printer friendly version

New owner and new drive for Reditron

Last month the security industry was surprised to hear that Regal Security had bought Reditron. Hi-Tech Security Solutions spoke to Raymond Katz, Regal’s CEO and Mel Labuschagne, now the MD of Reditron, to find out about their plans for the future of Reditron.

The first thing to note is that neither Regal nor Reditron is disappearing. A few years ago, Regal launched IP Security Solutions (IPSS) as a vehicle to serve the IP security market and the mid- to high-tier of the market. Katz says IPSS has advanced well over the years and has garnered a good selection of products, including Dahua, NUUO, Hikvision, Etherwan, Paxton and more, while gaining good traction in the market. These products will be added to the range of products in the Reditron basket; brands like Samsung, Sony, Heitel, IndigoVision, Rediview, Sagem, Saflec, SeeTec, Arecont and more.

When it became known that Reditron may be up for sale, Katz and Labuschagne immediately realised there was a perfect fit between IPSS and Reditron, in terms of the markets each served as well as the quality of the products on offer. Additionally, there was little overlap in terms of customers and products, and Reditron had a good, experienced team.

The decision was therefore made to bid for Reditron with the goal of merging it with IPSS. As we know, the offer was accepted and the merger has already been completed. All IPSS employees will work from the Reditron premises in Wynberg.

As the new MD, Labuschagne says he is impressed with the quality of employees he found at Reditron. There are many long-serving, experienced employees with excellent technical and market knowledge. The Reditron branch structure is an added bonus that gives the company a respected and fully functional national footprint.

The new Reditron will not change its focus, but will grow and serve its market independently, even competing with Regal when required. All the staff remain on board, with only the three previous owners leaving.

Labuschagne says that just as Norbain was a leader in the South African CCTV market, Reditron will retake this crown and regain its standing as one of the country’s leading IP security distributors. He adds that there is some internal work to do to streamline operations at the merged company and solidify the already respected brand, but that as far as customers are concerned, it is business as usual.

Another area Labuschagne will be focusing on is staff retention and training to ensure Reditron is able to offer the service that matches the premier brand names it represents in SA. More importantly though, will be a renewed focus on customers, ensuring their expectations, needs and service levels are met consistently.

“I’m personally excited by the challenge, and encouraged by the commitment and quality of the staff we have on board at Reditron,” says Labuschagne. “With the commitment I have received I am sure the turnaround strategy will go even further than we planned. I am also confident that our customers will experience the positive changes in the short term.”

In short, it is business as usual for Reditron and Regal. Both Katz and Labuschagne are positive about the turnaround strategy and expect Reditron to regain its market position quickly. There may be some brand rationalisation from merging IPSS into Reditron, but this will not rock the boat. What will rock the boat is the improved service levels they have planned as a result of improved employee training.

Labuschagne says he has taken a hands-on approach to managing the company, which is not proving difficult given the quality of people employed. “It’s people that make the difference and Reditron is fortunate to have good people with a great product catalogue.”

Share this article:

Further reading: