Unlocking Innovation in Hong Kong

Spain-based electronic lock manufacturer SALTO Systems selects Hong Kong to launch its first ‘XSperience Centre’ in Asia

Nowadays everything seems to have a digital alternative and door locking is no exception. SALTO Systems is a major global player in the world’s lock and security industry that stresses on using innovation to improve security management software.

The Spain-based door lock manufacturer offers products ranging from offline to online hard wired and battery operated electronic locking solutions. In the last five years, the company has been developing cloud-based locking which, according to Senior Vice President of Asia Pacific David Rees, is the future of access control system. In 2017, the company announced a rebrand of their signature ‘Clay by SALTO’ product line to ‘SALTO KS – Key As A Service’, which is a cloud-based locking solution that controls who, when, and where to access at the user’s fingertips.

Despite the large demand for security systems in the hotel industry, hospitality is not the only market that SALTO focuses on. “We also target verticals such as commercial, education, healthcare, governments and transportation in Asia, these are the industries that have helped us grow strong over the years”, Rees said. He added that the booming of co-work spaces and serviced offices in Asia has generated a great demand for SALTO’s hi-tech products. “We are here in Hong Kong to grow our commercial business, as well as taking some share in the hospitality industries,” he said.

Rees relocated from Singapore last year to open the Hong Kong office, which will be upgraded to a 1,000 square feet ‘XSperience Centre’ for clients and distributors to have a holistic experience of their products and the brand. With new software releases every year, the centre will also serve as a training venue for its staff to demonstrate the latest technologies and functionalities to clients and partners. This is SALTO’s first ‘XSperience Centre’ opened in Asia. “We use this centre in Hong Kong as a test point. If it works here, we may try out in other regional offices,” Rees explained.

Currently, SALTO’s Hong Kong office also looks after the North Asia market, including Taiwan and Korea. Rees commented that it is important for the company to be geographically close to all of these markets, and Hong Kong is situated at a strategically central location. He added, “Hong Kong is a business hub and a technology hub. It’s a place that really focuses on innovation.”

InvestHK has assisted SALTO to set up office in Hong Kong with support including work visa application, publicity, and networking opportunity, and Rees recounted the experience a positive one. “As a business professional who has set up a number of offices in major Asian cities before, this has been one of the easiest and best supported ones. With the assistance I got from InvestHK, a lot of time and effort were saved from going around and crawling information. Such kind of support is invaluable for a business,” he concluded.