AD Group
CCTV Solutions on the Ground, in the Air and on the Move
AD Group was established in 1997, its primary objective being to create and
bring to market leading edge
CCTV solutions. The innovative nature of the
Group's products, with the emphasis very much on R&D, has undoubtedly been a
critical element in AD's success to date.
AD's growth has been remarkable, with turnover soaring from £930k in 1998 to
£84 million in 2005, a fact recognised when the Group came out on top in the
prestigious 2004 Deloitte Indy 100 award. More recently, the company has
been rated as the fastest growing technology business in the North of
England by the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 awards and received the 2006
Queen's Award for Enterprise in the Innovation category for its mobile CCTV
system TransVu.
Shared Technology Base
The principal shareholder of AD is Mike Newton who founded UK CCTV giant
Dedicated Micros in 1982 which ranks No 1 globally for multi channel digital
video recorders. In 2001 Dedicated Micros became an integral part of AD
Group. Since that time all AD companies have been able to take advantage of
a shared technology base, offering the potential for flexible CCTV solutions
on the ground, in the air and on the move. Members of AD Group include: AD
Aerospace, AD Aviation, AD Network Video, ChipWrights, Dennard, DM, D-Tec,
ISD, RemGuard, TSS and TES.
Diverse Range of Applications
One of the first companies to embrace the concept of video over IP, AD's
interests now include CCTV systems for aircraft, transport, military
vehicles, smoke detection, together with camera technology, digital video
signal processors and digital video recorders and multiplexers.
The Group is firmly committed to the implementation of effective CCTV
standards and its senior personnel play an active role in key industry
bodies, helping to drive best practice in critical areas from detector
activated CCTV (BS 8418:2003) to digital video evidence.
Beyond CCTV the Group's interests include the operation of an aircraft
charter business to destinations across Europe and sponsorship of global motorsport, supporting winning entrants in prestige events such as the Le
Mans 24 Hours.
AD Additions
In 2005 there were two major acquisitions by AD Group. The first in May
involved US-based ChipWrights a specialist in Visual Signal Processors (ViSPs)
being brought into the Group. More recently AD acquired the entire share
capital of D-Tec (Detector Technologies Limited) headquartered in Alton,
Hampshire – a world leader in video smoke detection. Both of these
developments offer significant benefits for the whole Group with the
potential for the latest ViSPs from ChipWrights and D-Tec's image processing
technology to be integrated into new AD Group products.
In 2006 AD Group acquired the assets of Innovative Sensor Developments (ISD),
designer of mobile weapon station gun sights and Mega pixel surveillance
products. ISD's experience of working in the military market and production
of video systems for rugged and mobile military applications enhances and
further expands AD Group's expertise.
Innovation on a Global Scale
The philosophy of AD Group founder Mike Newton – Management Today magazine's
Entrepreneur of the Year in 2005 - is one of constant innovation, with the
flexibility to rapidly move from the drawing board to a physical product, to
meet the demands of customers worldwide.
Even if competitors attempt to copy what the Group is doing, Mike is
confident that by the time they bring their solutions to market, AD will
have moved on, maintaining a competitive advantage. "We're pioneers in the
industry, when we innovate it's not by adding a whistle or bell to a box but
by introducing something genuinely new."
Whatever area the Group commits its energies to, from leading edge CCTV
systems for aircraft to video smoke detection; it soon establishes itself as
a force to be reckoned with.
NetVu Connected
For the individual companies which make up the Group, the real practical
benefit they gain from the AD link is the ability to tap into a common
technological base. A good example is 'NetVu Connected', the technology DNA
from AD which is now at the heart of the very latest range of networked
video over IP security solutions. Products with 'NetVu Connected' are able
to take IP connectivity to another level, offering truly scaleable solutions
that encompass integrated video capture, recording, transmission and
viewing.
The Future
Unquestionably, the prospects for AD Group are extremely bright, given the
portfolio of companies which now come under its wing, all leading players in
their own right, and the desire of the Group to constantly innovate.
"The business thrives by being ahead of the competition and reacting to the
market, that's what gives us the edge."
Mike Newton – Founder and CEO
AD's commitment to R&D and control over the development and manufacture of
its products and the software which drives them – 'NetVu Connected' being a
prime example – places it in a unique position to react rapidly whatever the
future may bring. This investment in people and processes, taking CCTV
systems from the drawing board to completion and beyond, means that the
Group is well placed to provide solutions tailored to the needs of a
disparate range of end users – whether that be an airline who wants to keep
the cabin crew safe or security staff at a mega casino looking to maintain
fair play at fast moving gaming tables.
On the Ground, in the Air and on the Move
To appreciate just how far the Group's reach extends in the world of CCTV we
need to go on a hypothetical journey...
A business person leaves their office one evening, using a keypad they set
their remotely monitored CCTV system provided by RemGuard linked to its
Remote Video Response Centre (RVRC). They drive to the airport to catch a
flight, passing a police officer monitoring vehicle speed using technology
from Traffic Safety Systems (TSS). At the airport they park their car and
take a bus to the airport terminal, the bus has been fitted with TransVu – a
mobile CCTV recorder – keeping an eye on passenger/driver behaviour. In the
airport itself the traveller's movements are picked-up by a series of Dennard dome cameras from Dedicated Micros and recorded locally by a DV-IP
network video server which can distribute the images on demand across the
airport's IT network.
Needing some cash for the journey they find the nearest ATM, even here their
transaction can be monitored by an AD system. When out of service the
passenger's plane was kept in an aircraft hangar protected by a video smoke
detection system from D-Tec – ideal for the early detection of smoke in
lofty internal spaces.
Once the passenger is on their plane, FlightVu solutions from AD Aerospace
help to ensure their safety, watching the cabin area to allow the crew to
deal with incidents from air rage to terrorism. The passenger can even,
through external cameras connected to FlightVu, see the ground underneath
their feet during take-off and landing.
For more information on AD Group and its subsidiaries please email
info@ad-group.co.uk or visit
www.ad-group.co.uk.
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