Editage Insights
December
Editage receives ISO 9001:2008 certification
On November 14, 2006, Editage, the flagship division of Cactus Communications Pvt. Ltd., was awarded ISO 9001:2008 certification for the first time since its inception. This accreditation was awarded after a stringent certification audit by lead auditors from Det Norske Veritas, a reputed certification agency that assesses ISO compliance.
Established in 1947, the ISO is a non-governmental organization located in Geneva, Switzerland. It publishes international technical standards for all business sectors. ISO 9000 refers to a family of standards that define the requirements for the Quality Management System (QMS) of an organization. ISO 9001 is one of the standards of this family that contains the actual requirements that cover all aspects of a company. An organization must comply with all requirements of this standard and undergo an audit by an authorized certification agency in order to be "ISO 9001: 2000 certified."
Editage, which was evaluated through an ISO audit, was deemed to have fulfilled all the criteria with regard to its quality management systems, resource management, product realization, etc. This validation of Editage's stable and robust systems comes close on the heels of its inclusion into NASSCOM, another significant achievement.
August
Editage launches Center for Research Writing Resources
Editage, the editing arm of Cactus Communications Pvt. Ltd., launched Center for Research Writing Resources (CRWR), a new service for the scientific community, on August 01, 2006. This service has first been rolled out in Japan, which is the single biggest market for Editage. It aims to improve the visibility of researchers across the globe by helping them write and publish better manuscripts in English.
CRWR will be marketed through the website http://knowledge.editage.com. In the first phase of its launch, the website will offer a knowledge shop, a knowledge library, surveys, free downloads, and membership services. Students, researchers, and journal editors can purchase products from the knowledge shop. Each product is developed by experienced editors and knowledge analysts. Some of the fully customized products include a tutorial on concise writing and macros (in Japanese) that remove typographical errors like extra spaces. CRWR aims to enable researchers to prepare manuscripts more independently by offering them pertinent learning while retaining their focus on research.
This initiative is another step taken by Editage toward offering specialized English language solutions to nonnative authors. Editors at Editage have built on the experience of having performed language checks on over 7000 manuscripts to identify the most common problems faced by researchers during manuscript preparation, and CRWR promises to provide authors with solutions to these problems.
July
Cactus Director featured on CNBC
In June 2006, Abhishek Goel, Founder and Director of Cactus Communications Pvt. Ltd., was interviewed for a television show called Young Turks on CNBC-TV18, a leading Indian business news channel. The program showcases entrepreneurs from various sectors who have made a mark in the corporate world.
The interview traced the story of Cactus from the time the idea of editing as a service first occurred to the founders to the subsequent launch of an editing service (Editage) to the offering of comprehensive language solutions like English education (i-osmosis) and transcription (Cripton). Abhishek also held forth on the company's development in the last 4 years to its future plans like laying a foundation in non-Japanese overseas markets.
Click on the links below to read the transcript of the interview and see the video.
June
Editage to offer services to researchers in China
Coming close on the heels of its entry into the Taiwanese market, Editage is excited to announce its foray into the Chinese market through the launch of its website in simplified Chinese.
The site features information about Editage's service offerings and also provides access to basic features like online payment systems and quotations. Through this website, Editage aims to tap into the substantial researcher base in need of language solutions. Shedding more light on the Chinese market, Khuzem Batawala, VP - Marketing, opines, "China is the single largest producer of academic papers in Asia. As a global provider of high-quality editing solutions, it is important for us to cater to this market with a local language website. This site is one of the first initiatives in this direction."
This launch is another step by Editage toward having a footprint in all the important markets for academic editing in the Far East. Beginning with Japan, Editage has steadily built its client base in newer geographies like Korea, Taiwan, and now China.
Visit the Chinese website on http://www.editage.cn/
May
Editage enters the Taiwanese market
Editage enters the Taiwanese market with a dedicated website for its Taiwanese clients.
The inaugural version of the site carries basic features in terms of navigation and usability. It offers a fresh look and feel that is more focused on the needs of potential and existing clients. Says Khuzem Batawala, VP - Marketing, "A dedicated website in the client's native language is the first step toward a physical presence in any market," adding, "With our Taiwan website, we hope to attract Taiwanese researchers and academics who need editing and language solutions."
This launch is another step by Editage toward having a footprint in all the important markets for academic editing in the Far East. Beginning with Japan, Editage has steadily built its client base in newer geographies like Korea and now Taiwan.
Visit the Taiwanese website on http://www.editage.tw/
April
Cactus celebrates its fourth anniversary
In April 2006, Cactus Communications Pvt. Ltd. celebrated 4 years of its existence. Cactus, which started operations in 2002 when Abhishek Goel, Founder and Director, identified a huge market for English editing during a visit to Japan, has made rapid strides in the academic editing arena. In the last year and a half, it has successfully launched two other services: English education (marketed under the i-osmosis brand) and transcription (under the Cripton brand). These forays signal a steady progress toward providing comprehensive language solutions to its growing client base.
Says Anurag Goel, CEO, Cactus, "We started with a single client and now we have around 4000. Being a retail business, our problems are unique. Thankfully, we have managed to carve a niche for ourselves in the editing arena. In the next year or so, we aim to secure a strong foothold in markets like Korea and China. In doing so, we will strive to become our clients' preferred communication partner."
February
Editage launches its online system
Editage announces the launch of an online system for its clients. The launch marks a culmination of the intensive efforts undertaken by Editage to have a secure and user-friendly system for online payments and transactions.
The application carries several useful features that facilitate seamless communication between clients and Editage. The home page provides details regarding Quotations, Job Status, and Payment Status, and also includes a Message Archive. Clients can know of special offers on this page without having to visit the Editage website. This page also broadcasts announcements about process changes and upgrades implemented by Editage. Each user is provided a unique log-in account that is secured by VeriSign, the world's most trusted provider of secure Internet infrastructure services.
