For this edition the country that has representation in the Professional of the month is Mexico. On this occasion, the guest is Fernando Loret de Mola, commercial director of SIASA (Sistemas Integrales de Automatización, S.A. de C.V).by Héctor Gómez Pérez
Fernando Loret de Mola, commercial director of SIASA, a Mexican company dedicated to the subject of attendance control systems, access control, digital identification systems, among others, had to search a lot among his memories to find an anecdote that has been significant in his journey in the world of security.
He wallowed around here, rose further, and finally found one that in his view was a great teaching, that impacted him and that finally determined his way of doing things in the industry. Back in the beginning of SIASA (1993), a company of which he is a founding partner, the opportunity arose to start a pilot project with a large maquiladora in the state of Chihuahua. Loret gave the demonstration to the company's CEO, "I'm all in a suit, as it should be in an important sales presentation," Loret recalls.
The maquiladora's directors accepted the project proposal, a little doubtful because it is a new company, and the following weekend the installation of the wiring began. "Of course I had to get involved together with my employees in laying the cable, installing, etc. The director saw me doing these tasks, which made me nervous because that confirmed that the company was small and with few resources. However, everything went well, we did not only that project but several in other plants of the same company, and over time the general director confessed to me that the reason for accepting us as a supplier had been precisely because he saw me involved even in the wiring, "says Loret and ratifies that this was an especially unforgettable experience.
For those things of destiny
Although he was born on September 19, 1966 in Monterrey, Mexico, because at that time his father worked in that city, he considers himself a Yucatecan at heart because his family has always lived in Merida, Yucatan, and even he has spent most of his life in this city in the southeast of the Aztec Country. Loret de Mola is a computer systems engineer from the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM), where he obtained his degree in 1989.
As already mentioned, SIASA was born in 1993 and its field of business was from the beginning the development and control of assistance systems. This is how the company ventured into personnel control systems, first with the use of identification cards that were normally barcode or magnetic tape, and later moved to other applications such as access control and closed circuit television.
When our professional of the month is asked about the people who were important in his beginnings in the industry there is one that he remembers with special affection. " Without a doubt in the security part our first contact, as a supplier in the beginning, and as a friend over the years, was Humberto de la Vega of HID, because it was on the side of proximity cards that we were approaching this industry that has given us so much. Humberto is a person I respect and admire a lot."
The professional at home
Undoubtedly, the family environment occupies a privileged place in the life of every person. In the case of Loret this area is formed by his wife Mariela with whom he has been married for almost 20 years and their three children: Alejandro of 14 years, Ana Catalina of 13 and Andrés of 10.
Regarding his hobbies our guest considers that he does not have any in particular, although in recent days he has been learning to sail and has enjoyed this outdoor activity very much.
Arguably, his main hobby is traveling alongside his wife, an activity he constantly relates to his work in the security industry. As he put it, this has allowed him to put many things into perspective. "This is how I have realized that in our industry in Mexico there is much to do, because I have had to see in other countries how both access control and CCTV have been implemented in small, medium and large companies, when here many times due to lack of budget, there are few companies that invest in these systems, and we live in one of the countries that requires the most security. Recently on a trip I entered a small wine shop and the systems they had I would already like to have a self-service chain, "said Loret.
Regarding travel, this topic gave rise to relate the professional activity with the challenges faced by the managers of a security company. In this regard, Loret said that "like any manager of an electronic security company, it is very important to keep up with all the technology that is emerging in our market. For this I have always proposed to attend expos abroad, because they allow us to have direct contact with the leading companies in the field"and said that new technologies have opened important ways for updating and contact with customers. "Today, many of our suppliers support us through online seminars (webminars), and one of the challenges we now have in our company is precisely to start through this medium, supporting our customers to increasingly facilitate the learning process. Undoubtedly, customers today can be obtained regardless of borders, and for this it is very important through web tools to be close to them".
Ethics and safety
"I think the main quality that a manager should have in our industry is ethics. Customers entrust us with their safety, and that's not just anything.
We must always offer reliable solutions, well analyzed and implemented in a professional way, without deceiving or confusing customers by taking advantage of their lack of knowledge, "was what Loret expressed in front of the primary objective of an industry manager in front of users and their work, and added that ethics and honesty are everything when doing business. "This should not be considered as a moralistic attitude, but is one of the best recipes for any business. Satisfied customers are the first to buy from us again. It is apart from healthy, the best sales strategy that can be in the medium and long term."
Faced with the state of the industry in Latin America, our Professional of the Month said that unfortunately the situation of insecurity in some countries in the region, including Mexico, has created many security needs with which the industry will not have many ups and downs during the times of crisis that have been experienced for some months. "Regarding the near future, when the economy normalizes again, I believe that the security industry will continue with significant growth of the order of 20% per year. There is still much to be done in our countries, and to the extent that the industry becomes more professionalized every day, the levels of projects that other advanced countries have today will be achieved," said Loret.
Mexico, training and recognition
According to Loret, Mexico has had for three or four years a high increase in the demand for access solutions based on biometrics and that companies have gradually left aside the idea that the security of their assets depends on a locksmith. "Today that has changed and there are serious companies throughout the country that provide reliable electronic solutions," says Loret, but emphasizes an issue that is of utmost importance in security issues: the budget.
"Due to its low cost, many companies have chosen to acquire fingerprint-based equipment, when it is not always the ideal solution for them because there are other technologies on the market. I think this can be one of the great challenges of suppliers that currently offer products in Mexico: knowing how to specify the right technology for their customers, based on the peculiarities of each one and not only in cost, "said Loret
In terms of training, this Mexican thinks that gradually the security industry has been professionalizing in Latin America, although he considers that it is a slow process because in the region little is invested in education, but that organizations like WINGS have already realized this need and have been making their contribution. "Training is very important in our industry and cannot be neglected. Any company considering establishing itself in the market to stay, has to invest in the technical training of its staff."
On the aspects that have made SIASA a recognized company in the field of security in Mexico and Latin America, Loret de Mola summarized them in the human factor as its main asset, the development of its own applications for the different areas of the business, the suppliers of its solutions which are long-standing companies and the company's certifications, especially ISO 9000:2001, which have helped them provide consistency in the services offered.
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