August will mark a&s International’s 200th issue, and it’s worthwhile to take a look back at the access control industry over the past eight years, between our 100th and 200th issues. One major event that happened during this time was the financial crisis of 2008, which led to a slowdown in constructions and spending on security. The access control industry, inevitably, was affected.
August will mark a&s International's 200th issue, and it's worthwhile to take a look back at the access control industry over the past eight years, between our 100th and 200th issues. One major event that happened during this time was the financial crisis of 2008, which led to a slowdown in constructions and spending on security. The access control industry, inevitably, was affected.
“In 2008 in terms of revenues, both the EMEA and American regions declined by about 16 percent, and in 2009, IHS estimated the Asian region declined by about 4.3 percent,” said Blake Kozak, Senior Analyst at the marketing research firm.
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Yet the access control industry, along with the rest of the security world, saw a rebound afterwards and proved itself to be relatively recession-proof.
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“Security is viewed as a long-term investment and overall necessity,” said Baudouin Genouville, Global Alliances and Integration Manager at Suprema. “The industry's unique characteristics allowed it to stay relatively free from the effects of the recession.”
In fact, the access control industry is driven not so much by economic factors as it is by security-related events, which were aplenty since 2007. In the Middle East, conflicts have triggered greater security concerns. In North America, tragedies such as the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings and the Boston City Marathon bombings have also changed the ways people deal with security, especially at schools and campuses.
“Access control, video, and visitor management systems have been widely deployed at most school districts around North America now, and if they haven't, they are in the planning stages to be done,” said Matt Barnette, President of AMAG.
“One cultural trend that stands out is the increased emphasis on school safety and security,” said Patrick Shannon, CFO at Allegion. “High-profile tragedies keep these risks top of mind for administrators, teachers, families, and communities alike. They make it essential for schools to be knowledgeable of, and hopefully utilize, the latest advances in security, construction, technological tools, safety protocols and emergency preparedness. We see schools around the globe making an effort to do this.”
Overall, according to IHS's Blake, the American region was faster to pick up after the financial crisis, expanding by a compound annual growth rate of 0.2 percent from 2008 to 2013, compared to the -1.9 percent for EMEA. Asia, meanwhile, was the most resilient, growing by a CAGR of 4.4 percent from 2008 to 2013.
Special Announcement of a&s International's 200th Issue
a&s International's 200th issue is coming up next month, which demonstrates how a&s International has been recognized by the global security market for the last 16 years. The a&s editorial team has planned a series of featured articles to recap the most significant security events, technologies, and industry changes, from 2007 to 2015 to celebrate the 200th issue. Hope you won't miss it!
