered it.

Essentially having extended guarantee periods, you are not afraid of a considerable quantity of the returned hard disks and as consequence of substantial damages?

Ourselves make all units from which we gather hard disks. For us good experts and perfect processing techniques. All it provides excellence of our products. And it is finite, before prolongation of a guarantee all of us have carefully counted up. Besides, for us very low digits of return.

You could not name the reason of an output of hard disks out of operation and sound return digits?

The overwhelming share of problem hard disks is linked to wrong transportation. There are errors and to their installation and maintenance. At the expense of perfection of a construction and implantation of the newest processing techniques we permanently reduce a share of the failed hard disks. Less than 1 % of hard disks a year that is very good metric in branch of production of hard disks today comes back.

Recently Seagate has declared the nearest release of hard disks in which the processing technique of perpendicular writing will be realised. When it is possible to expect this event?

We very much work for a long time with this processing technique. All is already debugged to such degree, that we are ready to release appropriate products. Mass production will start in 2006.

What models will be the first?

It will be hard disks of a form factor of 2,5 inches. As we plan, they will appear in January, 2006.

Some manufacturers of hard disks for debugging of perpendicular writing announced release of the models which size coincides or even less arrangements created on traditional processing technique. Company Seagate is gathered to arrive as?

The new procedure is already debugged to such degree, that we can continue process of increase in size of hard disks. The first models with perpendicular writing of forms-faktra of 2,5 inches will have size of 160 Gbytes.

The last years rates of growth of information capacity of hard disks have essentially decreased. Earlier the doubling period made less than year. During present time this period makes 2-2,5 years. Whether with implantation of perpendicular writing it is possible to expect new growth of rates?

Really, traditional processing technique of parallel writing of has settled completely. Further overgrowth of a bit density with this processing technique became practically impossible. As a result new, more capacious and more high-speed products the last years were released all less often and less often. However with implantation of new processing technique we expect essential increase in rates of growth of density, and, therefore, both sizes, and speeds of operation of new models of hard disks. For this transition by all of us it is prepared: the new heads, new magnetic mediums are created, the processing technique is fulfilled.

One and a half years ago on my question on periods of transition to perpendicular writing you asserted, that model 2006 and probably 2007 will be grounded on processing technique of parallel writing. The output of new models already in the beginning of 2006 means, what company Seagate has exceeded the schedules, and the future has occurred much earlier?

The operations linked to perpendicular writing are carried on in company Seagate laboratories already rather for a long time, therefore, when there was a requirement for new processing techniques, we have appeared prepared for this transition. All defines the market. New processing techniques and new disks are required — we release them.

On the Internet there were substances as which affirms, that company Seagate plans to release by 2010 3,5-inch hard disks in size of 2 Tbyte, 2,5 — 640 Gbytes, 1 — 50 Gbytes. You confirm these digits?

I do not deny them. Moreover, it is required — we will release also more capacious models. In company Seagate the intensive researches linked to development of various perspective processing techniques are carried on.

Thanks for conversation. I hope, our meetings become kind tradition. Successes to you and company Seagate.