In this note, Pelco CEO Kurt Takahashi speaks to a&s on the vision, strategy and product roadmap that will guide the company in the brand rebuilding process.
It’s been almost a year since Pelco was
sold by Schneider Electric to Transom Capital. Despite the company having a new owner, Pelco is now run independently and seeks to restore its reputation as one of the premier brands in video surveillance. In this note, Pelco CEO Kurt Takahashi speaks to a&s on the vision, strategy and product roadmap that will guide the company in the rebuilding process.
Q: Pelco's spin-off from Schneider Electric and its re-start under new management is seen by many in the industry as a "sink-or-swim" scenario. I am sure inside Pelco everyone is working hard on repositioning the company. What is the key message that Pelco would like to send to the security industry at this moment?
A: We're on the rise: as a company, we're focused on growth and reinvigorating our business. The investment and support of our new owners, Transom Capital, has rejuvenated our brand, our team and our innovations. Strategic investments have been made in our people, our research and development activities, and have included opening new company offices in many places around the world. With all of these things taken into account, we believe Pelco is in an ideal position to re-establish itself as the leading provider of video surveillance and security solutions.
Rebuilding this brand is a challenge, and we will build it brick-by-brick. Fundamentals and people come first, and then we can deliver a great product that is set apart by fantastic service and support. This will allow us to reconnect with our partners again to rebuild that trust. We’re committed to communicating and implementing this vision of customer first aim across our entire organization and getting back to the basics to ensure our technology and business structure are fundamentally sound.
Q: What vertical markets are you targeting for 2020? What made you choose them?
A: We continue to carve out new opportunities in a variety of vertical markets, including healthcare, education, enterprise, transportation and critical infrastructure. Regardless of what market we're in, we are focused on helping our partners and customers develop solutions that are designed to meet their specific business needs and security requirements. We're focused on ensuring customers have access to the answers they need to address the current challenges, whether protecting remote facilities, monitoring closed offices, or ensuring employee safety, we want to be a partner that helps them navigate these waters. By working collaboratively, we'll all emerge stronger.
Q: What is in your roadmap in terms of technical development? What new products are in the pipeline? Any planned improvements to existing products?
A: Recent investments in research and development have resulted in the launch of four significant new camera lines, an update to the VideoXpert video management system (VMS), and a renewed commitment to delivering advanced video analytics. The next generation of the Sarix Enhanced and other industry-leading Spectra Enhanced Speed Dome both leverage
4K technology and Deep Neural Network analytics to provide imaging solutions for both risk mitigation and business intelligence. A new Esprit thermal camera and updates to VideoXpert, our intuitive and scalable VMS, enables us to deliver a total solution for a variety of applications and challenges across a broad spectrum of vertical markets.
Q: What do you see as Pelco's key differentiators compared to other providers in the market?
A: The stellar reputation that Pelco built throughout the industry in its early days is something the industry has not forgotten. Service has always been our focus, and we continue to position ourselves as a trusted source for leadership across the video surveillance marketplace. We have many loyal customers and partners who turn to us as an end-to-end provider of video technology across several markets
. Beyond delivering exceptional service, we also provide a single source for video surveillance, security management, and intelligence solutions, all of which drive better faster deployments, higher levels of systems resilience, and a lowered total cost of ownership across the markets we serve.
Q: Is the US your primary market now? Do you have plans for other regions (in particular, Asia-Pacific)?
A: It is incredible how many people and how much business we have across the world today. We have Pelco employees in more than 40 countries, and we have an extensive customer base. We are a global company, and we see abundant opportunities in a variety of regions, including the United States, EMEA, and APAC. We recently opened new offices in Dubai, Qatar, and India, which enables us to have feet on the ground to best support our partners and customers in these growing economies.
Q: In your view, what has been the effect of the current coronavirus pandemic on the security industry at large?
A: More long term, I don’t think any of us know what the effects of the
pandemic will be, but as it stands now, there have been a number of trickle-down effects that we’ve seen. First, of course the shift to a more remote workforce and the restrictions placed on travel in the coming months has pushed so much of our business toward virtual interaction, increased support via online portals, and ongoing communication with partners and customers seeking additional resources to protect vacant or low-staffed facilities. Second, we’ve seen that some verticals are seeing a direct hit — like retail and hospitality — but government, education and healthcare projects that are seen as essential functions still require robust security solutions to operate. The challenge with these projects is ensuring the safety and security of our integrator partners tasked with installing this technology while balancing the health of their employees and technicians.