ISJ Exclusive Interview: John Davies, TDSi

John Davies, Managing Director, TDSi chats integration, US market trends and the importance of strengthening industry relationships.

How has the demand changed for integrated solutions?

I think what people consider integrated solutions to be has had a major impact. If we go back 15-20 years, people were talking about integration very basically. It was still based on proprietary protocols. I think with the advent of the IoT, things have changed. Today, it’s not so much about integration – it’s about interoperability.

On the IoT side of things, devices are intelligent sensors that send data back to a ‘gathering’ piece of software where decisions are made. These software packages are important as the market is now about taking data from different silos and looking at the relationships between datasets. Integration has moved to actually working out how people interact with the built environment.

Systems manufacturers are looking at forming relationships with providers of other services within the built environment to actually deliver a solution. In most cases, these solutions are based on driving a better ROI, reducing costs or driving productivity. We are having to become more in tune with a ‘day in the life’ of our customers.

Can you tell us why the US is such a key region for TDSi?

The US probably represents about 40%, maybe 50%, of the world security systems market. From a business growth perspective, if you’re not doing anything there, you’re missing out on an opportunity. That being said, because it is such a big part of the global security marketplace, competition is fierce. In fact, the market isn’t singular – it’s a collection of five or six different regional markets which are all different.

The US is an important marketplace for TDSi for two main reasons. One, because it helps us gain a better understanding of the needs of different verticals. Two, because the adoption of new technologies is a lot faster in the US. Therefore, we need to be closer to customers in that marketplace in order to make sure that we are as close to being ahead of the development curve as possible. We don’t want to be on the outside looking in, we need to be on the inside.

How do you adapt to regional requirements?

TDSi is part of the VITAPROTECH Group, which runs on three axes: Intelligent monitoring software, access control and perimeter intrusion detection systems. One of the companies that has been part of the group since 2014 is Protech USA, a brand TDSi will be working with out of the former’s facilities in Nevada. Whilst there’ll be some sort of final assembly of product done out of the Nevada facility, as we expand, we expect to be manufacturing products within North America.

In 2023, we will also continue building out the sales channel and enhancing our relationships with national distributors. We do very well with ADI Global here in Europe and, in the UK last year, our sales increased by 80%. We want to take this to the next level in the US.

2022 was the first time TDSi went to ISC West and it was a case of us just getting our feet in the water and letting people know we were on our way. Ultimately, it’s all about creating awareness and getting our brand out there. Though TDSi is 40 years old, we’re not a known brand in the US – but we are a known brand within access control. In fact, we are one of the pioneers.

This article was originally published in the March 2023 edition of International Security Journal. To read your FREE digital edition, click here.