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the autonomy to manage our
own market. We understand
our routes to market and
customer demand on this
island, which is quite different
to mainland Europe or other
regions. I have been given a
mandate to get on with it.”
There are company
‘directives’, he admits, but
these are incremental to
maintaining the strength of
the brand, its credentials and
approach as an innovative
manufacturer and service
provider of solutions.
Understanding the market,
its changing needs neatly
dovetails into new product
development (NPD). Although
the majority of GEZE’s NPD
is undertaken at its Leonberg
HQ, supported by defined
resources, budget and
testing, its UK subsidiary is
given the flexibility to modify
or design products where
it identifies an emerging
demand. Ideas are developed
by the technical team or
FIRESAFETY&SECURITY • 39
through the established PDP
process which are filtered
through a gateway system.
“It’s nice for people here to
be able to flex their muscles,”
says Kaz “It gives them a
chance to move away from
the day-to-day running of the
business and focus on their
own projects.
“The thing that we have
to be mindful of, is that
any modifications don’t
compromise the products
and that they must undergo
rigorous testing.”
Recent examples include
the production of a locking
bracket for the drive belt of the
Slimdrive SL NT operators for
sliding doors – a solution that
was created out of test parts
from a 3D printer, and a water-
resistant underfloor operator
that was devised to meet
particular client needs.
Technology has brought
about the greatest changes in
the fortunes of GEZE and that
pace of change has been most
significant in the past 10-15
years. There has been a digital
revolution as opposed to an
evolution which have been
demonstrated by products
such as the GEZE cockpit
and range of smart ventilation
products that marry the natural
environment with digitisation
that can orchestrate the
working conditions, safety and
security of a whole building.
Says Steve Marshall, GEZE
UK’s Service Director: “We
have always been part of a
very technical landscape but
technological requirements
now are as much about
digitisation and system
integration as they are about
hardware. Safety, security and
environmental requirements
are key considerations and
feature highly on customer’s
shopping lists.”
He believes that embracing
modern technologies is where
the company’s future lies.
“On the service side,
we have already seen
LOCKSMITHJOURNAL.CO.UK | SEP/OCT 2018
tremendous change in who
our customers are and the
frameworks in which they
operate. We have been
responsive to those needs
and kept apace to ensure
that we can meet and
exceed those demands and
will continue to do so by
embracing new technologies
and adapting them for future
needs.”
These include a variety of
digital applications – software
is now leading the pace of
change just as hardware did
a few short decades ago. In
particular, artificial intelligence
(AI) and remote management
look set to be incorporated
to provide enhanced levels
of expertise and application
out ‘in the field’. Although a
‘satellite’ to its parent company
– with over 250 employees
in the UK, compared to 2,500
in Germany – there is a self-
determination that propels
GEZE UK to ever-greater
things.