Morse Watchmans: Listening to the customer is critical

International Security Journal Editor, James Thorpe, catches up with Tim Purpura, VP Sales & Marketing, Morse Watchmans – Platinum Sponsor for the 2024 ISJ Leaders in Security Conference.

Why is the Middle East region so important to Morse Watchmans?

The Middle East is a rapidly growing region. In fact, it’s been a growing for region years.

Obviously, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, there was a slowdown, but it’s back and sectors are now growing leaps and bounds, making it a region we have to pay attention to.

The Middle East and Southeast Asia regions are extremely important to us, so it’s critical we maintain a strong presence here.

Can you tell us about Morse Watchmans’ operational footprint in the region?

In the Middle East as a whole, we have a number of dealers who are committed to Morse Watchmans.

We have a dealer based in Dubai who handles the UAE as well as dealers based throughout Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar.

We also have a dealer that handles Bahrain and a dealer in Kuwait. We have a large footprint and they do a fabulous job.

We have feet on the ground daily in all these countries and our team in the UAE, in particular, is very strong. They know our portfolio well and have sound technical knowledge.

They do a great job and have worked hard to ensure that our systems are utilised in most hotels in Dubai.

A country in the Middle East that is experiencing a lot of growth in particular is Saudi Arabia. Every day there are new opportunities here and I believe that our dealer in Dubai, who manages the sub-dealers in Saudi Arabia, is pushing them hard.

Across the world, which sectors and verticals are looking to your solutions to help enhance security and operational efficiency?

Operational efficiency is something that we believe in and hospitality really is a key sector that can take advantage of solutions that can heighten this.

You only have to look at the queues that are there for housekeeping and see the impact you can have by quickly reducing a line from 20 people to one, instead of waiting for a security guard to sign something out.

Another area that is important to us is hospitals and healthcare. In Dubai itself, every time I’m there it seems there’s a new healthcare facility that’s been built!

This is a sector with huge potential and I think that we need to continue taking advantage of its growth.

We have sister companies that also serve the healthcare market, such as TouchPoint Medical, and I think that we will start to take advantage of the synergies between us and work together in the Middle East.

Morse Watchmans is the Platinum Sponsor for the upcoming ISJ Leaders in Security Conference. What are you most excited about as we look ahead to 8 May?

I said this after the first ISJ Leaders in Security Conference in 2022: It’s a fantastic event because it really attracts the ‘who’s who’ of the region.

Once again, that’s what is really exciting about this coming year as I’m excited to get in front of the individuals who are truly growing the market; individuals that are truly growing the Middle East across specific sectors.

I anticipate that the energy at the 2024 instalment will build on last year’s event and the one before that.

I look forward to meeting new security leaders and having important and productive personal conversations with them about their evolving and changing security needs.

I also look forward to potentially catching up with security leaders whom I met at the 2023 event.

We are proud to partner with the ISJ Leaders in Security Conference to build on the success we have had at this important event in 2022 and in 2023.

Together, we will continue to build relationships and partnerships with each other and create catalysts that will help the Middle East business and security sectors thrive and grow.

What are Morse Watchmans’ primary focuses and strategic objectives over the course of the next 12 months?

In terms of our global growth plans, there are certain regions that I’m looking to develop our footprint in and Southeast Asia is one of them in particular.

The Middle East is also one, as is our footprint in Eastern European countries.

I honestly think that the one thing we need to do in the next six to 12 months is continue listening to the end users we are in contact with.

Listening to the customer is critical because it ensures that what we really bring to the market is that which they are specifically looking for; something that can enable them to become more efficient in their operations.

We are also in the process of developing ‘that next KeyWatcher’ level of solution – whatever it may be, we are excited for it. These are definitely our defined goals. 

Sector wise, we serve so many and this is an amazing thing.

However, it’s hard to say which of these sectors will be a number one priority as we look ahead.

When I take a closer look at the top few sectors that we serve, it has always been correctional facilities/prisons sitting at number one.

Despite the fact that this is an area in the Middle East that has massively grown for us throughout the past year, it is still sitting at number two, with hospitality undoubtedly taking the number one spot.

I think this is largely due to the matter of hospitality coming back to life following the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some of the other sectors we are experiencing rapid global growth in are gaming/casinos and education.

In addition, I expect that the government and military sector will continue to expand in light of all that is going on in the world.

Finally, we are working closely with our sister company SupplyPoint. A key part of this is working on new demo systems that we can bring to shows.

As visitors to our stand may or may not recall, last year at Intersec we had this monster of a locker system on display!

We are not going to bring that this year because it is, quite frankly, heavy and difficult to ship.

We are therefore working on developing a slightly more practical demo unit that we can showcase at exhibitions.

Morse Watchmans

For over a century, Morse Watchmans has been known as an innovator of high quality, cost-effective security technology.

Through seamless design, manufacturing and support, the company earned its reputation as a world leader in security management products.

Specialising in state-of-the-art key management (KeyWatcher), asset management (SmartKey Lockers), guard tour (PowerCheck) and key ring (KeyRing) systems, Morse Watchmans’ products are reliable, easy to use and expandable to meet your growing needs.

The company offers leading software, service and support to ensure the effectiveness of security investments. To find out more information, visit: https://www.morsewatchmans.com/

ISJ Leaders in Security Conference

Hosted by Centurian Media Ltd., the 2024 ISJ Leaders in Security Conference, produced in partnership with Morse Watchmans, will bring together leading figures from the Middle East security industry to deliver a high class forum that focuses on business strategy, latest trends, regulations and innovations from the region.

Taking place at The Grosvenor Hotel, Dubai Marina, Dubai, UAE, this in-person conference focuses on the most important topics and verticals from the security sector, with expert commentary and views provided by the likes of SIRA, ASIS International, The Security Institute and a host of high profile influencers.

To find out more information, visit: https://isjleadersinsecurity.com/