ASSA ABLOY has acquired Biosite, a provider of biometric access control to the UK construction industry.

“I am very pleased to welcome Biosite and their employees into the ASSA ABLOY Group. Biosite is a strategic technological addition to the ASSA ABLOY Group. The company will reinforce our current offering within solutions for access control and will provide complementary growth opportunities,” says Nico Delvaux, President and CEO of ASSA ABLOY.

“Biosite offers biometric access- and workforce management solutions to the construction sector; maximizing security and safety whilst providing full visibility to material-, design plans- and people flow on the construction site. Combining hardware, software and services the company is a very good fit with ASSA ABLOY Global Solutions,” says Christophe Sut, Executive Vice President and Head of Global Technologies business unit Global Solutions.

Biosite was founded in 2010, has some 140 employees and the main office is located in Solihull, UK.

Sales in 2019 amounted to about GBP 14 million and the acquisition will be dilutive to EPS from start.

Border control deployments of biometric kiosks, e-gates, video surveillance cameras and fingerprint, iris and face recognition devices will combine to create total revenues of $3.5 billion by 2025, according to global tech market advisory firm, ABI Research.

The demands for higher levels of security, authentication and passenger processing speed in border control have caused identity management to evolve rapidly, forcing an influx of new biometric technologies.

“Not only are these new technologies bringing forth a wide spectrum of monetization strategies for service integrators and stakeholders, they also are creating a new set of challenges,” explains Dimitrios Pavlakis, an industry analyst at ABI Research.

Border control authorities are heavily investing in biometrically enhanced authentication and security measures. These investments are increasing return on investment (ROI) and helping stakeholders develop better-honed monetization strategies. These include streamlining identity management and passenger flow, decreasing processing time, automating passenger authentication, improving the overall experience, and developing new interoperable platforms and services.

New biometric hardware devices like handheld, immigration ID/authentication biometric device add-ons, access control and workforce management have also found their way into border control. Total revenues of biometric devices as well as e-gates, kiosks will reach $1.6 billion by 2025, including passenger registration and authentication, immigration, access control and workforce management.

Additionally, new biometric services allow governments and law enforcement to cooperate with international agencies through shared interoperable platforms and enhance their surveillance and counter-terrorism operation intelligence options across all land, air, and sea borders.

Global surveillance camera shipment revenues for border control will reach $1.9 billion by 2025 due to the push to strengthen border security via new video analytics, behavioral analytics, machine learning and machine vision technologies.

While biometric technologies are currently enjoying an increased penetration rate, border authorities and stakeholders must balance several conflicting variables. “These variables include supporting law enforcement, balancing biometric surveillance operations and interoperable services, decreasing operational latency, automating authentication, and streamlining passenger flow. All while complying with governmental mandates, regulations, data protection standards, and dealing with infrastructure upgrades and cybersecurity investments,” Pavlakis adds.

Biometric vendors and service integrators should take these challenges head-on, revisit the border control value chain, and customize their biometrics-as-a-service monetization strategies based on stakeholders’ ROI demands, expansion plans, and infrastructure requirements.

“Specialization is a key prerequisite, and innovative companies like Gemalto [Thales Group], IDEMIA, Collins Airspace, Gunnebo, Vision Box, Dermalog, HID Global and Aware each are developing their own unique market strategy by targeting different applications like e-gate and kiosk solutions, face/fingerprint/iris recognition hardware options, passenger management authentication, consumer and mobile biometric solutions, inter-agency data sharing, and interoperable service platforms,” Pavlakis concludes.

According to the latest information from Grand View Research, substantial growth in the hospitality sector is driving the need for enhanced security, which is expected to impel demand for smart locks between now and 2027.

The global smart lock market demand is expected to reach 34.9 million units by 2027, registering a CAGR of 21.6% from 2020 to 2027, according to a new report from the research company. Increasing consumer awareness regarding advanced and secure home solutions, along with steady rise in the adoption of connected devices, is cited as being a positive influence on the market.

Findings suggest that a growing number of residential and commercial projects, along with renovation of existing infrastructure, is expected to provide lucrative growth prospects for the industry. Smart locks can be integrated with several home automation devices, thereby providing security as well as convenience for users as they leave or arrive at home. With the growing prominence of smart locks across the residential sector, they are presumed to witness substantial demand, making mechanical locks a thing of the past.

Increased usage of smartphones globally has further paved opportunistic ways for industry participants, since they are continually launching apps to control locking/unlocking procedures. Regular innovations across the market for smart locks are increasingly driving investor interests with, say the analysts, remarkable funding contracts from key players. The industry has witnessed a considerable transformation over the past few years, with an influx of new startups, causing prominent vendors to form in-house hardware connectivity, software, and app development teams. The report suggests that this shift has resulted in market consolidation to a certain level due to numerous acquisitions across the marketplace.

