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More of the same - with a different name

As of 1 July 2006, Reditron – importer and distributor of CCTV and access control equipment – is no more.

The company, a household name in the South African security industry has changed its name to reflect its link to the giant global security group, Norbain, headquartered in Reading, England.

"Reditron's association with Norbain is nothing new," says Reditron's and now Norbain South Africa's managing director, John Loftus. "The company was actually bought by Norbain in September 1996, but traded under the Reditron banner because of the Reditron brand's strength in South Africa."

John Loftus

Changing the company's name to reflect its international ownership and sister companies all over the world was not an easy decision for Loftus, but one he believes was necessary.

"We operate in a global village and the Norbain name is known and respected in all major markets for security equipment. There are therefore numerous benefits for us to join the family and reap the advantages of belonging to the dominant player in our market."

Norbain is the biggest buyer of CCTV equipment in the world and has annual revenues in the billions of rand, which it currently earns from three trading companies -UK-based Norbain SD, Norbain Europe, headquartered in Portugal and Norbain South Africa (previously Reditron).

The biggest contributor to this turnover is Norbain SD, a major distributor of CCTV, access control and intruder detection equipment in Europe (its annual revenues reaching £126 million in the past year). Its export division sells into over 77 countries across five continents; Norbain Europe and Norbain South Africa are obviously key customers of this division.

Norbain also recently opened a company in the Middle East to address the growing demand for its products in the region and it is expected that - like Norbain South Africa - this will prove a very profitable venture for the group.

No conflicts

To ensure customers receive the best service and that there are no conflicts between the security equipment manufacturing and distribution business, Loftus notes that the Group's manufacturing facilities have been sold off. The Reditron brand will, however remain as Norbain SA and will continue to manufacture its Rediview range of digital video recorders and to supply other CCTV equipment under the Reditron brand name.

Norbain is the authorised distributor for all leading brands of CCTV, access control and intruder detection products from companies like ADE, American Dynamics, BPT, Baxall, Bewator, Bosch Security Systems, Computar, Cotag, Dedicated Micros, Dallmeier, Dantec, Dennard, Derwent, HID, GBC, JVC, Optex, Panasonic, Paxton, Pelco, Pyronix, Rokonet, Sanyo, Silent Witness, Sony, TDSi, Viper, Vision Fire & Security and Yuasa. The South African operation will therefore have no shortage of top-class products to offer clients should there be a demand for specific solutions in South Africa.

In addition, Norbain SA will be able to leverage off the experience of its international parent, which has supplied equipment forming the backbone of thousands of security applications around the globe. "The majority of these include city and town centres, retail operations, transport facilities, manufacturing plants, banking enterprises, governmental institutions, educational establishments and sports stadia," adds Loftus.

No change

"Although the company is changing its name, there will be no change in the service levels we offer," he explains, "except for improvements we make on a continual basis. Additional benefits of being in the Norbain group are the advantages we can offer clients in terms of better pricing due to the greater buying power Norbain holds, and a broader range of products."

Norbain SD, for example, offers products sourced from 150 manufacturers compared to Norbain SA's 48. The local company will potentially be able to offer over 4000 CCTV products and close to 1800 access control items.

"On the service front, we expect quicker turnaround times when customers order product that we do not physically hold in South Africa. Norbain SD maintains massive stockholdings to guarantee 98% availability of its catalogue lines, and its warehouse and distribution logistics systems are world-class," boasts Loftus.

Norbain SA will also continue to support the products it sells itself instead of sending them overseas as so many of its competitors do. Loftus is confident in the products Norbain SA will sell as the company puts every product through a strenuous testing process before offering it to clients. The result is quality products supported by a premier service.

"We do the same with our partners," he says. "To ensure the users of our products receive the best service from the entire supply chain, we also rate our suppliers every six months to ensure there is no disruption of service or reduction in quality.

"All these processes will remain in place and be further strengthened in time to come as we further extend our reach into the South African market. Norbain SA's long-term plans will also see the South African operation expanding its reach into Africa with the assistance of its installers and other partners."

The mark Reditron has made on the South African market over the years has not been easy to beat - as can be seen by the dominant position it holds in the distribution industry. The change to the Norbain naming brings the best of Reditron together with the power of an international brand, a combination that should ensure Norbain SA remains a prevailing distributor of security equipment in South Africa.

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