TRELLIDOR: Locked in on International Opportunities
Trellidor security products continue to stand up to the toughest tests, and this helps fuel the expansion of the brand around the world. International Sales Manager Peter Rawson tells Enterprise Africa that the company is eyeing further global expansion with its strength often unmatched.
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Security and protection specialist Trellidor tests products to the limit and beyond, giving peace of mind to clients that cannot be found with other brands. This peace of mind stems from the rigorous testing that Trellidor products undergo through international certification body, Loss Prevention Certification Board (LPCB). Trellidor has four certified security barriers, and all products are produced in a certified manufacturing facility.
The company, formed in South Africa in the 1976, has grown to become a powerful player in the large African security industry. In SA, where housebreaking and home robbery are the most common crimes experienced by households (with 5.7% of all households experiencing incidences of housebreaking in 2022/23), Trellidor brings a proven solution. Steel or aluminium, in various colours, the retractable shutter is famous for its strength.
Building on this success over the years, new products have been added and Trellidor now offers a comprehensive security solution that includes roller and retractable shutters, burglar bars, screens, sectional doors, lifestyle products, and much more. Whether it’s balconies, sash windows, garage doors, shop fronts, or industrial applications, Trellidor manufactures bespoke solutions.
“We have a very unique manufacturing process where we roll form the uprights and cross flights. No other company does this,” says International Sales Manager, Peter Rawson. “When it comes to strength, we pride ourselves on being literally the strongest product that you can buy. We say that because we have spent an absolute fortune testing most of our products with the Loss Prevention Certification Board (LCPB) in the UK.”
This independent and relevant accreditation ensures that products are suitable and meet the strictest of standards. Importantly, LCPB certification is recognised globally and this has been useful as Trellidor has started an aggressive growth strategy to regain momentum it had in international markets pre-Covid pandemic.
STRONG FOUNDATIONS
The preferred model for Trellidor is to manufacture locally but this is not always possible, especially for big orders with bespoke materials, and with some countries imposing harsh import duties. To overcome this, the company has built a franchise-style operation on the continent with what Rawson calls ‘trim shops’ located strategically around core markets.
“We see a lot of potential, particularly in Africa. The period through Covid saw our exports into Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands die down as they locked down,” he says.
“But we are now sitting in a position where the foundations are solid and everything is working again. We are getting an incredible amount of traction back into Africa – including some countries that we have not been in before. We opened a new franchise in Rwanda recently, and we are talking to people in Uganda, DRC, and Angola. New opportunities in West Africa right now include Senegal, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Togo, Benin, Cameroon, and Ivory Coast. We also have a branch in Ghana.”
In Ghana, Trellidor has a trim shop, where products can be cut to size and perfected for individual spaces. Run by skilled local artisans, these facilities are home to effective technology that fuels the strength of Trellidor and increases capacity. When up against competition, this gives Trellidor an advantage as most others will import ready-made products in standard sizes at low security and quality levels as well as extended lead times for delivery and installation.
“It is our intention to work the trim shop model much more efficiently,” says Rawson. “Currently, we only focus on the retractable – the original Trellidor product. Security remains a grudge purchase but when people make up their mind, that they want and need it immediately. The trim shops have given us an opportunity to make sure our product range is bespoke. Every single product is measured and manufactured exactly to fit. That makes us unique and gives us protection against cheap imports, produced en mass, cheap and cheerful, but not bespoke and not certified.”
Without this option, the company would struggle to deliver in the required timeframe – essential in the security industry. When setting up in a new country, the ideal strategy will be to incorporate a trim shop as part of the infrastructure. Alternatively, larger trim shops could become centres of excellence for certain regions. For example, the company has a strong presence in Ghana, Kenya, and Tanzania, and from here products could be tailored to meet the needs of clients before being dispatched into smaller markets.
“It’s been quite illuminating as to the amount of demand there is in Africa for our type of security,” says Rawson. “The nice thing is that we are 50-50 in many countries between residential markets, and then commercial, embassies, hospitality, etc.”
GLOBAL EXPANSION
Away from residential, Trellidor is performing strongly thanks to contracts across multiple industry sectors. Expansion in the UK has been highly successful and the company now runs a self-sustaining operation out of England with a number of high-profile clients.
“The London Underground has many of their own regulations about when you can measure, how you install, and it goes beyond the LPCB rules. It was a massive learning curve for us on the engineering side and we had to overcome many challenges,” Rawson says.
Initially, the company installed the SA-made Trojan 3 EMESC T3000 steel security gates in four London Underground stations, but the company has grown its presence through its local franchise operation.
“We had to come up with a special locking system that could be unlocked easily in emergencies,” Rawson details. “Our business in England is growing exponentially at the moment with our main customers the London Underground and Sainsbury’s, but we are talking to many other tier one retailers.
“We test everything internally and many products through the LPCB, and we go through many audits to ensure the factory specifications are continuous and approved. That has definitely set us apart from any South African opposition. We also install at an enormous amount of embassies and some are very demanding. LPCB certification gives them comfort that they are dealing with a certified product that is exceptionally strong.”
A great advert for strength and reliability is a Trellidor product standing guard at US, UK, Dutch, or Danish embassies across Africa where highly specific requirements are entrenched in the rollout of any security provision. This has continued to drive interest from around the globe as users hunt for the strongest, proven products.
“We are getting a lot of traction all over the world,” admits Rawson. “We are investigating South America, various cities in USA and already running in Los Angeles. We are up and running in Canada, New Zealand and are trading in Australia.”
If Trellidor can continue with the progress it has realised in various international markets, the success posted recently with robust financials will endure. At the start of 2023, in an effort to put the Covid-era behind it, Trellidor held a conference and launched a number of exciting new products to generate interest and ignite enthusiasm in the market as it aimed for regrowth.
“The immediate objective was to re-assemble our international presence, and we are feeling very positive about that,” smiles Rawson. “We have some incredibly good operators around the world, we own a great operation in the UK, and the branch in Ghana. That has been established as our hub in West Africa and we are looking at how we can make the most of that. We have a really big trim shop with a lot of expertise and they are strategically located from a logistics point of view.”
QUALITY & STRENGTH
Securing presence in new markets is always locked into the Trellidor international strategy and there is a plan for further expansion as capacity issues are rolled out, and challenges around obtaining the required skills are overcome.
But to rollout with fantastic products requires the back up of fantastic service. Trellidor is well-versed when it comes to advancing skills in South Africa, but training internationally is more difficult. To combat this challenge, the company is investing in digital solutions to bring skills and knowledge to people all over the world.
“It’s a people focused business. We need people with skills across many different parts of the business. There is a level of development that has to go with this and that is one of our biggest challenges – the further we go from SA, the more difficult it becomes. We put an enormous amount of effort into virtual training, programmes, and easy to use videos for new products,” highlights Rawson. “It’s amazing what you can do virtually now, and that has had a big effect for us on training and development. Ours isn’t a known product – people have to start from scratch when learning about the offering and culture, but the tools we have now are a great starting point.”
Over the next five years, the wider security industry is expected to achieve a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of at least 10% globally. More households and more businesses are expected to enter the market or up their involvement. The USA is the largest market in the global security industry, and South Africa is expected to be home to a market worth more than $165 million by 2028. All active participants in all of the markets that Trellidor operates in are looking for the best – security is not the place to scrimp.
“We are insistent on quality. That is what sets us apart,” Rawson concludes, confident and ambitious about the unabating, incessant growth of the business.