Other key indicators showed that companies such as Airbnb Inc.; Couchsurfing International, Inc.; and other hospitality facilitators require homeowners to provide temporary access to guests, which has resulted in increased adoption of smart locks owing to provision of convenience to both customers and owners. In addition, the residential segment is expected to account for the largest revenue share of more than 65.0% by the end of 2027. Rising smart home penetration is resulting in a higher number of connected devices across the sector.

Geographically speaking, the smart lock market in the Asia Pacific region is expected to grow at the fastest rate over the next few years due to an increasing number of modernisation activities across the residential and hospitality sectors as well as construction of new infrastructure in emerging economies such as India.

Grand View Research analysts believe that the demand for Smart City solutions is anticipated to be on the rise, owing to a number of factors such as growing urban population and the need to better manage limited natural resources for environmental sustainability. Rapid urbanisation, ageing infrastructure, and adoption of new technology, coupled with the need for improved quality of life, are also cited as driving the market growth.

The latest study from the research company states that the global smart cities market size is expected to reach USD 463.9 billion by 2027, registering a CAGR of 24.7% from 2020 to 2027.

Smart cities address a diverse set of problems, such as efficient transportation, smart and enhanced buildings and homes, optimum energy utilisation, and better administrative services. The increasing adoption of novel technologies that complement the management of cities in the future is also a major catalyst for the market growth. The market would also benefit from initiatives taken by national and regional governments, residents, and local businesses to implement projects and tend toward cities’ problems.

The smart city market encompasses several sectors such as healthcare, transport, water, assisted living, security, and energy and their implementation varies from city to city due to the technological penetration in the region. The high amount of initial financial investments, need for the consolidation of different departments and sectors, and lack of a systemic approach may have a negative impact on the industry growth according to the analysts. Nevertheless, the market is anticipated to grow rapidly in the coming years, which would be driven by the availability of technology and an all-inclusive participation of industry stakeholders.

Other findings from the study suggest communication infrastructure and web-based services are anticipated to play a major role towards the global adoption of this type of solution. The inevitable consolidation of services, infrastructure, data, and sensors would significantly help adopt advanced solutions for these cities. The major hindrance in the adoption and implementation of these technologies include concerns regarding the privacy and security of data.

Attempts have also been made at developing consortia to support and standardise the market globally; however, this is limited to certain regions and application areas due to the lack of a systemic approach.

The smart cities market is dominated by major heavyweight companies such as ABB; Cisco; Schneider; Siemens; IBM; GEC; Microsoft; Hitachi; Honeywell; Intel; Oracle; Huawei; and Johnson Controls.

To enhance its market position, Geutebrück has, over the past four years, undergone a radical and strategic transformation. Alongside investing into new sales structures for increased user proximity, Geutebrück has also developed a new, future-oriented software platform. This platform allows for cloud-based, highly scalable solutions, is extremely flexible, has state-of-the-art browser technologies and object recognition based on artificial intelligence and neural networks.

Trading in an international highly competitive market for image-based software systems, the medium-sized company based near Bonn has been continuously and 100 percent family-owned since its foundation in 1970.

Aiming to be faster and more flexible, the two CEOs Katharina Geutebrück and Christoph Hoffmann are delegating decision-making authority to a team of four. Christine Heger-Essig is Chief Technology Officer (CTO). She is responsible for Product Marketing and Product Development. Andreas Degen as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) covers all internal services. As Chief Business Officer (CBO), Burkhard Henzgen heads the Sales Europe and Global Business Support divisions. Tarek Schönfelder takes over the Sales Overseas and Global Market Development departments as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO).

Katharina Geutebrück and her husband Christoph Hoffmann jointly manage the company: “The world is changing at an unprecedented speed and we must adapt to it. Digitisation and Digitalisation demand faster, more flexible and more agile businesses and companies. We all have to adapt. Our declared aim is that the company that my father established 50 years ago will continue to play a major role in shaping our international industry both now and in the future”.

The shareholder structure is also proof of this. Co-director Christoph Hoffmann has acquired the shares of a Geutebrück family member and is thus also a shareholder. “As an investor, I am interested in investing in a future-oriented company. As managing director, I want to indicate to our customers that we are personally committed to the company and thus ensure continuity. On a personal level, as the son-in-law of the founder, it is a matter close to my heart that the security control centres of world-renowned museums, authorities or industrial companies will continue to trust Geutebrück solutions for the next 50 years when it comes to protection, security and transparency”.

The smart home market is expected to double from 2018 to 2024 with a CAGR of 12 per cent. That means it is going from 76.6 billion US dollars to more than 151 billion dollars.

“There are a lot of new entrants in the smart home segment, not only the traditional security providers”, says Aurélie Boyer, Product Manager for ZeroWire & Security Devices at UTC Fire & Security.

