cover story
CRESTRON IN THE HOUSE
CRESTRON IN THE HOUSE
by Angus Douglas
T
he world may be in recession, but that doesn’t mean all businesses are suffering. If your product helps cut costs
then a recession could actually be good for business.
Crestron Electronics, a world leader in control and
automation systems, has enjoyed double digit
growth in South Africa over the past decade; and
this year growth peaked at around 30%. Crestron
offers recession busting products that cut down
on travel time, boost efficiency, and save money.
Such has been the rise of Crestron in South
Africa that they have seen fit to move into their
own premises (separate from the Electrosonic
SA premises). Wednesday, 15 May, saw the
official opening of Crestron House in Blackheath,
Johannesburg. Robin van Meeuwen, Vice
President of Crestron International; and Steven
Dullaert, Director of Distributor Sales at Crestron
International, flew from Europe to celebrate
with the South African Crestron team. PROMAG
interviewed Robin and Steve about the opening,
and about Crestron’s future.
PROMAG: So Steven, you’re based in Belgium
right?
SD: Yes, I’m based at the Crestron head office in
Brussels. As Director for Distribution Sales I’m
responsible for distribution in the EMEA (Europe,
the Middle East and Africa) regions; this includes
Scandinavia, Switzerland and South Africa.
PROMAG: Are you enjoying sunny South Africa?
SD: The weather conditions here are great
compared to Europe. For us this is summer time.
This is my third time in the country and I always
love coming here, it’s very diverse; Cape Town,
Durban, Johannesburg – they’re like different
worlds.
PROMAG: Robin, are you also enjoying your stay?
RvM: Yes, I was last here six years ago – and one
forgets how far away South Africa is from the rest
of the world. Ten hours on a plane is a long time,
but at least the time zone is the same as Belgium,
and that’s an advantage. But I love being here,
and we have a fantastic team taking care of things
here.
PROMAG: How long have you been in your
current position as Vice President of Crestron
International?
RvM: Since 2007; which is when I was last here.
PROMAG: So it was important for you to attend
this opening?
RvM: Absolutely, it was important that both Steve
and I come over to show our encouragement and
support. The whole philosophy of the company
going forward is to focus on each region around
the world. It can be tough servicing markets that
are far away, and that’s why it’s important to work
closely with local partners.
PROMAG: Crestron House will help with that?
RvM: Yes; the Crestron product portfolio has
grown so big and there are now about threeand-a-half thousand products in eight different
vertical markets. Crestron South Africa needs a
focussed building and a focussed effort into the
market so that dealers and end users enjoy the
best possible service. Crestron House will have a
profoundly positive impact on our business.
Below: Crestron House's Warehouse, Training room and Demonstration Room
12 PROMAG – third quarter 2013
We now have a really good foundation; a
dedicated team of people, in a dedicated building,
giving the right support, energy, and focus on the
product range. We foresee an increase in stock and
better repair return times. It’s good for customers.
SD: Crestron is all about support. Training is very
important and it’s vital that the regions are kept
up to date with what is happening at Crestron.
We must be able to inform dealers as to what the
product can do and how to sell it to end users.
They must also understand where we are headed;
and Crestron’s whole philosophy behind the
products. This way they can really serve the end
users.
PROMAG: You’ve been working with the team
here?
RvM: We spent time analysing team structure and
starting to plan the next twelve months and what
we’re going to focus on to grow the business.
We have a very good strategy in place and I’m
very impressed with the amount of stock carried
here. So we’re going to increase that, we’re going
to increase training, we’re going to give Crestron
in Johannesburg more tools so that they can be
successful.
PROMAG: Robin you’ve been with Crestron for
some time?
RvM: I’ve been with the company since 1997, and
when I joined we were only 35 people. Now we
are more than three-and-a-half thousand around
the world. I was over in the factory only a few
weeks ago and every time I go there I see huge
changes: new people, a new part for this or for
that - it’s unbelievable the pace of the company.