Expedite Digital Transformation via Custom Applications

Hong Kong offers a perfect storm of opportunities for French company The Coding Machine to thrive.

In an increasingly digital environment, it is critical for companies to adopt new software solutions to improve their efficiency and open up new opportunities. The Coding Machine (TCM) is a professional development company that caters to the technology section with custom design solutions that result in measurable business value. Alongside open source technologies, the company has a community of global developers to address unique challenges or accelerate processes.

A contribution that has gained traction during the pandemic is TCM’s WorkAdventure, a remote conferencing platform that recreates a digital work space for more realistic online interactions. This came in handy as business moved to the Internet when borders closed. “Compared to pre-pandemic, we hold more online meetings and collaborate remotely using our in-house solution WorkAdventure,” noted Charles Chen, Regional Director with TCM.

Hong Kong was chosen for TCM’s first Asian office as the city offers a robust international outlook. At the same time it is geographically positioned next to the hardware hub of Shenzhen. Hong Kong is within close proximity to key Asian cities and offers seamless communication because of their shared working time zones. “It is easy to set up an office in Hong Kong,” Chen said. “It is an international hub that attracts companies and talent from all over the world. Its technology ecosystem has seen considerable growth over the past five years. Digital transformation is progressively spreading across all industries.”

Synergy with the GBA

TCM aims to build a cross-functional team encompassing both production and consulting functions. “The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) will facilitate access to tech talent,” explained Chen. “Business-wise, we aim to support more foreign companies to establish their digital presence in the GBA.” TCM leveraged the government initiative, the International Talent Fund, to strengthen TCM’s Hong Kong team with new graduate hires from The University of Hong Kong and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. “Hong Kong talent is comfortable in an international environment as they grew up speaking several languages and tend to adapt more easily to new environment,” added Chen. “We observed that they are willing to learn new skills, especially when those skills are rare in the market.”

InvestHK has been assisting TCM by pointing the company to resources that help recruit local technology expertise. “They helped us with visa applications for our international staff and helped strengthen our network through the local events they organise.”

Chen feels that Hong Kong is a great place to conduct business and live the lifestyle that best suits individual goals. “While Hong Kong is among the most densely populated places in the world, it offers great convenience as companies are concentrated around similar districts and form a cluster,” he stated. “Its efficient transportation system makes it very easy to escape for a dive in the sea or a hike in nature. It is a multicultural place where east meets west. Hong Kong is a melting pot of people, landscapes and activities.”