"Access Your World": ASSA ABLOY Shares Its Thoughts On IFSEC 2013 And New Developments In Access Control - Part II

At this year's IFSEC 2013, ASSA ABLOY will offer a complete range of door solutions  focusing on the slogan "Access Your World"

To discuss broader issues within access control and the security industry in general, Tzachi Wiesenfeld, Executive Vice President and Head of ASSA ABLOY EMEA division, gave us his take on new trends in access control, the effects of the world economy on the industry and the role ASSA ABLOY EMEA plays within the security industry.

ASSA ABLOY EMEA Business Status 

SourceSecurity.com was keen to find out more about the role ASSA ABLOY EMEA plays within the access control security market. Having just released its Q1 report, the company has found positive growth and reception in its emerging markets within the EMEA in particular; Russia, East Europe, Turkey, the Middle East and Africa were all experiencing satisfactory growth. Tzachi did suggest however that some southern parts of Europe were experiencing organic decline in the first quarter. ‘"We estimate that half of this decline is coming from the “Easter effect”, Tzachi explains. “Easter shifted from April to March, but even excluding Easter there is a small decline which is due to the tough market conditions in Europe.”

Growth Drivers for ASSA ABLOY EMEA

Economically, the decline in business in some parts of Europe is not surprising to hear. To tackle these issues, ASSA ABLOY EMEA has set out to identify growth drivers to allow the business to continue to expand and reach all potential markets. Tzachi explains the four main growth drivers that ASSA ABLOY EMEA has identified as essential to business growth: “The first one is the introduction of new products, the second is the Emerging Markets in EMEA, the third is specification of projects, including the full door opening solutions concept, which includes all the components around the door and in a growing number of cases the door itself, and the fourth growth driver is acquisitions.Perhaps the most essential of these growth drivers is the introduction of new products, which Chris highlighted in more detail earlier on in the interview. Tzachi has pointed out that ASSA ABLOY’s EMEA product rate innovation is up to 30%, meaning that 30% of EMEA sales are coming from products introduced in the last 3 years. Like Chris, Tzachi suggests that ASSA ABLOY EMEA’s product success is partly due to the Aperio range of products; an ever expanding product range.

Other products which have contributed to the businesses product growth driver include the CLIQ range with the CLIQ remote functionality, which is due for further expansion in the coming months, Digital Door Locks which are selling very successfully in a growing number of countries, ASSA ABLOY Door Closes, which have been hugely accepted in an number of residential markets and finally Smartair, a lighter access control system which continues to grow fast.

Aperio and Smartair Access Control Technologies - Open and Closed Architecture Systems

SourceSecurity.com were keen to find out in detail the main differences between ASSA ABLOY EMEA’s Aperio and Smartair access control systems. Tzachi points out that Aperio is an open architecture system and is aimed at access control companies who are integrating Aperio into their own existing systems. Essentially, the Aperio range allows for state- of- the- art electronic locking devices to be added to already existing systems. Unlike Aperio, Smartair is a closed architecture system. The stand-alone system is aimed predominantly at locksmiths and small system integrators. “Aperio and Smartair are fully complementary and we are very proud that ASSA ABLOY is offering two access control solutions to accommodate the different needs of the market place and to be sold through different business partners we have.”

Security Industry Trends - Solutions and Sustainability

Considering a broader look at the security industry, SourceSecurity.com asked Tzachi to highlight what he believed to be the current trends within the industry. He suggested that there is a clear trend in the growing proportion of elmech and electronic security solutions, such as electronic cylinders. For ASSA ABLOY EMEA, elmech and electronic product ranges represent around a quarter of their total sales, which continue to grow steadily, “much faster than the average growth”.

Sustainability, in particular sustainable products and manufacturing, is also growing in importance within the security industry. Interestingly, Tzachi also says that customers are becoming more particular in their security system choices, with a “growing interest in customers interested in buying the complete [security] range from large players such as ASSA ABLOY…in particular for large, long term projects”. He continues by suggesting that “professional end users prefer to work with large companies which are finally robust and stable suppliers.”

ASSA ABLOY and Traka - One Year On

Traka, part of the ASSA ABLOY group, are a world leader in innovative technology for sophisticated intelligent access control solutions and keyless electronic lockers. In April 2012 SourceSecurity.com reported the acquisition of Traka by ASSA ABLOY.

A year on and Tzachi expresses nothing but positive things from the acquisition: I’m extremely happy to have Traka on board as it is a fantastic company which is growing at a rate of 30% per year. It is very innovative and has a tremendous team. The one thing that we can all learn from Traka is how to satisfy a customer need in a complete and accurate manner and offer them a solution that can accommodate their problem in a very professional and cost effective way.

The Security Industry - What Does the Future Hold? 

SourceSecurity.com concluded its interview with Chris and Tzachi by asking them both for their thoughts and feelings regarding the security industry going forward. Both expressed a state of optimism, especially for the medium and long term. Although both agreeing that the industry is currently experiencing tough times, especially in Europe, the security industry is in fact growing above the GDP average growth. Tzachi was keen to point out that for ASSA ABLOY EMEA in particular, the company is in a very good position to grow faster, especially due to its success in product innovation that the company continues “to launch at an accelerated rate and the massive investment we have been doing in the emerging markets.”