Secure Future
28 May 2014 02:18 PM
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.