3 6 · d e t e k t o r i n t e r n a t i o n a l
the
interview
in Sweden. What is your
biggest challenge?
"We have had a very strong
growth rate over the last 89 years
and it is a major challenge to
maintain that growth rate from
a larger base. We must succeed
in many regions simultaneously
and we must succeed with many
product categories at the same
time. There is a challenge to find
innovations in order to be able
to continue growing in the long
term. And by that, I mean even
when the technology shift from
analogue to network video has
been completed, or has reached
a more mature stage, like 80-90
percent. Today, we are about
half way there, and so it is very
important that we ask ourselves
how we can broaden our offering
in terms of widening both our
video surveillance portfolio and
the use of video surveillance. We
need to establish the components
that we should add to maintain a
high growth rate, so that we can
continue to grow, even when we
reach that point. These are very
important questions."
In an interview with Detektor
three years ago, you said you
were working with a five-year
plan. How does that plan
look now?
"We do not believe that the transi-
tion from analogue to IP video
will be able to drive the market
for much more than another five
years. By then it is quite likely
that we will be approaching a level
where 8090 percent of the mar-
ket will be IP video. In this situa-
tion, neither we, nor IHS will be
predicting 2025 percent growth
driven by a technology shift. We
need to change and develop our
video surveillance offering and
find new areas of growth."
You have recently entered the ac-
cess control market by launching
a network door controller with
built-in web-based software.
Why did you decide to go down
this route?
"We, as well as our competitors,
need to be innovative. And by
innovative, I do not mean by just
improving camera features, but
by acknowledging the fact that
our customers have an interest in
solving problems rather than an
interest in cameras. In order to cre-
ate a good solution, it is important
for us to identify what needs to be
integrated. There are many custom-
ers that use, and want to use, video
surveillance in combination with an
integrated system. We try to address
that need by offering the appropri-
ate products and making it easy for
our partners to integrate them."
IHS claim that the IP surveil-
lance market is growing 2025
percent annually, but your
growth rate is less than 20 per-
cent. Have you reached a plateau
where your growth is starting to
decrease?
"We believe that IHS has been a
bit too optimistic. We have defi-
nitely not experiences that level of
growth and we do not think that
the market has either. I believe we
have had a growth that has been
pretty representative of the market
as a whole. If the global economy
recovers a little further and the IP
camera penetration rate increases
within small camera systems, I
believe that both Axis and the
market as a whole can reach those
levels again."
Half of your revenue is derived
from the Americas, almost 40
percent from the EMEA and 12
percent from Asia. Where do you
put most effort?
"We put a great deal of effort into
all the regions, and it is true that
we do have a very strong position
in the Americas and EMEA. Sales
wise, there is still much left to do
in Asia, not least since China is a
major part of Asia and will be in
the future."
You have been growing rapidly
over recent years. In 2013, your
profits were larger than ever and
you were named CEO of the year
to plan for the future, we were a
little worried about how to main-
tain our corporate culture and the
open atmosphere while growing.
But we have succeeded and I
believe that corporate culture is at
least as well established today as it
was then," Ray Mauritsson says.
How will you manage to
continue to grow?
When Ray Mauritsson was ap-
pointed as CEO in 2003, Axis had
some 300 employees and the rev-
enue was less than 100 million US
dollars. Today, Axis is the world
market leader surveillance camera
supplier and has more than 1,600
employees and the revenue is
about 700 million US dollars.
"When we became aware of the
rapid growth potential and began
Axis continues to grow and the company's profits are
larger than ever. during 2014, the video surveillance
market is expected to reach the tipping point when
revenue for network video will overtake analogue,
and in a few years time, this technology shift will no
longer be the driver for the market. Ahead of this
scenario, Axis is already actively seeking new growth
areas.
Detektor met up with Axis CEO Ray Mauritsson to
discuss the future and to discover why the company
has entered the access control market.
By Henrik Söderlund
Ray Mauritsson,
CEO Axis.
Ray Mauritsson, CEO of Axis:
"Acquisitions are not
on top of our short list"
Automation and Security Products