IN THE BOARDROOM™ with...

Mr. Herve Fages
Chief Marketing Officer
Pelco
www.Pelco.com

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: Thank you for joining us today, Herve. Please give us an overview of your background and a brief company history of Pelco, which is now a member of the Schneider Electric family of businesses.

Herve Fages: Yes, of course. My pleasure.

My background: I have been with Pelco for 7 years and in the security industry – in both sales and marketing – for 16 years. What first caught my eye about Pelco was that customer service did not appear to be just an advertising tagline. It’s a reality. That was particularly attractive to me because I was looking for a company with values that matched my own – and I found that with Pelco.

I first started as Managing Director of Pelco EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) and transitioned to Managing Director of our Asia Pacific region. After nearly four years in that position – and being instrumental in expanding our operations in Singapore and Shanghai and championing the establishment of a China Warehouse – last year I transferred to Pelco headquarters and was promoted to Director of Global Marketing. Most recently, in March, I was promoted to Chief Marketing Officer.

Brief Pelco History: During my time here, we have gone from being a U.S.-based, privately held company with a growing global presence, to now being a part of a much larger, expanding global presence under our new ownership by Schneider Electric. Even after the acquisition in October 2007, Pelco has continued to differentiate itself through a culture that has been built and maintained over more than two decades in the industry. And now we are able to leverage that through the expanded opportunities presented by being a part of the Schneider Electric family of companies.

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: One will read on www.Pelco.com that Pelco, “…produces the most respected offering of discreet camera domes and enclosures, megapixel IP and HD cameras, video matrix systems, next generation digital video recorders, software-only video management solutions, and fiber optic transmission systems for video/data – and much more – all in the never-ending pursuit of achieving 100-percent customer satisfaction.” Please give us an overview of your product line. Are there any new products and/or solutions that you would like to mention?

Herve Fages: Our main emphasis is now on IP High Definition solutions, growing that end of the business while supporting our base in analog and helping those customers transition into the expanding IP end of the industry. Our goal is to dominate in IP and grow greater than market projections. We recently announced a lot of new product solutions at the ISC West tradeshow in Las Vegas, where we showcased our innovation in High Definition with such new products as Spectra HD. We have taken our industry-leading Spectra PTZ dome into the world of high definition, in addition to our Sarix line of IP cameras and HD domes, Full HD LCD Displays, enhanced video control and management through Endura 2.1, and EnduraXpress – our new video appliance. Our goal remains to lead the security industry with end-to-end systems – now emphasizing IP High-Definition solutions – while at the same time being an open solutions provider, now working closely with more than 160 partner companies to provide the industry with the tools they need for success.

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: What are your key target markets and what is your perspective on the market drivers for Pelco solutions at this challenging economic time?

Herve Fages: Our key target markets continue to be in transportation, government – including city centers – and commercial, which include retail enterprises. Even through this current challenging economic climate – and as the security industry transitions to more emphasis on IP/IT – we continue to remain strong in our key verticals, especially internationally.

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: Are there one or two success stories you’d like to talk about?

Herve Fages: The deployment of a Pelco system on the Cheonan-Nonsan Expressway in Korea is one good example. It included an Endura Network-Based Video Surveillance System, video display wall at the central monitoring station that uses the Endura VCD for video wall management, and over 120 specially modified Esprit integrated camera positioning systems with Day/Night capabilities. The cameras were fitted with additional long-range IR illuminators that provide the crystal-clear video they need in daylight and the clear, detailed images required in the darkest lighting conditions at night. The operators are simply delighted to see Esprit’s brilliant pan/tilt performance, and the integrated design of the Esprit almost totally eliminates the frequent mechanical maintenance required of other systems.

Another benefit is that Pelco’s Endura system allows complete digital management of the video while interconnecting all remote sites in one central monitoring station. Endura’s endless capability for expansion also leaves plenty of room to grow the system. The best thing is, when they are ready for a new phase they just need to plug and play – Endura does the rest. Like all countries, transportation infrastructure has always been one of the foundations of a nation’s growth and development, and the ever-increasing traffic on the roadways of Korea is something they must keep an eye on. Pelco’s equipment now watches over the safety and security of thousands of drivers every day, every night, and Pelco is pleased to be a part of that process.

Another deployment worth mentioning is the port of Palm Beach in Florida, where Pelco delivered an effective migration strategy to IP. As you know, powerful and cost-effective, highly adaptable IP-based video security systems can offer maximum value for many applications. But for those users who have already invested extensively in an analog security system, the task of adopting new technology can seem daunting and expensive. The Port of Palm Beach faced this dilemma, but found an effective solution with a complete Pelco IP video security system.

The port’s migration path to IP started with Pelco’s Spectra IV IP and Digital Sentry NVRs – featuring our DS ControlPoint Video Management Software and its extremely intuitive graphical user interface – and Camclosure IP 110 network cameras. They were already pleased with the product reliability, durability and performance of the Spectra camera domes and DX8000 DVRs they were currently using, in addition to the support they were receiving, so the key to success was in developing the right mix of technologies moving forward.

With DS ControlPoint, data can be accessed, monitored and managed from multiple locations, which provides a lot of flexibility with its secure access on the Internet for an unlimited number of users – a huge benefit for the port. As both a commercial and cruise ship port spanning 200 acres, their security needs are extensive as I’m sure you can imagine. So video security plays a vital role in helping to ensure the safety of the thousands of people who pass through the port on any given day, as well as to help them watch for trends, monitor waterfront activity, track container movement, and protect valuable cargo.

The flexible and easily adaptable nature of this DS ControlPoint system will allow the port to grow and adjust the system as needs change. And I understand that plans to expand the system are currently underway to add approximately 200 additional Pelco cameras as well as additional Digital Sentry NVRs. This is a good example of an ideal solution for supporting an investment made in both analog and IP technology.

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: We read with great interest about Pelco’s participation in PSA-TEC 2010 www.psatec.com. Please tell us more about the Pelco Road Show taking place at PSA-TEC.

Herve Fages: We had great attendance at the Pelco Road Show. Everyone was very excited to hear all about our HD offerings, enter a drawing to win a free iPad, and see our newly outfitted Mobile Product Showcase – our traveling, mini-Pelco on wheels – that’s stocked with our latest enterprise-class network-based digital video systems and IP cameras. The MPS offers hands-on demonstrations in a mobile “showroom” – unique to the industry.

We also had programs for our dealers discussing the value of doing business with Pelco and selling the Pelco IP advantage with end-to-end HD/IP offerings, open architecture and integration, and how to more effectively lead with Pelco, as well as energy efficiency solutions from APC.

Our participation was a great success.

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: Thanks again for joining us today, Herve. Are there any other subjects you would like to discuss?

Herve Fages: We see a lot of growth and excitement in the emerging economies in Latin America and India. We see a lot of interest coming out of Argentina and Brazil and will capitalize on this momentum moving forward.