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DFM visits new HQ for high tech security firm

A brand new centre of excellence is set to help an ambitious Scottish firm capture a slice of the growing global £150 million specialist high tech security market.

Visual Management Systems’ (VMS) new £1 million headquarters in the Cambuslang Investment Park has been visited yesterday by Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

VMS designs software that links CCTV with fire and safety systems – a niche product that is used in some of the world’s most critical infrastructure, including airports, power stations, oil rigs, hospitals and military sites. The company recently won the contract for Johannesburg Airport in South Africa, and is now seeking out new business in the Middle East.

Since starting out in Glasgow’s East End in 1996, VMS has created 26 high value jobs locally and has recently taken on three new apprentices.

The Deputy First Minister said:

“I have been very impressed by the ambition, drive and innovation that is so clearly evident at VMS. The company’s new centre of excellence here in Cambuslang is a fantastic facility that will undoubtedly help them expand into new international markets.

“The Scottish Government and our enterprise agencies are doing all we can to build sustainable economic growth for Scotland, including providing relevant support where appropriate. VMS are a great example of how Scottish companies can succeed in the global arena by pursuing niche opportunities and investing in their business.”

VMS Managing Director, Jay Shields, said, “We’ve done quite a bit of business in Ireland over the years, but recently we’ve really started to make progress in more distant international markets, especially in the Gulf region. It’s about building the right relationships. Together with our partners and with support from Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Development International we’re doing more and more business out there and considering some very big opportunities in Dubai and further afield. Our new headquarters give us the long overdue elbow room to accommodate the growing business.”

Rhona Allison, Director of Company Growth at Scottish Enterprise, said: “This new facility is a significant milestone in VMS’s growth plans as having the right premises with more space means VMS can recruit more staff to both meet the needs of their existing customers and to create new opportunities with new customers, new products and new markets.

“We want to encourage more companies in Scotland to invest in the right equipment and infrastructure to increase their competitiveness and enable them to innovate, broaden their customer markets and internationalise.”

Notes To Editors

Background
VMS was founded in Glasgow in 1996. Today its technology protects oilrigs, nuclear sites, military bases, airports, hospitals, utilities and some of the most high profile critical infrastructure in the country.

VMS provides complete, bespoke solutions that include IT hardware, software and engineering services. At the heart of most solutions is Titan Vision, the software that integrates CCTV with other security systems such as access control, fire and safety, perimeter intrusion, public address and allows all these systems and associated workflows and processes to be controlled, automated and audited.

VMS’s £1m new centre of excellence will be officially opened by Scottish Enterprise chairman, Crawford Gillies, on 5 June 2014, at a special event with over 200 guests.

The market for Physical Security Information Management (PSIM) systems such as VMS’s Titan Vision has grown sharply since 2001 and has been partly driven by the increasing need for resilience in infrastructure, business and even at a national security level. According to IHS, a market research company, the PSIM market was worth $150m in 2013 and is growing at rates upwards of 20%.

Scottish Enterprise is Scotland’s main economic development agency and aims to deliver a significant, lasting effect on the Scottish economy by identifying and exploiting the best opportunities for economic growth.