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Sokymat, Metget, ACG, Interlock
and Fargo Electronics just to name
a few. We integrated their product
offerings to acquire greater techni-
cal expertise, global market share,
a broader array of products and
began to move the company from
being simply a card and reader
manufacturer to an Identifica-
tion Business. This proved to be
a successful proposition and it
continued after I left under succes-
sors that I personally recruited. I'm
proud of that legacy.
And what can we then expect
from Vanderbilt?
Today, we again see indications
that the time is ripe for a season
of change in the security industry.
The fragmentation that existed in
the access control market when
I left the industry in 2008 is still
quite evident with even more new
ments similar to those we saw at
the time of Assa Abloy's acquisi-
tions?
Firstly, it's worth noting that
Assa Abloy has continued to grow
and be acquisitive, maybe at an
even greater pace in the years since
I left. Under great leadership and
execution of their strategy, they
have clearly outdistanced all their
competitors.
At HID, even before Assa
Abloy, we combined some key
acquisitions with substantial
organic growth to build the
world's leading card and reader
manufacturer. Assa Abloy, which
acquired HID in 2001, then gave
myself and our management team
the opportunity (and of course
the treasury) to bring together
a number of industry players,
especially in Europe. We fairly
rapidly acquired Indala, Omnikey,
Products the Vanderbilt brand has
got a kick-start on a global level.
You have said that the acquisi-
tion of Siemens Security Prod-
ucts will considerably expand
Vanderbilt's presence in the secu-
rity industry by broadening the
company's competitive position.
But how does it fit into Vander-
bilt's strategy and organisation?
Well, the acquisition of
Siemens' Security Products fits
our corporate strategy perfectly. It
matches Vanderbilt's solid founda-
tion and strong legacy built from
nearly three decades in the security
industry.
Can you develop your thoughts
about why Vandebilt decided to
go after Siemens Security Prod-
ucts and the benefits of acquire
the business?
Vanderbilt saw an opportunity
to expand its product offering
and geographic market coverage.
The addition of SP represents
significant value potential with
its established installed base of
customers and loyal resellers. The
market trend is for integrated
security management systems and
more open solutions from trusted
suppliers. SP clearly provides a
vehicle to offer these solutions to a
broader customer base.
Your return to the industry in
2012 with parent company
ACRE, and its subsidiaries,
Vanderbilt has already resulted
in the acquisition of Schlage
SMS business in 2012, Mercury
Security in 2013 and Siemens
Security Products in 2014.
Should we expect more develop-
Acquisition is nothing new to
Joseph J. Grillo. Executives in the
electronic security and identifica-
tion industries may recall a time
in the not too distant past, when
a series of acquisitions led by a
recognised leader in the physical
security business took the industry
by storm. That leader, Joseph
Grillo, drove a consolidation effort
with the vision that a fragmented
electronic access control market
was evolving through advance-
ments in identification technol-
ogy to protect both physical and
digital environments.
Starting with its acquisition of
HID, which had grown rap-
idly and successfully under Mr.
Grillo's leadership, Stockholm-
listed Assa Abloy was the one to
benefit from this strategic vision.
Back then the joke shared at the
trade shows was "should we all
be learning Swedish?" Today,
Mr. Grillo's name is associated
with a new company: Vanderbilt
Industries, as well as its parent
company ACRE LLC. While
the Vanderbilt name is new, the
company has a long legacy of
providing enterprise-level secu-
rity solutions. And through the
acquisition of Siemens Security
the
interview
Joseph Grillo, CEO of ACRE LLC & Vanderbilt Industries:
"Thetimeisrighttoinvestinthesecurityindustry"
On the 20th of October Vanderbilt Industries an-
nounced that it has entered into an agreement to
acquire Siemens' Security Products business from
Siemens' Building Technologies division. with Joseph
J. Grillo as the Managing director, Siemensīs Security
Products will become a part of Vanderbilt Interna-
tional.
Joseph J. Grillo is a true security veteran and de-
tektor has interviewed him about his view on the
security market in general and the role of Vanderbilt
International in particular.
The market
trend is for
integrated
security
management systems
and more open solutions
from trusted suppliers. SP
clearly provides a vehicle
to offer these solutions to a
broader customer base.
Joseph Grillo, CEO of ACRE LLC & Vanderbilt Industries.