India
Surveille'd
The
Indian market for Security & Surveillance is one of the fastest growing
in the world and as a further testament to this, the worlds leading security
exhibition IFSEC took place at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi from 25-27
October 2007.
Covering all aspects of the Security market including CCTV, building management
systems, retail security and much more, IFSEC India focussed on fire protection
and prevention and was co-located with internal Security 2007, an event
dedicated to the police and paramilitary sectors.
But just how do you go about addressing a market of such diversity? We
asked Bedfordshire based AMG Systems - a world leading manufacturer of
Fibre Optic based CCTV transmission equipment - to give us some insight.
AMG's founder and MD Dr. Alan Hayes (pictured above right) explains ‘Recognising
the wealth of business opportunities present in India's rapidly developing
security solutions sector, we quickly appreciated that IFSEC India would
provide the ideal location for showcasing our second generation Guardian-Lite™
3700/4700 series.
‘AMG Systems Ltd manufactures fibre optic transmission equipment
for CCTV Systems in both the Security and Transportation markets. We differentiate
significantly from other manufacturers by offering benefits such as drop
and insert technology, dual optical redundancy and manageability within
a transmission system without compressing the video signal.
'A functionality which is increasing becoming part of the customer expectation.
We also provide transmission of all other Ethernet, low speed data and
audio services on the same system. As a result we have been very successful
in winning large significant projects throughout the world. On the transportation
side, good examples of our experience include: In the UK - providing transmission
for all 1400 cameras on the motorways (the National Road Transportation
System) and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. For the rest of the world -
the Hong Kong Mass Rapid Transit, Dublin City Centre and surrounding road
networks, new road system for the Athens Olympic Games, also road and
rail systems in many other countries.
‘We have recently won systems for toll roads in India as follows:
Panipat Elevated Corridor, the Interstate Road Corridor; referred to as
Plalanpur- Swaroopgunj, the Vadodara Bharuch Tollway, the Krishnagiri
Thopur Toll Road and the Western Andhra Tollways. For these projects the
transmission system collects the video signals from the roadside, together
with Ethernet and low speed data and audio signals for all other roadside
services.
'On the security side we provide systems for all types of applications,
from shopping centres to prisons, from town centres to football grounds,
from ports to industrial sites and from airports to hotels. Prestigious
reference sites include Jerusalem Town Centre (Israel), London West End
(UK), Bell Marsh Prison (UK), Museum of Islamic Arts (Qatar), Burj Tower
Residencies (UAE), Aramco (Saudi Arabia), Chelsea Football Club (UK) and
many many more’.
Dr. Hayes had further received an invite to give a presentation during
IFSEC and as the company has been increasing its focus on the Indian market
over the past few years, this was an excellent opportunity to dig into
the more sophisticated mechanisms when it comes to marketing British CCTV
transmission products in India.
The
AMG Stand at IFSEC in Delhi
Dr.
Hayes said,’We have conducted several market research projects in
India over the past 4 years and I am very pleased to say that the market
development we had forecasted seems to have come true. However, in order
to address a market of this size it is necessary to have your strategy
clear, and we certainly appreciate that focus on specific segments of
the market would be much more efficient than trying to do too much too
soon’.
Concentrating on the transport sector (Road, Rail, Ports and Airports)
AMG Systems started by identifying key systems integrators and other key
market players. The next step was to find out which areas - in terms of
geography would present most opportunities.
The background
The Indian market for security and safety equipment was about US $356
million in 2006 and the projected growth is estimated by 8-10% per year
over the next five years.
Dr. Hayes elaborates on the market development, ‘Whilst the market
is growing, it is also changing due to the realisation that security pays
in terms of reducing losses against theft, espionage, vandalism and terrorism.
Expenses on safety and security are now being viewed as an investment
and this has changed the market mechanisms. Traditionally the Government
segment has not been seen to use technology based security products and
solutions. Things changed after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the attack
at the Indian Parliament on December 13th, 2001. Following this the Government
recognised the need for implementation of security solutions. The recent
bomb blasts in a Mumbai public transport site in July 2006 has created
the need to proactively manage security, using technologies like CCTV
and access control. With the Indian economy growing to unprecedented levels,
there is a well-accepted need to address the growing security consciousness
with allocation of funds. More to the point; Government bodies, defence
sector and public sector units are currently driving the adoption of the
best in security products, but with a holistic approach’.
‘We have found that the market for surveillance in India is growing,
including traffic enforcement and control. One of the reasons for the
growth is the increasing disposable income and awareness about safety
and security. Over the next 10 years, the Government of India plans to
cover the whole of Delhi with surveillance systems, but areas around Mumbai,
Bangalore and Pune also have plans for large surveillance projects. As
a result the demand for CCTV is expected to outgrow the general projection
with a growth rate of 10-15 percent per year.’ Dr. Hayes said.
AMG has embarked on the right path with regards to its market focus which
was recently proved when the company was awarded an order for supplying
its 3700 series for 5 new toll roads in India.
Flyover
near Panipat City on National Highway No. 1 (NH1) in the State of Haryana
- one of the 5 Toll Roads AMG is supplying with CCTV transmission equipment.
Clear market approach
‘Our market approach is very clear; we know that the Indian market
demands high quality products and one of our strengths has always been
to develop and market top quality products at affordable pricing. We have
also taken an educational approach where we de-mystify fibre optic transmission
solutions and demonstrate the advantages of uncompressed CCTV in terms
of future proofing the systems long term. It is clear, that as the use
of scene analysis software increases it becomes increasingly important
that you retain all of the information in the CCTV image. Furthermore,
there is a requirement for facilitating that multiple view-points and/or
Control Centres can view any picture from any camera, which means that
our drop-and insert- technology is sought after.’
‘I would like to stress that we have found that knowledge transfer
is important. This includes subjects such as; advice on cost savings,
design methodology, quality issues for example regarding the image, Ethernet
capabilities and requirements, and technical training of local specialists,’
Mr Hayes said.
IFSEC India
IFSEC turned out to be a very positive and interesting event for AMG Systems.
The overall impression was that there were an awful lot of interesting
projects combined with a great atmosphere and the opportunity to get involved
in an actively expanding market.
‘We were delighted by the level of interest we received from the
visitors at the show. Furthermore, we felt that the projects we discussed
were in excess of the projected growth anticipated from the market research.
The fact that it's only 2 Halls enabled a more personalised approach to
addressing the market than is the case in Birmingham. I'd like to mention
the Exhibitor evening in particular and I'd also like to commend the British
Embassy which was very good at introducing us to the right people,’
Dr. Hayes concludes.
AMG Systems is currently visiting India again following up on a number
of projects.
Web: http://www.amgsystems.co.uk
