Pipeline Profile : Murat Aslansan

SCTE member since 2002 Title: CEO of GFC Broadband Background: In 2002 Aslansan became CEO of GFC, whose ranks now include 500 members of the SCTE, as the company was created from a bankrupt operation. Aslansan had previously served as CFO of the global hand tools and hardware business unit of Stanley Works. Before that, he held managerial and executive positions in finance and manufacturing at GE. He has a BS in mechanical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he played All-American caliber football. Quality control is still something more associated with manufacturing than services. You’re interested in changing that, right? In my perspective, QC is just as important, if not more, in a services environment. In manufacturing you can always replace the product. If you foul up the delivery of a service, it’s very difficult to recover from that. That is why we’ve worked to employ a stringent quality assurance program and support systems to carefully monitor and manage our technicians’ performance at the premises. Do you have a QC philosophy? Yes: define, measure, analyze, improve and sustain. Did GE follow W.E. Demming? Yes, in the earlier days. The principles of Demming were then converted to Six Sigma. GFC employs the Six Sigma process throughout our operation. What do you prefer: Manufacturing or Finance? Finance, because it gives you a broader view of world. What’s your impression of the broadband cable industry? It’s maturing, and the industry is starting to see competitive forces that it has to contend with. As cable continues to mature, it will shift more toward its core competencies of content and technology, while seeking to partner with qualified service providers to handle the other aspects of the business, such as fulfillment. Do mechanical engineers get along with electrical engineers? No. We’re not as intelligent. Where can the industry see its biggest efficiency gain from your perspective? Consolidation of its vendor base and outsourcing services outside of cable’s core competencies, such as technician and truck roll-based services. How did you become such a strong backer of the SCTE? There are two primary reasons. First, to convince an MSO to outsource fulfillment to GFC, we have to present a technician who is well trained and a solid performer. SCTE provides the platform and the tools to do that. SCTE’s certification program provides an industry benchmark for technical competency and its training programs are extremely valuable. In addition to differentiating GFC from our competitors, our involvement with the Society helps us maintain a stable workforce. In fact, the highest employee retention rates within GFC’s technician population are those employees who hold an SCTE certification. What position did you play in college? Nose tackle. What was your best game? It was in 1990 against the Coast Guard. I had just under twenty unassisted tackles including four or five quarterback sacks. Sports Channel recognized me as player of the week.