Alan Forman, President of Altronix Corp speaks to Security Journal Americas about the core values of the company and what makes it truly unique in the market.

Can you tell me about yourself and your role?

My career in the professional security industry began as a system installer in the New York tri-state region, which ultimately led me to form my own company, monitoring and servicing residential and commercial end-users. Shortly after, I had the good fortune to connect with a bright electrical engineer named Jonathan Sohnis and together we founded Altronix. It seems like yesterday, but it was almost 40 years ago that Altronix was established. I’m responsible for sales and marketing, while my partner focuses on engineering and manufacturing.

Initially, we saw an opportunity to enter the professional security industry with a mission to design and manufacture better power products and peripherals with added features and higher reliability. We developed best-in-breed products that gave us the confidence to offer the industry’s first lifetime warranty. Altronix was also the first to introduce a series of off-line power supplies, which vastly increased power efficiency with a substantially smaller footprint.

Altronix’s reputation for quality and reliability spread quickly throughout the industry and our portfolio continued to evolve beyond just power supply/chargers to include, but not be limited to, controllers, PoE switches and products that integrate with fiber optics. Today, Altronix offers the widest range of power and data transmission solutions for security, surveillance, access control, fire and a myriad of other low-voltage applications.

In order to accelerate market share and exposure, I made the decision from day one to offer our products exclusively through our industry’s distribution channel. Our network of reseller partners has continued to expand over the years, both domestically and internationally. As a result, Altronix products can be found in mission-critical security systems around the world – from small and medium businesses (SMBs) and high-end residential installations to multinational organizations located throughout North America, EMEA, LATAM and APAC.

Some of these deployments are at the world’s most prominent public and private venues ranging from the Panama Canal to the Super Bowl, the Pentagon, Andrews Airforce Base, King Khalid International Airport, the Kennedy Space Center and at many of the world’s leading corporations and data centers.

As time went on, other manufacturers within our industry began calling on Altronix to design and manufacture custom products that complement their catalogue. We then began offering configured solutions for specific applications to help our dealer and integration partners increase efficiency, saving time and labor which ultimately contributes to their bottom line.  

Based on years of knowledge and the collective experience of our team, Altronix has remained relevant by meeting existing and emerging challenges within our industry. To rise to the increasing global demand for our products year over year, Altronix continues to make major investments in infrastructure and manufacturing processes.

To help further expedite bringing our products to market, we built an in-house lab providing us the capability to perform UL testing on our own products. Altronix’s quality management system was approved by ISO in 2002 and we have sustained this prestigious certification to this day. A true turnkey design and manufacturing operation from the board level up, Altronix’s production capabilities are second to none, boasting the latest advancements in technology across every facet of manufacturing.

Altronix’s state-of-the-art facility, located in the Brooklyn Army Terminal in Brooklyn, New York currently occupies more than 200,000 square feet of space and employs over 300 people. To accommodate future growth, we are in the process of expanding with a 35,000 square foot addition.

Now nearing our 40^th anniversary, Altronix has maintained its ability to deliver the exceptional quality, innovation and unparalleled customer support that has earned our company’s reputation as the gold standard in low voltage electronics.

How has Altronix expanded its portfolio in the last 12 months?

Altronix has added many new products that make professional security installations easier, faster and more cost-efficient for installers and users.

Some recent additions to the Altronix line-up include NetWay Spectrum hardened PoE switches/media converters. Our NetWay midspans provide up to 90W per port for power-hungry devices such as 802.3bt cameras, illuminators, access devices, LED lighting and more. These products have many cost advantages for a wider range of indoor and outdoor applications to improve overall security and safety.

Our line of Trove Access and Power solutions also continues to expand as we integrate with more existing and new access control brands. Trove is available in wall-mount, rack and outdoor configurations with new high-capacity models to accommodate more doors, while conserving valuable installation real-estate. They’re also available in pre-configured kits, including power distribution and wire management for plug and play installation – with custom private labeling options upon request.

What new products are on the horizon?

There will be many new product additions for security, access, surveillance and fire applications across our flagship NetWay, Trove, Pace, Tango and LINQ brands. This includes a new LINQ Network Communications Dashboard that will greatly enhance remote power management and control, providing critical information and tools to provide more data, ensuring continuous system operation.

Additionally, Altronix is introducing several new products designed for specialized applications, including a new occupancy alert system that notifies security/facility personnel of a potential security breach. Altronix has also developed and is introducing the first UL listed power supply and annunciator for emergency responder communications systems.

What differentiates Altronix from other companies in this space and what about Altronix are you particularly proud of?

There is a unique corporate culture at Altronix that is built on several different core principles and values that bind our entire ecosystem together as a very cohesive and productive team. The tenure of our team is a testimony to Altronix being a great place to work. Our passion, vision and interdisciplinary skills contribute to our sustained growth and success.

Customer satisfaction is the top priority at Altronix and we pride ourselves on live, personalized customer support. Our experienced tech support group is highly trained as well as knowledgeable and maintains a relentless dedication to helping customers resolve their technical challenges in the field. Altronix’s sales team are experts on system applications to ensure that the best products are selected to serve each customers’ specific project.

Moreover, Altronix design engineers are constantly exploring new and innovative ways to improve the efficiency, effectiveness and feature sets of our products. The perfect combination of people and technology drives our mission to retain customer loyalty. As such, Altronix is the brand that customers remember, rely on and come back to again and again. This is all part of the Altronix persona we have built over the years and continue to sustain today and moving forward.

Since Altronix’s inception, my partner and I share the vision and desire to care for the wellbeing and welfare of the Altronix family. Our success has also enabled us to give back to the industry, as well as society by providing philanthropy for many important causes both domestically and around the globe. This includes equipment donations benefitting humanity. Our goal is to continue this tradition for years to come.

This article was originally published in the April edition of Security Journal Americas. To read your FREE digital edition, click here.