Kathy Gibson reports from Huawei Eco-Connect in Sandton – Huawei this morning (20 April 2017) officially launched a new OpenLab in Johannesburg focused on jointly developing solutions that are relevant to the local market.

The initial focus for the new OpenLab will be on smart city and smart grid solutions.

The new facility is one of seven that the Chinese IT vendor has committed to setting up in major centres around the world this year as part of a $200-million global investment.

Stan Qiu, director: energy sector at Huawei Enterprise SA, points out that one of the biggest challenges in digital transformation is in meeting the specific needs of different customers, which Huawei is addressing through its international network of OpenLabs.

OpenLabs have proved to be an effective way for Huawei to work with partners and customers in developing new solutions and have helped the company to record 45% growth over the last couple of years, bucking the industry trend of flat IT sales.

OpenLabs see Huawei and its partners work together to develop joint solutions, backed by the resources from Huawei’s global footprint and skills, and combined with the R&D brought in by partners.

Customers are also closely involved in specifying and designing solutions which ensures that they are completely relevant to the customer’s environment.

The OpenLabs also collaborate with one another, forming a network of innovation around the world.

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