Altronix launches new branding campaign

BROOKLYN, N.Y.--Alan Forman is a man who retains seemingly boundless energy even after more than 20 years in the security industry. Over the course of a two-day press availability called to announce three new brands of Altronix products, Forman boiled over with company information, spoke frequently of late-night email checking and led a breakneck tour of his facility, located in the historic New York Naval Shipyard. The Altronix owner and president certainly has plenty to do. He is expanding his facilities to accommodate a new shipping bay and more manufacturing space, branching further out into the bowels of a building that features three-foot-wide pillars and concrete that could seemingly withstand the wrath of King Kong, himself. All of this is to prepare for the growth expected from the launch of three new branded product series from the power supply giant: the HubWay, the Maxim, and the StrikeIt. These are "products that simplify the installer's world," Forman said to the press collection. More important than the actual new products, however, is the branding initiative itself. "Our skews are popular," said Forman, "but the issue is that they are only known as letters and numbers." As 2006 progresses, Altronix will be unveiling a number of other branded products, looking to simplify their product offerings for installers by creating separate identities for each series. This mirrors marketing campaign efforts by companies like GE Security and Mace, who have sought to capitalize on their brand with end users and installers. For example, the HubWay1 brings power, video, and data transmission all into one box, which is universally configurable for AC or DC cameras and "removes coax from the equation," hosting everything on CAT-5 cable or higher. It's IP-ready, with built-in baluns, and is "basically plug and play," said Forman. Like many features of the other products, Forman noted the combination of power and transmission into one box was an outgrowth of installer feedback. The Maxim series is an extension of Altronix's ACM series, with 16 input/outputs designed to deliver variable currents for access control systems, up to 20 amps. Forman noted the Maxim is compatible with GE Security and Lenel systems, specifically. Plus, there is the rack-mount option, arising from the centralization of IT and security and data center managers saying, "I can't give you any more wall space," he said. Finally, there is the StrikeIt, developed for panic hardware devices in access control situations. It's "designed to handle the high in-rush current of the panic and crash-bar tools that are required in many building codes," said Forman. It has a timing function for door release--Forman demonstrated this by pressing a request-to-exit button that fired the guts of a release system--and it has a built-in fire alarm connect. Also, because it works with 12 VDC and 24 VDC devices, the installer doesn't have to purchase more power supplies.