a&s recently sat down with two Schneider Electric professionals in the region, to talk about company change and vision. Here are the highlights. * (On the right) Teri Ho, Director of Security Business Development and Synergies, APAC Buildings Business; * Kenny Tay, Senior Security Business Development Manager for M
a&s recently sat down with two Schneider Electric professionals in the region, to talk about company change and vision. Here are the highlights.
* (On the right) Teri Ho, Director of Security Business Development and Synergies, APAC Buildings Business;
* Kenny Tay, Senior Security Business Development Manager for Malaysia and the Philippines, APAC Buildings Business
When Schneider acquired Pelco in 2007, the former promised to significantly reinforce the offering of its building automation business, "which encompasses power and HVAC control, electronic security and fire safety, and [to] increase its ability to provide integrated solutions." Six years later, the dynamic duo is certainly providing a lot more integrated building and security solutions, but it is not immediately clear whether the Pelco brand is doing as well as it was during its heyday (annual revenue in excess of US$500 million) — a phenomenon that attests to how "integrated" the solutions have become.
Things are about to change in 2014, with Pelco gaining more flexibility and leeway in its marketing and business development efforts. The message has been quite well-perceived by Pelco partners in the region, according to Ho and Tay, as the ecosystem can continue to build on the innovative spirit, trust, reliability and long-term relationships associated with the Pelco name. The strategic change and move come at a critical time when government stimuli and accelerating use of IP-based security systems are driving huge demand for highly integrated system solutions at which Pelco excels. "There is a lot of competition, and every competitor is a force to be reckoned with," Ho noted. "The Pelco-focused approach will reassure our channel partners and global accounts, while differentiating us from the competition with better partner training, after-sale support and solution variety."
About 75% of the Pelco product range has been renewed, from Sarix entry-level value series to sophisticated solutions for critical, traffic and oil/gas/utility infrastructure, Tay said. This means the thriving APAC region will be better served by Pelco in the coming months and years. "We already have a strong foothold in Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Macau, and will focus more on other burgeoning economies such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar and Cambodia, and verticals such as gaming in 2014," Ho shared. The tapering of US quantitative easing may impact progress here in the region, but both Ho and Tay believe it is best for the adjustment to take place sooner rather than later — so recovery can begin.