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Controlled distribution delivers results for IAC

Industrial Automation and Control (IAC) was launched 10 years ago by Burg van der Westhuizen and Mohammed Hassim, as a distributor of Industrial Ethernet products. The company was BEE compliant at launch as it was part of the Communica group. Van der Westhuizen is the current CEO of IAC and Hassim the MD of Communica.

IAC initially started out distributing Hirschmann industrial Ethernet products and established this brand as a standard in the local market. Wishing to expand beyond the industrial domain and into the security market, the company inked a deal with Mobotix to become its distributor in the region in 2004.

Mobotix is a Germany company offering IP camera technology that offers built-in intelligence and has been very well received in the high-end of the market. What makes Mobotix a unique sell is that the company sells its IP cameras, but makes the management technology available free of charge. This software allows companies to manage multiple cameras from a single consol.

Mobotix will have a team in South Africa in April to promote the product and demonstrate its functionality to all interested customers. Interested parties can contact IAC for more information.

Finally, IAC also distributes eyevis large screen displays designed for control rooms and monitoring centres.

Although IAC distributes a unique range of products, the company is dedicated to growing its system integrator and installer channel. Van der Westhuizen says the company only supplies its channel and only interacts directly with customers when requested to do so by partners. "We have ensured we are able to provide the necessary service and technical support to assist our partners wherever necessary, but we do not try to take over their customer relationships."

Van der Westhuizen continues that through its market efforts, IAC often comes into contact with the end user customer and will assist them in any way possible. However, when it comes to clinching a deal, IAC always defers to the client's chosen implementation partner.

The future is bright

With the right product set on offer, IAC has posted solid growth over the past 10 years and continues to expand. The plans are on the table for a new building for IAC with easy access from the highway (it currently shares premises with parent company Communica).

Van der Westhuizen also expects to see the company playing a more prominent role in South African life by offering its technology, specifically the Mobotix solutions to stadia as part of crowd and traffic control solutions for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It will also expand its existing relationship with the traffic authorities where it has been involved in the provisioning of the fibre backbone for the traffic cameras on the highways of Gauteng.

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