56 • TRAINING
As an industry we are influenced
by both macro trends and specific
industry issues, which bring with
them both risk and reward. Over
the past decade it’s fair to say
urbanisation, demographic change,
digitalisation and sustainability have
heavily impacted on consumer
behaviour, industry practice and
product development.
By 2020 there
are expected
to be 50 billion
connected
devices in the
World, driven by convenience,
functionality and data.
Here Suresh Peri, Electro-mechanical
Product Manager for Mul-T-Lock,
discusses the impact of the
Technological Revolution and the
rise of the Smart Home, asking
the question; what does this mean
for locksmiths and how can they
benefit from these opportunities?
Rapid urbanisation and the rise
in prominence of cities in the
global economy has been truly
unprecedented, with over 50% of
the World’s population now living
in cities. The increased population
density in these areas, is putting
pressure on growing cities to ensure
they remain liveable cities, which
in turn has seen the rise of ’Smart
Cities.’ With spend on creating
smart cities expected to reach $1
trillion in the next 2 years, this trend
is also having an influence at a
micro-level in the buildings where
we live, work and play.
Equally, digitalisation, the use of
digital technologies to change
business models and provide new
revenue, has great potential to
change the way we live and do
business. This, combined with
urbanisation is at the heart of and
one of the main catalysts for the
Technological Revolution and Smart
Home adoption.
An ageing population, standards
and regulations, 3D printing and
sustainability all impact on the
lock industry but the expansion in
connected devices and subsequent
skills shortage could be argued to
have the most significant impact on
locksmiths and our industry.
Encompassed as part of the
Technological Revolution, this
transformation is formed from
a number of new technologies
converting into a mainstream
LOCKSMITHJOURNAL.CO.UK | NOV/DEC 2016