Something Old, Something New

ADEMCO's museum honors the history of the alarm industry

• By Megan Weadock
• Jul 01, 2008

In both life and business, it’s always the lessons of the past that help to guide the future.

That’s why, with regard for both the past and the future, Honeywell Security and Custom Electronics opened its new, state-of-the-art facility last year in Melville, N.Y. The headquarters features all the necessary elements to keep Honeywell moving forward: research and development, engineering, quality assurance and more. However, as a company that likes to remember where it came from, Honeywell also has created the ADEMCO Alarm Security Museum, an homage to its evolution throughout the years, which was dedicated this May.

Movin’ On Up
The Honeywell Security headquarters previously was housed in multiple disparate buildings in Syosset, N.Y. The change in geography wasn’t that noticeable— the new facility is only a few miles from Syosset—but the other differences were enormous.

In Syosset, Honeywell employees were very cut off from each other. Even going to a meeting often required trudging from one building to the next—sometimes in snow or rain.

However, everything about the new 140,000-square-foot facility, which Honeywell settled into last July, is designed to foster ease-of-use, collaboration and familiarity. The building features countless team-oriented spaces, as well as meeting rooms with marker-board walls for impromptu brainstorming sessions. The work spaces are wide open, with product samples displayed so each employee can know what new innovations the others are working on. The building also houses state-of-the-art development and testing labs, Honeywell’s AlarmNet™ communications network command center, a product showroom and technology showcase, a training center and even a video production studio.

“The change is an exciting new chapter in the history of our business,” said Ron Rothman, president of Honeywell Security and Custom Electronics. “By using natural light and open spaces, we’ve created a modern and attractive work environment for our employees, customers and visitors. Also, the new location gives us the space and additional resources we need for future growth.”

A Nod to the Past
At the entrance to this new work space is the ADEMCO Museum, a collection that chronicles the history of alarm security from the development of alarm systems in the 1920s to the current age of advanced security communications. The museum honors Maurice Coleman, the founder of the original Alarm Device Manufacturing Co., as well as former Chairman Leo Guthart, whom Honeywell recognizes as the “architect” of the modern ADEMCO.

The museum’s shelves are filled with ADEMCO catalogues from as early as the 1950s and original products, including photocells, delicate foil tape from early alarm systems, and a vintage car and truck alarm, a stout metal object that looks like it weighs 100 pounds.

“I love the history of where we came from,” Rothman said. “It’s important to know where you came from, especially when it comes to technology. In some ways, it’s cyclical. Fundamentally, we’re still doing the same thing—moving information.”

Rothman hopes the museum also will help to foster the new headquarters’ emphasis on teamwork.

“I think the museum ties in well because the employees see the connection between what they worked on and a global business that’s been around for 80 years next year,” he said.

When ADEMCO joined the Honeywell family in 2000, some of the veteran employees expressed concern that the company would lose some of its unique identity. But ADEMCO has stayed true to itself. The museum, which has been a labor of love for several years, will help to maintain that identity going forward.

“If you look around this business, the connection to our customers is so important,” Rothman said. “We’re working with the children and grandchildren of our original customers. Clearly, there’s great value in maintaining our identities.”

A Secure Future
The museum will continue to be expanded as additional products and equipment are added. Rothman said he plans to get Honeywell’s First Alert Professional authorized dealers and other customers involved by having them donate old products to flesh out the museum’s collection and expand it throughout the new facility’s hallways.

As for Honeywell Security itself, the employees are already putting the new headquarters to good use, developing ways to lower false alarm rates and improve ease of installation. Innovative security panels using biometrics and Bluetooth technology also are right around the corner.

In the meantime, the company recently launched a new Web site featuring videos that showcase the newest security technologies, introduce viewers to leading industry personalities and examine real-world security projects. Visit www.thesecuritychannel.com to browse the videos and watch excerpts from the ADEMCO museum’s dedication.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .