ISJ Exclusive: Making Pelco great again

International Security Journal spoke exclusively with Brian McClain, President of Pelco about the work being done to reinvigorate the company.

What impact has the acquisition by Transom had on the company?

Transom is very focused on helping companies that are not hitting on all cylinders, they know they can buy a company, turn it around and create the value through the improvements made. Transom bring discipline to that process, they are very determined to create the right culture and focus on the people working for the company.

We have invested a significant amount of time and energy into trying to create a set of values to drive the business forward. We conducted a survey that went out to every Pelco employee, held more than 60 interviews with employees from around the world and also hosted two on-site meetings with senior members of the team. From that, we have created our mission and a set of values for the business.

That’s unusual isn’t it?

It is but it’s a great way to do it. We received honest feedback from our employees which indicated that we need to be more customer focused and return to being innovative again, reclaiming our place as a market leader. It was really interesting to go through that process and everyone can now begin to see what a Transom company is really like. Our employees are beginning to see that we have a strategy and are getting excited about the culture again.

I think Pelco’s problem has been that we are trying to be everything to everybody but ended up being nothing to anybody. So now we are putting extra emphasis on our approach to the market and defining exactly what it is that we are going to be.

How do you think your previous experiences assist you in the role?

When I was at LOUD Technology, we went through the exact same process with Transom. We implemented a set of values and completed the OGSM process – Objectives, Goals, Strategies and Measurements. It’s the method by which you start to align all of the functional areas in the company around a common set of goals. I have that understanding of how the process works and am able to articulate that to the organisation.

Do you have any immediate aims and objectives for the role?

Absolutely. Most importantly, I want our employees to understand what it is and what it means to be successful at Pelco. I want them to clearly understand what the opportunities, goals, strategies and measurements are. I want them to understand the expectations of the role and I want them to know, very clearly and concisely, what their job description is. What they can do to make Pelco successful every day. That is my number one goal in the organisation.

What is making the Sarix Pro 3 different from alternatives on the market?

We have a very high image quality in that camera and accompanied to that, the wide dynamic range is exceptionally good in that product. Those two factors will give us the ability to clearly compete in the market.

There are also a couple of other cameras being added to our line-up over the next eight months then we are going to look at the process of delivering a roadmap that will succeed in satisfying our customer’s needs. We will ensure that we have robust enough processes and procedures in place so that when we do have ideas, we have a really good method for including them on the roadmap at the right place, at the right time.

How do you think Pelco is going to look in three years’ time?

I believe that Pelco will be a market leader in the industry in the areas that we want to focus on. We are not going to be everything to everybody. I think you will see Pelco bring customer service back to the level that it used to be at. We will deliver distinctive video solutions and we will have a world class customer experience for our users. There has been a lot of turmoil in the company, but I am excited to make Pelco great again.

www.pelco.com