Siemen's new brass leads branch reorg

BUFFALO GROVE, Ill. - A new person is at the helm of Siemens Building Technologies’ systems integration division and is now leading the business through a reorganization. The realignment now under Alan Calegari’s direction involves bringing all of SBT’s 110 North American branches up to speed on security system sales, design and installation so that all locations can offer security, fire and building automation. Previously only 47 of the company’s locations were proficient in security systems work. “We’ve refocused the organization to more of a strategic deployment versus field deployment,” said Calegari. “The division itself is more strategic and in tune to the customer.” Calegari took on the role of president in the fall as the company moved the company’s security division here. He came from SBT’s Canadian operations, where he served as senior vice president, to replace John Szcygiel, who served as president of the systems integration business for about one year. Officials from Siemens declined to release information on specifically when or why Szcygiel left the company. The initiative to add security capabilities across all of its North American locations and cross train employees, was first announced in 2001, shortly after it bought Security Technology Group, a Sunrise, Fla.-based systems integrator with 40 offices across the country. Company officials again reiterated the cross-selling synergies between security and building controls at an International Trade Press Forum in Dallas in 2003, but the plan did not get off the ground until October 2004, according to Calegari. He said SBT employees are now going through the training process on the three services it provides - building controls, fire and security. Siemens also experienced a delay with the launch of its scaleable access control product called SiPass that can be combined with a video surveillance and intrusion detection system. The product had been used in Asia and was expected to hit the North American market in early 2004, but it did not get released until early this year. The reason for the slowdown with the SiPass product, according to Calegari, was that Siemens did not want to rush the product to market. Now that Siemens has begun training employees at all of its locations on all of its services and is offering a new product, Calegari expects Siemens will experience significant growth within its SBT business. “The mandate of SBT is quite clear,” he said. “We have to grow our business and have to grow aggressively.”