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A leader in electronic security and asset protection

QD Group is a designer, manufacturer and distributor of electronic security equipment and a supplier of power and imaging components.

The various divisions of the company have been in business since as far back as the 1970s but QD Group as it now is has been in operation since the merger of three well-established concerns in 2003 (QD Electronics, Macdesign Technologies and The Components Group).

Graeme King, CEO of the QD Group, says the company’s vision is to be the country’s leading provider of electronic security solutions and asset protection equipment. This seems a reasonable vision since the company is the current market leader in cash-in-transit protection, locally manufactured two-way radios and remote controls.

Graeme King, CEO QD Group

QD’s competitive edge is its ability to both design and manufacture products in South Africa to the highest quality specifications, and its representation across the country. Currently, QD is operational in Midrand, Pretoria, the East Rand and West Rand, Durban and Cape Town, with franchise representation in Nelspruit, East London, George and Port Elizabeth.

The group is divided into four operating divisions, with the electronic security and asset protection sections forming the bulk of the company’s revenue.

Electronic security

The Electronic Security Division supplies a complete range of remote controls, alarm panels, alarm transmitters, network equipment, control room monitoring equipment and software, infrared detection devices, outdoor beams and panic systems to installers and resellers around the country. QD’s brands in this area are well known and include names such as Pi, Guardian, Codex and Magnum. The two-way radio brands include Bantam and Tracer and the Rexon range of imported portables.

King notes that ensuring the company provides a quality range of necessary products for its customers as well as all the technical expertise, training support and spares is of primary importance to its success. To this extent, QD has also taken on distribution of best-of-breed products from leading companies in, for example, intruder detection where it distributes Visonic products, CCTV where it represents ProCam, gate motors where it distributes DTS products and intercoms with the Fermax range.

Mike Merry, chief financial officer QD Group

And while the company is continually updating products and bringing new solutions to market, the latest product it is especially proud of in the security arena is a GPRS transmitter and base-station. King says the GPRS solution will spark a revolution in the service a security provider can deliver as signal delivery can be proven and, if the correct alarm panels are installed, the company can even transmit information messages to and from a customer’s premises.

Justin Fletcher, general manager, sales for electronic security, says: “The GPRS Communicator is a cost effective system for the bi-directional transfer of data from a remote installation to a control room or cellular phone. Designed primarily for the alarm security industry, it has numerous other applications where bi-directional transfer of data is required.”

The GPRS Communicator has the following features:

* USB port.

* Four positive or negative trigger inputs.

* DTMF contact ID format.

* Serial communication input.

* AC fail input.

* Two relay driven outputs.

* Battery low monitoring.

* User-selectable auto test.

* Interface for analog monitoring of sensors available on request.

QD has also recently launched its new two-way radio, the Tracer MR 969. This product is fully software programmable and is compatible with all existing brackets, power leads, microphones and speakers. The mobile can operate in the B, C and D Bands and comes with optional 100 or 200 channels.

Asset protection

QD is a leader in the asset protection industry with Reserve Bank-approved smoke and dye stain technology. Its Cash Defender cross pavement carriers are used by the leading cash in transit companies. Furthermore, it is a stalwart in the retail space where its Titan Tellers are well known in South Africa’s leading retailers and banks. Titan accepts coins, notes and paper deposits. More recently, QD was a joint founder and now holds a share of Cash Connect, which offers Smartsafes and end-to-end cash management software for retailers, highlighted elsewhere in this issue of Hi-Tech Security Solutions.

The company also provides the Transtrack solution that allows for the tracking of cash bags between clients, cash in transit companies and the banks’ cash centres, allowing banks and businesses to know where their cash is at any point in the cash-in-transit supply chain.

Tom Kenny, executive director R&D, QD Group

In the field of time delay locks, access control and protection of ATM’s the company is also a market leader and innovator.

Currently, King says the Asset Protection Division contributes about 40% of the group’s revenue and is growing rapidly. The Electronic Security Division is the largest division and shows consistent growth, both divisions therefore contributing to the success of the QD Group as it maintains and grows its market share in these very competitive segments of the South African economy.

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