America can wait

July 2008 News & Events

ADI International's South African subsidiary distributes a wide range of electronic security and HVAC products. The local head office is situated in Johannesburg, with main branches in Pretoria, Cape Town and Durban. It also has opened trade counters specifically to deal with the SMB market in other cities around the country.

The company recently saw Andrew Stead taking the helm from Philip Cowles, who has been bumped up the ladder to head the company's office in Belgium. Andrew is a veteran of the local security industry, previously heading Elvey before spending a few years running his own businesses in the tourism and building industries.

Andrew Stead
Andrew Stead

In fact, Andrew and his wife were on their way to settle in Dallas, Texas in the USA when the opportunity of Regional GM of Sub Saharan Africa at ADI was offered to him. The opportunity was one he could not pass up.

"ADI South Africa presented a few challenges and many opportunities," says Stead. "ADI is a global company with revenues exceeding $36 billion and over 139 000 employees. The security industry is in my blood and I have developed relationships with many people throughout my career, as well as personal friendships that I do not wish to lose.

"My first task on arriving at ADI was to get to know the South African team, which numbers 60 people. This challenge soon became an opportunity as I got to know the team and realised what talented people they are and what a great atmosphere pervades the company."

Even though the ADI business is a well-established, brand agnostic distribution leader, Andrew's vision sees the company continuing to grow in its traditional areas of strength and achieve accelerated growth in other, newer areas of the market. For example, in the US, the majority of ADI's customers are in the intrusion market, while the majority of the South African company's customers are in the surveillance/CCTV market.

Stead has chalked up substantial experience in the intrusion market and this strength will assist the company in exploiting more opportunities in this area. Moreover, while ADI South Africa's existing business is a strong player in the systems integrator and high-end equipment installer market, it still has some ground to make up in the SMB arena.

Stead believes the product set on offer from ADI is unique in its variety as well as its ability to suit almost any need. "Few distributors, if any, can match our product selection and we are able to deal with markets from building or stadium management software to basic alarm systems.

He also says ADI, due to its international presence, understands the manufacturing process as well as the intricacies of the security distribution market, even when the products are competitors to Honeywell. This gives it an advantage in the local market where the experience and best practices of the international company can easily be extended to local customers.

Looking to the future, Stead wants to ensure ADI continues its local growth and is recognised as a leading distributor of quality security equipment. "My motto is to offer the best service and product at a fair price. However, when you provide an excellent service and communicate effectively with your customers, price is not always an important aspect of the deal and superior customer service will define ADI in the coming years."

For more information contact ADI International, +27 (0)11 574 2500, [email protected], www.adi-intl.co.za





Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page



Further reading:

Highest increase in global cyberattacks in two years
Information Security News & Events
Check Point Global Research released new data on Q2 2024 cyber-attack trends, noting a 30% global increase in Q2 2024, with Africa experiencing the highest average weekly per organisation.

Read more...
The power of PKI and private sector innovation
Access Control & Identity Management News & Events Government and Parastatal (Industry)
At the recent ID4Africa 2025 Summit in Addis Ababa, the spotlight was firmly on building secure, inclusive, and scalable digital identity ecosystems for the African continent.

Read more...
Bosch Security renamed Keenfinity
News & Events
Globally renowned brands for video systems, access control and intrusion alarm systems, as well as communication systems, unite under the roof of the new company Keenfinity Group.

Read more...
2025 video surveillance market set for improved fortunes
News & Events Surveillance
Novaira Insights has unveiled its latest report, World Market for Video Surveillance Hardware and Software – 2025 Edition, forecasting a healthy growth rate of 8,1% until 2029, excluding China.

Read more...
Wialon announces integration with fleet maintenance and optimisation platform
News & Events Transport (Industry) Logistics (Industry)
Fleet management software platform integrates with a fleet maintenance and optimisation platform to support mutual customers for better workflows and deeper insights into fleet operations.

Read more...
DeepSneak deception
Information Security News & Events
Kaspersky Global Research & Analysis researchers have discovered a new malicious campaign which is distributing a Trojan through a fake DeepSeek-R1 Large Language Model (LLM) app for PCs.

Read more...
Almost 50% of companies choose to pay the ransom
News & Events Information Security
This year’s Sophos State of Ransomware 2025 report found that nearly 50% of companies paid the ransom to get their data back, the second-highest rate of ransom payment for ransom demands in six years.

Read more...
Value and industry insight
Securex South Africa Training & Education News & Events
Securex South Africa 2025, co-located with A-OSH EXPO, Facilities Management Expo, and Firexpo, drew thousands of security professionals from across the continent and beyond, offering a platform for networking, product discovery, and knowledge sharing.

Read more...
Gallagher Security achieves ISO 27001 recertification
News & Events Training & Education
Gallagher Security has successfully achieved certification to the updated ISO/IEC 27001:2022 standard for Information Security Management Systems (ISMS). This accomplishment builds on previous certifications and reflects a continued commitment to the highest standards of information security.

Read more...
Survey highlights cost of cyberdamage to industrial companies
Kaspersky Information Security News & Events
The majority of industrial organisations estimate their financial losses caused by cyberattacks to be over $1 million, while almost one in four report losses exceeding $5 million, and for some, it surpasses $10 million.

Read more...










While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.




© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd. | All Rights Reserved.