Management for growth

Management philosophy
The management of all ASSA ABLOY Group companies is based on a common view of the lock industry: that the need for higher security will continue to grow everywhere in the world, though on different levels. So will the demand for convenient locking solutions.

By providing efficient locking solutions, ASSA ABLOY can help to make the world safer and more secure, creating more freedom in people’s lives. The development of new products is carried out in close cooperation with insurance companies, police, fire officials, enduser organizations and other important decision-making bodies. Group companies engage actively in information and training initiatives that target retailers, architects and security officers as well as end-users, giving them facts about the latest products and security solutions. This creates an important pulling effect for the distributors involved as well as overall market growth.

 
Andrea Guanci, recently appointed Marketing Manager of Yale Security Group, Italy after working in the Customer Service Department since 1999, attended the ASSA ABLOY South Europe Management Training Program in 2002. “I’m proud to say I learned a lot,” he reports. “We visited other Group companies, learned about their products, processes and distribution channels, and discussed everything with colleagues from throughout the Region. I came away appreciating the benefits of benchmarking – always seeking the best without judging others – and the opportunities open to every single company through cross-selling and cross-buying products. And now I have friends, not just colleagues, all over South Europe.”

 
Management structure
The ASSA ABLOY Group has a truly multi-domestic management. Since there are many differences between locks in different countries, ASSA ABLOY’s success is based on the close relationships individual Group companies enjoy with their customers at regional and local level. Their understanding of local needs, business arrangements and distribution requirements, and their responsiveness to these, remain paramount to success in the lock industry. For this reason the Group continues to run a decentralized organization giving full business responsibility to Country Managers.

Major Country Managers are members of Group Management, which meets regularly. Group Vice Presidents have regional responsibility for a number of countries and ensure that Group methods are applied consistently. ASSA ABLOY Hospitality, the Identification Technology Group, and Besam, supplying automatic doors, are organized separately from the Group’s national lock companies in order to respond more effectively to the opportunities of these specialized international markets.

To help develop and maintain a consistent management practicet hrough the entire Group, a set of basic management models is used. In management meetings at all levels, in the annually ongoing management training programs and in many other forums, these models are used to explain and implement the operations of the Group.

 
At ASSA ABLOY, we believe that people make the difference. Our management philosophy is based on trust, positive thinking and respect for local conditions and values.