We are truly global and uniquely local

The company was established in 1994 and more than 300 acquisitions have been completed since then. Today we have a global leading position with a diverse and decentralized operation.

The lock industry is one of the oldest industries in the world and characterized by local standards and structures that have evolved during hundreds of years by local businesses. The global market for access solutions is still fragmented with no global standards. This also includes the structures for how ‘to go-to-market’.

The ASSA ABLOY Group reflects the structure of the market. Many of the companies in our Group were founded by entrepreneurs over 100 years ago with products developed for local markets. Since ASSA ABLOY was founded in 1994, we have continuously expanded through a combination of organic growth and acquisitions.

Today, we are the global leader in access solutions with a wide offering of products, solutions and services related to openings. We are also experts in trusted identities, with keys, cards, tags, and mobile and biometric identity verification systems included in our offering. The digitalization of our industry provides us with opportunities to add more customer value.

Combining decentralized and centralized structures

Standards for doors and locks are different between markets. Our local presence enables us to quickly deliver and respond to customer enquiries with the local business units innovating and optimizing resources and products according to the local conditions and demand. At more centralized production sites, we produce components that can be used in many markets to realize scale advantages. During the past years, these have been located in Eastern Europe and Asia. By doing this, we combine global scale with uniquely developed local products. Product development takes place in the local markets as well as in a few centralized units that develop shared product platforms.

The decentralized structure, combined with local management accountability, enables the business units to respond to market and business developments in a speedy manner.

Digitalization provides multiple opportunities

The rapid development of digital solutions continues in all areas of society and places demands on new digital technologies including access solutions. This provides opportunities to develop new, more convenient and secure access solutions. One such opportunity is remote management, where homes, offices and other premises can be monitored, and access can be managed remotely. In addition, premises are more frequently protected via interconnected systems that both increase the level of security while also enhancing efficiency and accuracy. Software platforms are used in our products to a greater degree, and our global presence provides us with opportunities to realize synergies across the Group.