People & Places, Oct. 2013

Oct. 2, 2013

ASSA ABLOY Acquires Mercor

ASSA ABLOY has signed an agreement to acquire the fire door business of Mercor SA, a leading Polish manufacturer of security and fire doors in Eastern Europe, with a strong position in its key domestic markets in Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia.

"I am pleased to welcome Mercor SA's fire doors business into the ASSA ABLOY Group. The acquisition represents another important step in our strategy to grow market presence in Emerging Markets," says Johan Molin, president and CEO of ASSA ABLOY.

"Mercor's fire doors business is an attractive addition to the EMEA division, as part of our strategy to offer complete door opening solutions to our customers. It will also significantly reinforce our market position in East Europe," adds Tzachi Wiesenfeld, executive VP of ASSA ABLOY and head of the EMEA Division.

Mercor SA was founded in 1988 and is based in Gdansk, Poland, with operations in Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Ukraine, The company exports to several other European countries and employs 550 people.

The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2013.

New Diebold Electronic Security HQ

NORTH CANTON, OH –Diebold Incorporated has created a new electronic security headquarters to centralize operations and support the continued success and growth of its electronic security business. The facility will help strengthen the company’s focus on electronic security solutions, services and customers, while enhancing the timely collaboration that is critical to improving outcomes in monitoring and systems integration.

“Centralizing our core electronic security operations will enable us to place a stronger focus on growth and improved gross margins,” said Tony Byerly, executive VP, electronic security. “But, more importantly, it will allow us to deliver even more value and service to our customers.”

Located in Green, Ohio, the headquarters serves as a hub that connects Diebold’s Center of Excellence for engineering and design in Elmsford, N.Y.; its CSAA Five Diamond, UL-certified monitoring centers in Ohio, Hawaii and Mexico; and 110 electronic security field offices across the United States. As the electronic security business continues to grow, the company has the opportunity to acquire additional space within the new facility.

SIA's Erickson Honored As Top CEO

Security Industry Association (SIA) CEO Don Erickson has been selected as a top CEO by CEO Update magazine.

In choosing its ongoing roster of top association executives, CEO Update considered the following criteria for CEOs: strong advocacy skills; leadership ability; building a positive workplace culture, inspiring staff loyalty; raising organizational profile; and programmatic achievement, in meetings, membership growth, education or certification.

By selecting Erickson as a top CEO in associations and nonprofits from a large number of nominees, CEO Update recognized Erickson’s role in helping to grow SIA’s membership and raising its lobbying profile on Capitol Hill. Erickson also has found new ways to get information to SIA Members. He oversaw the launch of SIA Technology Insights, a new journal for technology end-users, and he helped establish the Fiscal Year Informer, a publication dedicated to analysis of the federal budget process.

Under Erickson’s watch, SIA launched a new webcast series on IT issues, which “furthered SIA’s brand significantly within the industry,” a nominator told CEO Update.

“It’s an honor to be recognized by CEO Update, particularly given that I’ve been in my job for less than two years,” Erickson said. “It’s been a critical time for the security industry, especially with regard to providing quality education for the next generation of security leaders, setting direction for the industry through standards activities and finding ways to strengthen the whole industry through collaboration with other organizations. But credit here is really due to an active and engaged SIA Board of Directors and the talents, creativity and commitment to our membership that our staff demonstrates every day. SIA Members should be very proud of the entire SIA team.”

Erickson has been CEO of SIA since November 2011. Previously, he served as SIA director of government relations. During this time, he worked closely with SIA's leadership to build a robust government relations program for SIA Members and served as SIA's chief advocate before Congress and other government agencies. He serves on the ASAE Key Issues Advisory Committee, the Mission 500 Advisory Committee and the SecuritySpecifiers.com Board of Directors. More Info: www.securityindustry.org.