ASK Automation, Software, Commercial Technical Development Ltd.

Primarily developing industrial and diagnostic software systems and target hardware based on image and signal processing.

• Verifiable electronic railway scales (FLINTAB)
• Process visualization and control SCADA program systems (DIAGEM)
• Industrial image processing (DIGICELL)
• Medical, diagnostic image processing (SEDITRON)
• Non-invasive cardiology instrument development (IKG)

FLINTAB industrial verifiable vehicle scales (turnkey MÁV)

DIAGEM, a modular, QNX-based, process control (SCADA) program

(largest customer is Dunamenti Thermal Power Plant)

DIGICELL: image processing software family (e.g. TUNGSRAM production line quality control systems)

IKG: non-invasive cardiology measuring instrument (cardiology hospital departments)

SEDITRON, urine sediment inspection robot microscope (Boehringer Mannheim for order, distribution)

-Started with the feasibility study in 1990

-The world premiere took place in Milan in 1993 at the BM stand

-In 1994, we delivered the first completely domestically produced (hardware, optics, software) zero series (35 pcs.)

– By 1995, the company was working on an order of 150 units, when the cooperation ended due to BM's change of strategy (beginning of the Roche merger, change of management).

The core of the company was formed from the employees of Novotrade Rt's game software development, initially (1987) as an independently-accounted engineering office of Novotrade RT, in an apartment in a condominium in the 12th district, led by Donát Kiss (András Fördős, Tibor Horváth, Katalin Majsa, Zoltán Horváth, József Kőhalmi).

In 1988, following the publication of the new Companies Act, it was established as one of the first mixed-ownership (institutional and private) limited liability companies, with a share capital of HUF 22.4 million. Novotrade RT donated a villa in Rózsadomb (Áron Gábor 55), and the Investment and Subsidiary Bank made the start possible with a cash contribution of HUF 7 million.

In 1993, after several reorganizations, the company operated as a joint venture with the majority ownership (51%) of the German diagnostic multinational – Boehringer Mannheim – and other key employees, until the sale/final settlement prior to the acquisition of BM. (1996-1999)

By 1994, ASK Ltd. had supported the establishment of several independent Ltd.s, with capital, management, and transfer/in-kind market share. The most important ones are:

• FLINTAB: Swedish-Hungarian owned industrial weighing technology company, "spinoff", András Alkér, Managing Director
• HNS Ltd., Győr, development/production/distribution of industrial network devices, statistical quality assurance devices, dr. János Szinetár, Managing Director
• DIATRON, hematology instrument developer/manufacturer Ltd., former MEDICOR controlling owners (Gábor Kollányi and colleagues)
• TELEKONT Ltd., industrial automation self-developed systems, György Schenk, Managing Director
• ASK-M, Instrument development and precision mechanics company, manufacturers of the SEDITRON, later 3D Histech product line. Managing Director Antal Bélafi and Owners Gábor Szendrő
• ASK-IT, the successor to the development/distribution of the IKG, non-invasive, cardiology instrument family, Managing Director Imre Jakobicz
• SBA Ltd., Automation utilization of the SAIA PLC family, system development, Swiss-Hungarian joint venture, Gábor Opitzer, Managing Director

Before leaving Boehringer Mannheim (BM), it transferred these interests – usually at nominal value – to the founders. A significant number of them went on to have successful business careers.

In the early 1990s, as medical device development became dominant, he operated an independent Medical Advisory Board, with the participation of renowned expert doctors. He established his own Foundation for talented candidates wishing to participate in postgraduate training in the field of medical diagnostics (doctor, mathematician, engineer scholarships, e.g. cardiologist Dr. Iván Horváth, now a professor at the Medical University of Pécs). He organized charity concerts to popularize Impedance Cardiology (e.g. Benkó Dixieland Band, Vígszinház), from the proceeds of which he donated IKG devices to Perinatal Intensive Care Centers.

In the spirit of technical progress and environmental protection, he tried to support the rudimentary appearance of electric cars, so he purchased a Puli electric car from Hódgép for frequent trips between several of his locations in the 2nd district, and had a charger installed in the office building on Gábor Áron Street. The car was decorated with drawings related to environmental protection submitted by children for the Santa Claus Day competition. (1992)

During the prosperous years, he was able to support noble causes in other areas as well, contributing, for example, to the successful 1995 season of the FORRÁS Chamber Music Workshop (Andrea Vígh, Eszter Horgas) or, as co-founder of META-R, to the support of the contemporary Hungarian art trade (Lajos Golovics, NA-NE Gallery).

After the separation of BM and the consequent dissolution of ASK Ltd without a legal successor (1999-2000), some key members of the management founded ASK Industrial Systems Ltd in 1997 to continue the “ASK spirit and company culture”, and then, as its legal successors, Mobil ASK Ltd and Consultask Ltd in 1998. (Donát Kiss, András Fördős, Nóra Czoboly, Zsolt Jakab). From the former, with 1 + 2 million Euros in foreign venture capital, by 2003, NOKIA partnered with it to build a market-leading regional service network (Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia), in a Holding structure, with a turnover of 9 million Euros (2006). The latter is a consulting “boutique company” that still exists today.