New technology accesses all areas

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East, the son of one of the founding shareholders, says by 1994 the company was globally recognised and in that year received the Nelson Mandela Award for Export.

It had opened a Joburg office and, as South Africa emerged from the apartheid-era restraints of trade, gained traction exporting to Eastern Europe.

In the 2000s the entities Impro Tech US and Impro Tech Europe were founded and the group migrated to a decentralised distribution system.

The group now exports to more than 60 countries and operates international offices in the US, Germany, the Netherlands, Dubai and Spain. The last one opened late last year. It has also recently begun manufacturing in the US.

“The pleasing growth in Europe underpinned the demand for further investment in the region. We have a solid footing in several European markets and opening the new Madrid office further entrenches our position, especially in Spain and Portugal,” East says.

He says South Africa remains the key element in the group, offering access control systems to government buildings, universities, major retailers and petrochemical companies among others.

Impro Tech has retained a broad spectrum of access control products, from entry-level to highend, sophisticated offerings.

“Globally, access control is becoming a critical business consideration and our experience in South Africa stands us in good stead internationally, bringing to the table world-class solutions that have been proved in arduous conditions,” he says.

Yet, it was the product redesign and launch of the portal range last year that East says laid the platform for Impro Tech’s future.

The move represents a significant transition in the industry globally as access control embraces mobility and modern society to use tablets, smart phones and motor vehicles for identification – eliminating the need for physical ID tags.

It is this shift that underpins East’s comparison with the BMWi1. The new technology has the potential to significantly boost turnover as the group can capitalise on the economies of scale. In Spain he anticipates doubling turnover, while the US manufacturing will touch doubledigit growth.

“Given our existing international market, there is the opportunity to deploy our products globally. However, South Africa and the Southern African Development Community remain our key consideration as too often companies focus on exporting to Europe and the US as the silver bullets without recognising the opportunities on our doorstep.”

Impro Tech South Africa employs 140 people, ranging in education from Grade 10 to university graduates in computer science and has 20 employees in its international offices.

East acknowledges that while there are certain areas within the group compliant with BEE demands, one of their greatest challenges is in BEE ownership.

“We are constantly looking at different options, but have not found the right partner,” he says.

Another challenge comes in skills development, but he says a new breed of engineer is emerging from South African universities, compensating for that gap.

The down side has been in managing their expectations, with too many young graduates entering the workplace with “a sense of their own importance and an expectation that the world owes them”.

East berates the country for not focusing on information technology demands. Not having high-speed internet access and a sound IT infrastructure were crippling the economy in general and companies such as Impro Tech specifically.

While the global economy relied on the internet for growth, South Africa was being stunted by a monopoly hold on the technology and access, says East.

Looking ahead, he says Impro Tech aims to become the global leader in access control and will continue to push ahead with its Southern African Development Community footprint, a market many forget is 350 million-strong right on South Africa’s doorstep.

“Equally vital is ensuring our continued contribution to improving the lives and economic position of our staff, as this is the baseline from which every company should focus in making a difference with the work they undertake,” he says.