ADT Korea builds on strength of global brand

Local unit head speaks about sophistication of Korean security system market


ADT Korea’s chief Bradley K. Buckwalter runs a tight and efficient ship.

As the Korean head of the global electronic security system company ADT, the 47-year-old businessman is responsible for overseeing the operations of a complex 24-hour surveillance and monitoring system that spans across many cities and regional areas outside of Seoul.

“It’s quite visual ... how we’re doing, because for every customer we put (up) our (blue) octagon,” the president and regional general manager of ADT Korea said in an interview with The Korea Herald last week.

A fluent speaker of Korean, Buckwalter estimated that the company currently occupies around 30 to 40 percent of the Korean security systems market, depending on the region.

Other industry players include the joint venture between the local branch of Japanese security firm SECOM called S1, and to a lesser extent a network run by telecommunications giant KT Corp., according to the American executive.

But Buckwalter said that in contrast to these local players, ADT offers a strong, international brand presence.

“We have a very strong brand ― wherever you go in the world, people know ADT, and they know that it stands for reliable, consistent customer service and safety and peace of mind,” he said.

The global security firm, a division of the soon-to-be divided Tyco International Ltd., boasts a more than 140-year history. The Korean branch was established about 40 years ago, according to Buckwalter.

It currently operates more than 60 local branches all across the nation, in addition to some 20-odd sales offices, he said.

As far as daily operations go, the security solutions offered by ADT Korea make use of cutting-edge technologies such as facial and or fingerprint recognition and high-density cameras, along with computer monitoring systems for a variety of different sectors, including private homes, small businesses, factories, and more.

“The technology (we use) changes really fast … I would say 10 years ago, security equipment, which was only available to governments, (we) are now using in our everyday business,” he said.

He said that the company is always in the process of researching and developing proprietary technology to keep up with the changing demands of customers, primarily through its research and development center, which will soon move to Songdo International City.

A recently launched product includes “Sight Cube,” which helps manage and monitor security for multiple buildings at once, according to Buckwalter. And the company is set to fully launch a “pulse” product this summer. The latter is intended for private home owners and allows them to control basic functions, such as lighting, from tablet computers like Samsung’s Galaxy Tab, he said.

Additionally, the company uses a security network consisting of a trained patrol guard force that numbers close to 2,000 personnel and operates over 700 vehicles, Buckwalter said.

“I would say (this) is a peculiarity to the Korean market, in that the security companies here have their own patrol guard force,” he said.

In other countries, such as China and Japan, people usually depend on police to respond to alarms, and reaction times may be delayed, according to Buckwalter.

But in Korea, these private patrol forces run by security companies such as ADT Korea and S1 can respond in as little as five to 10 minutes, because the patrol guards “are located near the high-dense areas where (the) customers are,” he said.

This helps raise the ante of what Buckwalter says may be one of the safest, but also one of the most demanding security systems markets in the world.

“Even though Korea is very safe, the standards or requirements of our security customers are at the highest levels ... nowhere in the world except in Korea is it expected for a patrol guard to respond in (so little time),” he said.

Domestically, it’s common for customers to select from a number of different security solutions provided by companies such as ADT Korea, according to Buckwalter. And they have very high standards, he said.

“I had a complaint the other day from a customer in Itaewon, at night an alarm went off and one of our patrol guards arrived in 10 minutes ... (and he asked) ‘You know, why did it take so long?’ That’s the demands of our customers (in Korea),” the ADT Korea executive said.

As for the future, Buckwalter said that he plans to help develop the growth potential of his company. The native Californian first visited Korea in 1983 for service work, and “quickly absorbed Korean culture and was able to learn the Korean language” in what was literally his first trip overseas, he said.

After graduating from Brigham Young University with a degree in International Relations, Buckwalter started working at affiliates of Otis Elevator Company in Singapore and Japan, then returned to Korea in 1994, where he worked in various positions for Hankook Otis and Otis Elevator Co., Korea, before moving to his current position as head of ADT Korea in 2010.

“I didn’t plan to be here in Korea for so long, but one thing led to another and I’ve been here for the last 18 years. It’s been quite a fun experience because I feel like I’ve been able to contribute a lot in my companies to the economic growth and prosperity of Korea,” Buckwalter said.

“It’s been a blast working in Korea, and I look forward to having a lot of fun in the future as well,” he said.

By Renee Park (renee@heraldcorp.com)