6 minute read
Meet the installer
together raising standards
Meet the installer Security life with Damian O’Brien of Protectorcomms in South Wales
What would be a typical project for you? We will take on any project that involves electronic fire and security systems from domestic properties with an intruder or CCTV system right through to large scale, new build construction projects where we will handle all the fire and security disciplines. Our ethos though is always the same; we want to set ourselves apart from our competition by always providing a quality service right through the entire process from survey to installation, handover and then maintenance.
Do you have any ‘go to’ technology and manufacturers? We do have our go to manufacturers which we have used since I started the business 17 years ago, which has done us and our customers well ever since. However, it is always a case of using the equipment best suited to our clients’ requirements and budget. We also take on new manufacturers which we feel will enhance our product line. In recent years we have become part of the Gent24 network and a Salto main dealer.
What is the best thing about working in this industry? One thing I love is the new build sector which we are heavily involved with. From being sent a set of drawings to tender, when you can see the initial building and all the systems it entails down on paper, to developing the design and cost and winning the job. That’s always a great buzz for me. It follows on from there to starting on site and seeing the project develop through installation to handover and then maintaining that building going forward. We still maintain buildings that we installed when we started. I’m forever telling the wife and kids if we drive past a project we have done – we did that one!! Then if we actually go in a building I’m always pointing out the kit we installed! Is third party certifi cation benefi cial? It is vitally important to us in many ways. It shows that we are assessed that we are working to the highest standards possible. We were the first fire and security company in Wales to move onto the latest ISO9001:2015 standard when it was released.
Do you think there is an engineer skills shortage? Any trouble recruiting? Absolutely. I feel there has been a skills shortage for some time which has been exacerbated by the pandemic. I don’t think schools do enough to try to steer the youth Name: Damian O’Brien Job title: Managing Director Time in security/fire: 20 years Company: Protectorcomms Location: South Wales Areas of expertise: Fire and security in new build projects Certifications: NSI Gold, BAFE SP203
into a trade – there always seems to be a bias towards the university and further education route regardless if the degree at the end is worthwhile! Our own ethos is to now “grow our own” and we have recently taken on five trainee/apprentices. They attend college alongside on the job training and working with our own in house training manager. “Our ethos is always the same; we want to set ourselves apart from our competition by always providing a quality service right through the entire process from survey to installation, handover and then maintenance”
together raising standards
Are there any common requests from customers that give you problems? We sometimes get called in to start projects with little notice. For example we have had instances where we are called on a Friday afternoon to commission a fire alarm system on the following Monday to be handed over on the Wednesday! It seems that a lot of projects have a mad rush at the end when some more forward planning would make it easier for everyone. I always say we don’t keep engineers on ice waiting for the call to come.
Sometimes we find on a project that due to various factors with the build the commissioning time we were initially given has been cut down and we still need to be finished by the original handover date thankfully we have got such a great team our guys will pull out all the stops to get a project over the line. What is the industry’s biggest myth? That PC-based access control needs to be an expensive affair. People get caught in the trap of believing that installing access control to a door requires either door controllers, locks and door furniture, or the extensive installation of wireless bridges to the customer’s premises. This isn’t the case at all, we’ve had some great successes deploying Salto’s SVN based locking products to secure 1,000s of doors across a wide variety of sites. One of the biggest ‘wins’ we’ve had when designing these for customers is in the hospitality sector where we’ve used Salto to allow hotels and Airbnbs to go ‘Reception free’ by using Salto ‘JustIN’ mobile credentials. Even with the JustIN products, there’s no need for wireless communication back to the central database from the lock as the database communicates securely to the guest’s phone and the credential expires when the hotel wans or can even extend it just as easily. What impact has smart/home automation had on your business? We view the increasing demand for smart/home automation as a double edged sword. On the one hand we’ve seen an increasing demand for products to integrate with Alexa, Google Home and similar platforms so in the sense it’s increased our revenue. On the other hand we also see this as a threat.
With the emergence of Ring, Nest and their counterparts, we’re seeing some domestic customers leaning towards their security products which are DIY and can a lot of the be bought as cheaper alternatives to professional system albeit without the same level of security and recognition by insurance companies. What would make your job easier? If we were brought in at the design stage of a project earlier. A number of the tenders we get may have indicative designs and ultimately not compliant. It’s a tricky situation then as if we tender for the project as it should be designed, we can be accused of being too expensive as others will just quote for what is on the drawings. A fully compliant design at the front end would level the playing field at the tender stage. What is your ultimate/fantasy electronic security/fi re product? There are many but I’m excited by recent advancing technologies I have seen like the self-testing smoke detector. I think that is going to be a market disruptor as I can see so many applications for its use. As a Gent integrator I’m looking forward to the time when it is released, and we will be able to provide it to our customers.
What advice would you give to a younger version of yourself? Delegate jobs to others. You can’t do it all. As the owner it was hard sometimes to let things go and trust others with things but when you have the right team it’s the best way to do things. Will England ever win the World Cup again? I hope not! Being a Welshman it’s not something I would be too keen to see! By the time this article is published we’ll know if Wales gave England a good hiding in the group game in Qatar!
If you won £25,000 what would you do with the money? I would have a few extra holidays with the family. As much as I love what I do, it’s important to relax and unwind. Work to live, not live to work as I like to say!! www.psimagazine.co.uk