According to Marketsandmarkets, there are many factors behind the growth of the smart home: a growing number of internet users and increasing adoption of smart devices, rising disposable incomes in developing economies, increasing importance of home monitoring in remote locations, a rising need for energy-saving and low carbon emission-oriented solutions. Another is the large number of manufacturers expanding their smart home product portfolios.

Video is still key
Aurélie Boyer, says: “It is a booming market. There are a lot of new entrants in the smart home segment, not only the traditional security providers, but also players such as Google home, and these companies usually come first with a solution for the smart home and bring the security afterwards. We penetrate the market with security first and then integrate with the smart home functionalities as well.”

She believes that video surveillance has been the most important technology when it comes to smart home integration. She says: “There is also a lot of focus on energy efficiency and integration with the smart thermostat, but I think video will remain number one for smart home integration.”

Smart home services
Marketsandmarkets points out that proactive software and services are two parts of the smart home market that will grow at a higher rate than the market as a whole. For many companies in the physical security industry, smart home services is a possible emerging market for the future. Home deliveries, like groceries, is an example of a service that could be done without the householder being home, but there must be a solution for door access.

The year 2020 will represent a landmark for the video surveillance industry, with global sales of goods including cameras, recorders, video management software (VMS) and accessories projected to surpass $20 billion for the first time, according to IHS Markit, Technology division, now a part of Informa Tech.

Significantly, the world’s two largest economies, the United States and China—currently embroiled in a heated trade dispute—are also the two largest players in the video surveillance market. China accounts for approximately 45 percent global sales revenue, ahead of the United States, which is in second place.

Despite the ongoing trade dispute, and industry-specific tariffs and sanctions, the worldwide video surveillance market is forecast to grow by almost 10 percent annually in 2020, with some regional markets, like India and Southeast Asia, expanding even more rapidly.

Flashpoint topics for 2020

IHS Markit has identified seven topics that will be important flashpoints for debate and discussion in 2020, such as the point that installed cameras worldwide will approach the 1 billion mark in 2020, and the significance that this might have. The paper also looks at potentially significant shifts that are set to shake up video surveillance manufacturing. For example, 5G promises turbocharged video for the security industry, and the uncomfortable truth of deepfake video surveillance. The report also covers hot discussion topics, including the transformation from IoT to AIoT, the merging artificial intelligence with the internet of things; analytics at the edge; and moving the cloud on premise.

Gunnebo has announced a partnership with Loomis U.S, where the CIT company will bring a highly-integrated cash deposit smart safe to retailers in the U.S.

The seamless integration of Gunnebo’s smart cash deposit technology to Loomis’ core systems will enable retailers to expand and deliver superior customer service, while driving security, process improvements and cost efficiencies across retail operations.

“We are delighted to partner with Loomis, a well-known specialist in creating efficient cash flow and handling of cash,” said Stefan Syrén, President and CEO of Gunnebo. “Together, we are leveraging the experience of two industry leaders to provide existing and new retail customers a collaboration of the highest service levels combined with a world-class smart deposit solution.”

The solution, named Titan Z smart safe, provides secure, reliable, and efficient cash processing for undercounter use in retail operations.

Vice President of SafePoint for Loomis Moises Gonzalez said, “With Gunnebo as our partner, we are able to expand our current portfolio of cash automation solutions and provide a compact, high-performance cash-handling option to retailers with low cash volumes.”

Anixter Int’l said it will be acquired by Wesco Int’l for $4.5 billion, creating an electrical and data communications wholesale distribution company with $17 billion in annual revenues.

The agreement has been approved by the boards of both companies. The transaction is subject to Anixter stockholder approval, as well as regulatory approval in the United States, Canada and certain other foreign jurisdictions, and customary closing conditions. The companies anticipate completing the transaction during the second or third quarter of 2020.

The agreement concludes a bidding war between Wesco (NYSE: WCC) and an affiliate of Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R). Anixter’s initial agreement in October to be acquired by the private equity firm for $81 a share in cash was terminated after CD&R waived its matching rights under the agreement.

Under terms of the merger agreement announced Monday, Wesco will pay the equivalent of $100 for each Anixter share outstanding, including $70 in cash, 0.2397 shares of Wesco common stock and preferred stock consideration valued at $15.89 for each Anixter share.

“The transformational combination of Wesco and Anixter will create a premier electrical and data communications distribution and supply chain services company. With increased scale and complementary capabilities, we will be ideally positioned to digitize our business, expand our extensive services portfolio and supply chain offerings, and deliver solutions to our customers whenever and wherever they need them around the globe,” states John Engel, Wesco’s chairman, president, and CEO.

After the deal closes, Wesco shareholders will own 84% of the combined company and Anixter shareholders 16%. Anixter President and CEO Bill Galvin states that joining with Wesco will allow the combined company to build on complementary capabilities and create new ways to serve customers and partners.

“This is the result of a very thorough process to determine the value of our company. It’s also a recognition of the enormous value created by our talented people, Anixter’s deep industry relationships, innovative technology solutions, and global reach,” Galvin says.