B&C: Hi Victor, first of all, thank you for this interview. Can you explain to our readers what your position and role are at Patriot Memory?
VC: Hi, it’s nice to meet you. My name is Victor Chui and I am the DRAM product manager here at Patriot Memory.
B&C: Patriot is active since 1985, so we can say that you are a veteran of IT market. During these years Patriot is grown fast, despite the huge competition (Corsair, Mushkin, G.Skill, etc), and now it’s a big company. Also, you have buried a lot of rivals during these years (OCZ, PQI, etc). What is the secret of your success?
VC: Thank you. In our minds we still have a ways to go. We believe we have gotten to this point based on a few key factors: always be loyal to our customers, consistently stay focused on product innovation and quality, and maintaining our strong relationships with our partners across the world.
B&C: I love your products (I’m using a Viper 4 2x4 GB DDR4-2933 Kit to do my review), but your name is not well known in Italy: when you ask for advice about a new memory kit in an Italian forum, Patriot is not the first name to jump to mind. What is your market strategy for Italy? Is it an important market for you?
VC: Of course Italy is an important market towards Patriot, just as important as any other regions. However, different region has different target market and different strategies. We will work on more branding activities and hopefully gets our name out on the computer memory market at Italy.
B&C: A lot of users are interested to find out how you pick the DRAM chips from the different manufacturers (Samsung, SK Hynix, etc). What is the methodology? Is it true that bigger you are, sooner you can select the chips? Is Patriot in a good position?
VC: Whenever a new die is released from one of the manufacturers, we will test the chip for various speeds. This process is known as bin sorting. We will characterize these chips so we know where they can be used. Sure, you can say that the size of your company plays a role in having access to these manufacturers, but so does your relationship. In some cases we have been doing business with some of these manufacturers for over 20 years. So yes, Patriot is in a good position.
B&C: What is the procedure when you study a new product? How do you determine if a new feature can be useful or not? Who are yours interlocutors? How much important is your customers feedback?
VC: As a professional memory provider, we must always be an expert in PC’s platforms (both of Intel and AMD) no matter what the current one is or what the next one will be since the memory is the key components of PC and it also has an inseparable relationship with the processor. We can ensure the new feature is useful or workable by working closely with the processor and motherboard makers, all of them are not only our interlocutors but also partners. Another benefit for us is we also can know first what the performance our memory would offer and what the potentially compatible issue we could avoid. For our customers’ feedbacks, those are very important to us if they are reasonable because these will always be the motivations to make us improve and be getting better.
B&C: Patriot Memory is not a company listed on the stock market. How much does it affect your strategies and the release of new products? I think you have more freedom of initiative than a listed company.
VC: Yes, we do have more freedom when it comes to initiatives than listed companies. Our company size may not be as big as them and our organization may not have as many restrictions as them either, but we are still a professional and leading company in this field. We still have the same pressures and responsibilities as those listed companies. We have our own mission and also have to be always thinking of the end-users when we plan or make any decision, no matter if it’s about strategy or a new product launch since we are a branding company.
B&C: Today enthusiast users have a mania for RGB leds: every component has to have almost a dozen of RGB leds! Patriot seems to be immune to this trend (Thank the Lord! I hate the RGB leds!), and some people think that it’s not a good thing: “Well, there’s no LED illumination which is a shame and Patriot are also using a very green PCB, that tends to look a little out of place!”. Could you explain us why you made this decision? (I love Patriot even because you don’t follow the fashion trends).
VC: According to the market trend of gaming, its PCB color has been gradully changed to dark or black color, no matter the PCB is for motherboards, memories, or others. We think the reason should be to make the products more outstanding and attractive with LED or RGB solutions. Therfore, the memory PCB providers just became to only offer black PCB in DDR4 and that’s also why we have made the push to switch our gaming line to black PCBs for our DDR4 line. As for the LED line, our customers of different regions have been pushing us for some type of LED solution and we are also looking to launch a new line around the middle of Q4. We listened to feedback from our customers and made the decision to come up with a solution since we believe any product exists due to the market’s demand after observing the market trend for a while.
B&C: Patriot is well known for its RAM memories, but it has a varied portfolio: SSD, mouse, keyboards, headsets, etc. What are your strategic plans for the near future? Do you think that your catalog is various enough? Or do you think that Patriot has to enter in new sectors (e.g. CPU Coolers)?
VC: Patriot’s product quality has been well known for decades, and that is still remaining our company goal. By holding the high standard of product quality, Patriot is now expanding the product lines to gaming peripherals under Viper Gaming brand, eagers to provide fantastic gaming gears to enhance gamers’ user experience. Not sure about the new sectors, but Patriot is always seeking improvement. So we will see about that at the new sectors development.
B&C: Thank you Victor, it has been a pleasure talking with you.
VC: The pleasure is ours. You are always welcome to contact Patriot Marketing Team for further information.