Channel Championz adds Roy Miller to support OEM, product development initiatives

ST. LOUIS—Channel Championz has appointed security industry veteran Roy Miller as special projects director, a move the company said will strengthen its capabilities in original design manufacturing (ODM), original equipment manufacturing (OEM) and specialty security hardware projects.

Miller brings decades of experience in the security hardware market, including previous leadership roles as president of ASSA ABLOY Mul-T-Lock and director at NAPCO Security Technologies. According to the company, he has worked with locksmiths, institutional buyers, OEMs, integrators and end users throughout his career.

Based in the Asia-Pacific region, Miller will work directly with manufacturing partners across China, Taiwan and other Asian markets to support project development and help align customer requirements with manufacturing capabilities.

“Roy brings something increasingly valuable to this industry: true, ground-floor security hardware knowledge combined with a global manufacturing perspective,” said Jerry Burhans, founder of Channel Championz. “Having Roy on our team gives Channel Championz and our partners more capability to turn hard-to-solve security problems into commercially viable products.”

Channel Championz said Miller's appointment comes as security hardware manufacturers increasingly look to integrate mechanical products with technologies such as mobile credentials, biometrics, wearable devices and connected security platforms.

“Security hardware can no longer be evaluated only by the strength and quality of the hardware itself,” Miller said. “The way that hardware interacts with the user is changing. People now interface with the world through smartphones, biometrics, wearables and connected devices.”

In his new role, Miller will support Channel Championz partners on ODM initiatives, global sourcing efforts, OEM manufacturing coordination and product design projects. The company said his presence in the Asia-Pacific region will provide customers with direct access to manufacturing resources and sourcing expertise.

Channel Championz also highlighted an ongoing custom security hardware project in which the company is coordinating development efforts between a customer, a channel partner and an Asia-based manufacturing resource to create a solution not available through existing off-the-shelf products.

According to the company, the appointment reflects a broader strategy to expand beyond channel development and distribution support services into product development, engineered applications and custom security hardware programs.

Related: Burhans launches Channel Championz to help U.S. security manufacturers succeed