The Economic Times
With India investing heavily on the procurement of safety and security systems in the wake of heightened threat perception, the UK's
largest manufacturers of aviation and defence safety systems -- Smiths Detection, expects a five-fold increase in its business in next three to four year.
"With the rise in threat perception in India, we expect that our business will increase from USD 20 million to USD 100 million in next to three to four years," President of Smiths Detection, Stephen Phipson told PTI.
"You can find our systems at the newly-built integrated terminal 3 (T3) of the IGI airport, which was the world's sixth largest airport terminal. It was a very prestigious project for us to work on," he added.
The company deals in aviation security systems like X-ray machines at airports, door frame metal detectors, explosive and narcotics detectors, and biological and chemical protection systems.
It has its presence in almost all commercial airports and is providing various security and protection systems to around 110 governments.
"After the 26/11 Mumbai attack, all major hotels have increased their security systems. At present over 250 hotels have installed the baggage checking systems manufactured by us," said Phipson.
He said 40 per cent of the company's revenue was earned from aviation security systems, 30 per cent from defence sector and 25 per cent from cargo screening systems while the rest from other sectors like sports events such as Olympics, Commonwealth Games.
For the coming Commonwealth Games too, Smiths Detection has installed a host of products like cargo screening systems, check-point metal detectors and others to make the games venues safe and secure.
Claiming that full-body scanners would soon be installed at the airports across the world in order to prevent Detroit like incident, Phipson said: "we have put our product for trials in India, and after thorough sorting of privacy issues we hope that in the next six to 12 months it will be in place at the airports.
"We are in talks with the government... Indian government is wisely waiting to see how the US and Europe is going to accept the full body scanners," he added.
He said the other sector at which his company was looking for future growth in India was defence as "we have the Biological and chemical protection system which is largely for the armed forces".
Smiths Detection is one of five operating divisions of Smiths Group plc, a global technology company listed on the London Stock Exchange.