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Going from strength to strength

Jean Brown, Sensor MD, expounds on the decisions Sensor has made in the past and the shifts they have in store for the future. “As is the case of all good success stories, our origins are humble. We started operating out of a single office in Bellville as an authorised ADT alarm installer over 14 years ago.

Sensor Security’s Henry and Jean Brown.

For me, this little venture was meant to be a part-time business hobby after taking early retirement from the high-pressure corporate world, and for my son Henry, who was one of our wiremen, it was the opportunity to fulfil his love of all things tech. Little did we know what was in store for us.”

After a short two years, Sensor changed its business model to that of a distributor. At first, it bought products from rivals, adding a 5% mark up. It was at this juncture that they learnt that professional service and support outweighs the benefit of a lowest price.

Today, Sensor’s headquarters and main distribution warehouse are located in Midrand with branches in all the major cities throughout the country. The company also has dealings in 16 African countries. Brown adds, “We are fortunate to have almost 5000 clients, some of which are listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.”

And the secret behind this phenomenal growth? Brown readily provides the answer, “In terms of soft skills, it’s a combination of our family-driven enthusiasm, a strong management team and the support of very loyal personnel. In fact, loyalty is something that is very close to our hearts, which comfortably leads me on to the topic of the strong relationships we hold with our clients.”

Henry Brown, Sensor sales director, jumps in to talk more about the company’s product and technical strengths, “As a company, we like to position ourselves as one that sets the standard, we choose to partner with premium global brands such as Bosch, Hikvision, VIRDI and BFR Digital. But it’s not enough just to have good products; we provide advice based on technical knowledge and hard earned practical experience. I would even go so far as to say that we probably house the biggest technical team in the industry. After all, sound advice and technical support can’t be underestimated in this hi-tech, fast-paced industry.”

That is not to say the company is now resting on its laurels, far from it, Sensor is continually revaluating its performance and identifying new goals and targets. Towards the end of 2015, for example, Sensor made the strategic decision to expand its offering of surveillance equipment only to a provider of integrated end-to-end solutions. “After growing aggressively in the surveillance market over the past few years, the decision to broaden our scope was a natural one,” says Henry. “We are in the fortunate position of having two of the top three brands in our industry on our shelves. Hikvision is the top seller in the world when it comes to CCTV/surveillance, while Bosch – with its width of product range – including surveillance/CCTV, access control, public address/EVAC, fire detection and integration of the above – gives us the unique advantage of being able to advise and deliver complete building management systems.”

Jean picks up the thread, “In terms of the immediate future, we are now in a position to offer financing to customers of all registered Sensor clients via Sensor Finance. The benefits of this new offering range from the transaction being an off balance sheet solution with no initial cash outlay, to being able to maintain and afford a relevant and modern equipment infrastructure thanks to regular upgrades.”

Henry adds, “This means that the client can enjoy increased flexibility as their equipment needs change in line with their business needs. And of course, this finance service further cements Sensor Security’s market position as a true end-to-end solution specialist.”

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