Earlier this year, systems integrator Red Hawk Fire & Security U.S., which consisted of a number of companies acquired by UTC beginning in 2004, was sold to a private equity firm. Now with a new leadership team in place, the company is looking to distance itself from its former owners and establish its own identity.
A part of the company’s rebranding strategy was announced just prior to ASIS 2012 with the launch of new company website, logo and the combining of some of the individual organizations that make up the integrator.
According to Mike Snyder, the former president of ADT who now runs Red Hawk as its CEO said that of the more than 20 company acquisitions that comprised Red Hawk, there was never a lot of integration between the firms which he said mainly operated independent of the parent company.
Snyder and the company’s new leadership team’s goal is to bring all of these different business units together and organize around them. "Our job is to take this great base, great companies and integrate them," he said.
Because they have so many disparate companies, however, Snyder said that they can leverage the expertise they have in different areas to offer customers a comprehensive set of services to meet their particular needs.
"No one, not even the big guys have all of the parts we have," Snyder told SIW on show floor at ASIS 2012 last week. "Too many companies in this industry go too small… or they’re way too broad."
Snyder said that the company will grow through its technology offerings and capabilities. He also emphasized the importance of distancing Red Hawk from UTC, which he believes they will accomplish through the aforementioned rebranding efforts that also include new company uniforms and logos on trucks in the field.
Despite the sluggish economy, Snyder feels that there is pent-up demand for security technology that Red Hawk intends to meet. With so many integrators doing work in both the commercial and residential markets, Snyder said that the waters have been muddied in the industry to some degree, which opens the door for companies like Red Hawk. "All those conditions pave the way for new entrants into the market," he said.
To differentiate themselves from their competitors, Snyder said that Red Hawk intends to focus on the "breadth" of their capabilities and offering "applications-based" solutions rather than just hardware.
"That’s how we’re going to cut through the clutter," he said. "Right now, it’s all about positioning ourselves and putting (the company) in a national model."
