Wilfred Steeman, Vice President of Sales, Bosch Asia Pacific, and Stella Neo, General Manager, discusses with media their recent expansion into the Philippines and the growing demand for security systems.
MANILA, Philippines—With the improving economy of the Philippines, there is a growing need for security systems, such as Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras to safeguard assets.
International technology and engineering company Robert Bosch Inc., has recently set up shop in the Philippines to take advantage of the strong demand for security systems.
Wilfred Steeman, vice president of sales for Asia Pacific, told reporters in a round-table discussion that they see the country’s growth as an opportunity to invest.
“We find that the time is right for us to establish a foothold in the Philippines. We were dealing in the market already many times from out of Singapore, our head office,” Steeman said.
“As we see the country is growing and the need for our products gets bigger and bigger, we decided to start investing here in our own company and establish our tech support departments locally here in the country to support our security, safety, and our communications businesses,” he said.
Bosch established their security systems division in the Philippines last August 2011. They provide security and communication systems to a wide range of sectors from residential to industrial.
“We have products which are good for homes, good for ceilings, but we also have very extreme cameras which monitor oil and gas platforms [and] are explosion proof,” Steeman said.
Stella Neo, general manager of Security Systems, Bosch Singapore, said that different applications of security systems, particularly CCTV cameras, will require different specifications.
“[In indoor areas] the lighting condition is not as challenging as the external environment therfore the type of sensor used and sensitivity is different,” Neo said.
“When you talk about outdoor cameras, apart from the mechanical housing which has to be weather proof, we also have to take into consideration the change in the lighting conditions, for example in the morning and evening, [during] sunrise and sunset,” she added.
When asked if there was a CCTV camera capable of looking into pitch dark, Steeman said that they have cameras with infrared capabilities to see even in extreme low-light conditions.
Neo said that the latest products they have are capable of recording in High-Definition (HD), which provides clearer images that can help in capturing minute details such as facial features or vehicle plate numbers.
Bosch Security Systems also has video analysis technology that can actively recognize when objects being recorded on video are not behaving the way they should be. An example would be when a person tries to go down on an ascending escalator.
“There is a definite need for the recording and registration of the surroundings of all the big building and also small buildings,” Steeman said.
“The only reliable way to record it is through a CCTV system which records and can play back and even gives you the opportunity to analyze what happened,” he added.
Steeman said that in today’s modern times, people cannot rely on passersby as witnesses to crimes anymore.
“We cannot rely on passersby anymore who happend to see something or a guard who happened to turn this or that way. That’s not reliable, so you need a reliable system which can cover whatever happens around your building,” Steeman said.
Aside from being a proven deterrent to crimes, CCTV cameras can also lead to better governance by providing real-time intelligent information of significant locations such as highway intersections or transportation hubs.
The Quezon City local government has recently passed an ordinance requiring all business establishments to have CCTV systems before being given a permit.
Steeman said that they take this initiative from the Quezon City government as a sign of the Philippines’ increasing demand for security systems.