THE BOTTOM LINE AUGUST 2022

Fortus has demonstrated significant growth in recent years. How has this been achieved?

We have had some clear objectives over the past few years alongside our private-equity partners. The management team have identified areas in the market where we can continue to grow both organically and by acquisition. The fire and security market is constantly evolving and a major element of our success has been our ability to deliver the latest technologies and services to our growing customer base.

How important are acquisitions for business growth?

Organic growth is very difficult to achieve in a short amount of time. For businesses looking to grow quickly, acquisitions are a very viable option. Lots of businesses in our sector have been around for over 20 years and naturally, some are looking to either take the next step or pass the company on to others. We have seen many changes of ownership throughout the sector, against the backdrop of the globalisation of the world, and remote management of teams and processes improving all the time. In our experience, acquisitions have worked very well. In many cases, it takes out the competition between companies and means we are working together to focus efforts and energy.

What is it about the Fire & Security industry that appeals to investors?

The characteristics of fire and security companies appeal to many investors, particularly as many continued to trade, or have managed to recover, after the recent pandemic. Resilience and consistency – month to month and year on year – is what investors want to see when they are committing large amounts of money. The recurring revenues provided by monitoring and maintenance contracts (enjoyed by our customers) also appeal to investors as they can see that, barring any growth in attrition, businesses have a clear path to continued success.

How important is technology in your ongoing growth strategies?

One of our focuses is ensuring we are always ahead of the curve in terms of technology. We want to be the early adopters of new technology, working with our partners to test and onboard solutions as quickly as we can. We are also identifying technology from outside the sector. We are embracing this and making sure it works for our customers before we release it. We have identified innovations such as using AI in CCTV to reduce false alarms. This all focuses on enabling our customers to provide a better service to end users. Smart Homes, Smart Buildings and the wider IoT market are also offering opportunities for our sector and we are positioning ourselves at the forefront of this.

YOU SAID IT! 

“Every time I call CSL tech support I get outstanding service and a quick resolution to any issues. Your team are superb”.

Paul O’Riley – AskNicely Review – 15 July