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Published on August 6, 2007

Thailand's political unrest and public demand for the safety of life and property have stimulated a dramatic growth in closed-circuit television (CCTV) security systems.

The CCTV market expects strong sales growth of between 20 per cent and 30 per cent this year to about Bt3 billion, much higher than previous years, which posted growth of between 5 and 10 per cent, said Sittichai Srisanguansakul, managing director of SGD Intertrading, which has distributed Fujiko CCTV systems from Taiwan for 15 years.

"The demand for CCTV security systems has increased quite rapidly in the marketplace, particularly in government projects," he said. "This is because people have requested better security of life and property, particularly in public areas such as shopping malls, theatres, banks and gold shops. The government also has a higher concern for the safety of its people."

Sittichai said that the market for CCTV systems had great potential, as their use by both public and private sectors was still lower than in other countries, in some of which CCTVs have been installed at nearly all major  shops and streets to promote security.

Prices have also dropped dramatically, from about Bt100,000 10 years ago to only Bt30,000-Bt50,000 today. This has stimulated sales, particularly by small shops and home-owners concerned about their security.

He added that almost 50 per cent of the market was dominated by lower-end products with competitive prices.

Sittichai said that SGD Intertrading expected its sales for CCTV systems this year to increase by between 20 per cent and 30 per cent from Bt200 million of last year.

The company has 10 Fujiko shops in Bangkok and stores in Pattaya, Sri Racha and Chiang Mai. It also has 200 dealers who distribute Fujiko CCTV systems throughout the Kingdom.

"Our strategy applied over the past two to three years in promoting the use of Fujiko CCTV systems is to use the product for better management in business organisations and manufacturing plants, rather than the aim of security," said Sittichai. "CCTV systems can be used for monitoring the production process and the management of franchised stores as visual signals can be put online via the Internet."

Ranee Sitthikaew, senior manager for multimedia products, Sanyo (Thailand), estimated the demand for CCTV security systems to grow by over 20 per cent this year, up from between 10 per cent and 15 per cent last year.

"There are many incidents of terrorism in our country at the moment, particularly the violent situation in the southern provinces and the bomb blasts in Bangkok. They have raised awareness to install CCTV security systems among individual consumers, private and public organisations," Ranee said, adding that Sanyo expected its CCTV sales to grow 80 per cent to more than Bt200 million this year.

Kwanchai Rungfapaisarn

The Nation