Following the management buyout from Halma just over a year ago, IFSEC Global catches up with Texecom CEO, Jim Ludwig. We discuss the investments the intruder alarm and detection specialist has made since the move, the success of Texecom Monitor launched at this year’s IFSEC International in May, and how cloud-based services enable the vendor to provide full support for its professional installer base.
Jim Ludwig, CEO, Texecom
Jim Ludwig (JL): In a word, eventful. I was so proud of and humbled by how our team responded to the challenges COVID constantly presented. Yet through it all, we kept our factories running and our team safe while continuing to meet our customers’ needs. Then, just as we were emerging from the challenges of the pandemic, we went straight into the throes of the MBO (management buyout) process, so the past couple of years have been eventful, to say the least.
During and since the pandemic, the biggest change we’ve seen, has been the rapid take up of our Cloud Services solution. Improved remote connectivity, servicing and maintenance, was something we were working on before Covid. But the necessity for our customers to be able to provide services to their customers – even when they could not physically attend site – really took off during lockdown. So your term ‘accelerated’ makes sense here.
JL: Halma was a great home for Texecom for many years, but as customer and market needs evolved it was the right time for a change. While I will continue to have appreciation and respect for the group, I am quite excited about what is possible now that we are working with our new partners, LDC. It’s exciting that we are already seeing the benefits of working with LDC.
They have supported a very aggressive lean manufacturing program that is focused on our commitment to consistent product quality. We have made significant investments in new equipment that is transforming how we produce everything, from plastic moldings to electronic circuit boards and finished products. We’re also accelerating our investment in product development and our digital services and solutions roadmap.
We have also opened a new head office in India, where we have a large base for sales, marketing, operations and engineering that is increasingly capable of operating independently of the business in the UK.
JL: We have been and remain loyal supporters of IFSEC for a very long time. The show this year was a great opportunity to reconnect with many customers that we may not have had much time with over the pandemic disrupted years, so it was an important touchpoint and opportunity for us and our customers.
IFSEC International returned to London’s ExCeL in May 2022
IFSEC remains, to me, one of the premier live events for brands in the global security market. I’m quite excited about the new show coming in Amsterdam next year, and I hope that it becomes the cornerstone exhibition for the broader European market. As the UK and EU markets start to increasingly diverge, there is no other show with IFSEC’s brand cache that can provide a unified EU live-event platform as effectively.
As far as our conversations with customers – to repeat the theme we already discussed, most of our conversations are around our evolving set of digital services and solutions. At IFSEC, the launch of Texecom Monitor – our cloud-enabled alarm signaling service – was the key topic that customers wanted to learn about.
JL: Monitor is, arguably, the most important innovation and launch for Texecom since the company’s founding. It is so much more than just another product in our innovation pipeline.
Monitor is the final and most important element of our core digital tool set, as it facilitates primary alarm signaling that is a key requirement of professional grade alarm systems. So, our installation partners can now use the same SmartCom digital communicator to provide mobile apps for their end user customers, remote maintenance and management tools for their engineers, and EN-graded multi-path signalling for ARC monitoring and police response.
Simplicity has always important for us, so we’ve made things simple for the ARCs and simple for installers – who now only have to install and configure one device. And that device, because it is in our ecosystem, provides a range of features and benefits that no third-party communication solution can compete with.
JL: I can’t say that I’ve necessarily thought of the cloud as the biggest gamechanger, but now that you ask it in that way, I can see why you might think that. I mean, for decades, managed networks were just fine – and they were all that was possible. But, as technology has evolved, the cloud is just incredibly more flexible, scalable and secure than anything else.
We’ve been able to build a phenomenal amount of resilience in our cloud platform. It’s been – touching wood – more than two years now without a single minute of downtime. It scales automatically, has incredibly fast error reporting, and can heal itself if any element is disrupted. The data security is superlative, and the value-add services we can continue to provide from that single connection to the cloud allows us the agility to deliver on the ever-evolving needs of our markets and customers.
Installers and Alarm Receiving Centres that have embraced our cloud services and solutions have found that it allows them to streamline their day to day operations and create greater efficiencies – saving them time and money. And, most importantly for our customers, it enhances the quality and range of services that they can offer to their end user customers – increasing satisfaction and allowing them to make more money. We wanted to give them ‘More.’ Our Cloud Services allow them to do more, faster…and more, remotely – deliver more diagnostics & maintenance, provide more health checks, set-up and configure more remotely. And ensuring they can manage their portfolio wherever they are and whenever they want, all in one place, ultimately adds up to ‘More’.
And James, as I mentioned earlier, we are not stopping there. We believe that More, is More, and we will continue to deliver on the ever-evolving needs of our customers and our markets – delivering More.
JL: We have been seeing for some time now aggressive moves by entry-level and DIY type products and companies that are trying to embed themselves in the market. That’s not particularly a space we are interested in, because we believe strongly that the best way to look after the things people care about is by providing a fully competent and compliant service which can only be done by a professional security expert provider.
Our trusted installer partners are well trained, experienced, qualified and certified security professionals – so the service they provide is robust and of a high quality. It is our duty to ensure they have options and opportunities to provide their customers with solutions that are smart, reliable and integrated with their needs and lifestyles – while still ensuring they get the professional expertise that will ultimately provide them with the peace of mind they seek.
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