My Trip to Munich and What it Means About the Global Access Control Industry

Why do I travel like I do? Because of days like yesterday.

It's only possible to fully understand the global access control and smart lock industry if you go and see it. Put eyes on it. Shake hands with people. Walk the hallways. Share a meal. Tour the places where they work, live, and play. And allow them to show you it all.

Case in point: any2any GmbH , ELATEC Group , sesamsec GmbH , LEGIC , and especially TANlock .

Munich: A Deep Dive into Unique Innovations

Not only did I get a quick but deep dive into what makes Munich unique (the culture, the food, beautiful buildings, Paulaner Brauerei Gruppe GmbH & Co. KGaA versus Augustiner-Br?u Wagner KG ), but I also got to see the spirit behind the Franconian Lake District. The precision, the speed, the pride, and even the order and rules were on full display. I'm not a "car guy," but it's impossible to walk away from appreciating the craftsmanship and culture permeating out of everything here in Munich.

Any2Any: A Vision for a Promising Future

My impression of Any2Any has been steadfast and well-understood. Allan Chester and his team, especially Burhan Gündüz, are entirely focused on a vision of how the world should work centered on what he saw, learned, and did at Orange. He will be on the right side of history when the book is written in the modern era of electronic access control. I'm grateful he and Burhan spent the day taking me around Munich and giving me the opportunity to get a better idea. Thank you. I am forever grateful and I will be back soon.

They are just getting started and there is definitely more to come.

FATH: Beyond Definition

FATH is a fascinating company. It's impossible to define them as one thing. Yes, they are behind TANlock, but they also make parts for space travel, just introduced a scooter, are in the solar business, and even produce the whiteboard markers used in our meetings.

In short, I was blown away.

There's a bit of an "ah shucks" attitude around their origin story, a humble beginning that I know is birthed from something their father instilled in them. This attitude, coupled with the magnetic and relatable fever pitch of "looking for that star" that pours out of the two founding brothers, sets the tone for the entire company. I saw genuine fun on the faces of everyone working there as we bounced around the factory floor, a testament to their passion and dedication.

I also saw a company with an insatiable appetite for opportunities that sees them and pounces on them, which would make many MBAs and Corporate Development departments cry. This culture and expectations show up in TANlock. Do they make a cabinet lock for data centers? Sure. That's what I also understood about them. But if you stopped there, you'd only see 1% of it.

I encourage you to look deeper because I have a feeling you have a choice: You can start to understand TANlock and its capabilities, or one day soon, you'll wake up and say, "How did we miss seeing this one coming?"

Thank you Wido Fath , Mirko Jan Fath , and Juergen Sept for the hospitality.

ELATEC and Sesamsec: Change and Innovation

Last night's dinner was an excellent opportunity to hear from Denis Kim and Carsten Hoersch of ELATEC and Sesamsec. It's impossible to walk away from a conversation with them where you don't smile, and being allowed to share a meal and drinks took that to an entirely different level.

It's no secret that ELATEC is going through some significant changes right now, a transformation that is reshaping the company and its approach to the market. But amidst these changes, the focus remains on how their customers are changing. One story that highlighted the absolute change happening was about Ricoh and a large end user who requested an architecture for an access control system that, just two years ago, was one made only for whiteboards and "what if" strategy sessions.

ELATEC touches many parts of the market and is a good indicator that strengthens my belief that this is no longer your father's access control industry. Now, if only they got the ownership structure situated and could focus all their time and resources on fighting the good fight instead of handing over fistfuls of dollars and time to lawyers.

Legic: A Sleeping Giant Awakens

And to not be outdone, sitting there was Travis Willis, CFF , now of Legic. I've said this 100 times: there are two brands that I hear positive remarks about no matter where I go in the world. Legic is one of them. But if we're being honest, it's been wildly underappreciated and, therefore, historically under-invested in both dollars and expectations by its parent company, dormakaba .

If Travis's presence shows me anything, it's hope. I hope this juggernaut can be awakened and not only help our industry realize the $100B opportunity in a mainstream market but it will also take on our industry's number one problem: 恩智浦半导体 .

Looking Ahead

I'll write more about the above in an upcoming Access Control Executive Brief that will go out to members soon. The brief will include more details about my observations and insights into what I saw in Munich and the impacts I believe it will have on the region and world.

If you like stories like this and are not yet an Access Control Executive Brief member, please consider signing up here: https://www.leeodess.com/executivebrief.

If you are a member, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for being part of this journey. Your support and participation are invaluable to me, and I am deeply appreciative of the opportunity to engage with the amazing community we have in this industry. It's because of members like you that I am given this opportunity, and I do not take it lightly.

Next up? I'm on my way to Aix-en-Provence, and I have an opportunity to meet and see the people and operations behind STid , Pierre-Antoine LARRERA DE MOREL , and their parent company, SPAC. Stay tuned for more insights from the frontlines of access control innovation.

More pictures from my trip: