Building an Empire
Key distributor has Mexico on a string
- By Ralph C. Jensen
- Jul 01, 2015
Thirty years ago, Lucy Rivero entered the security industry. She
worked as an administrative assistant at a security company, and
then worked her way into sales. Four years later, she founded Inalarm,
a distribution company located in the heart of Mexico City.
Today, Rivero is a player on the Mexican playbook. The Mexico City
facility is central to the other 12 branches located around the country. It
also serves as corporate headquarters and a showroom where integrators
can bring end users to look at all types of technology.
Rivero is probably one of the most sought after interviews in Mexico, because
of her knowledge of the business and her influence. Ask her when she
plans to retire, and it is met with a laugh. She simply enjoys what she is doing,
and she is teaching and training her son, Ricardo Guzman, the business.
Necessary Changes
Of all the changes Rivero has made over the years, she recently named a
board of advisors to help her stay on top of things, such as technology, solutions,
the end user and many other facets of business and the industry. The
business is growing.
“We receive shipments of new product every week,” Rivero said. “For
our company it is all about logistics. Having branch offices all over Mexico has saved us a lot of money. Twenty
percent of our merchandise comes
from the Orient, by boat, and is unloaded
at several ports on the western
side of Mexico.”
The products have changed over
the years. During the past five years,
convergence has played a huge role
in security in Mexico. The dealers
and integrators in Mexico have had
to get used to using best of breed
products, and networking products
to the Internet.
“Today’s technicians have to be
better schooled and educated,” Rivero
said. “Technicians have to understand
communications, IT, automation,
and many for variables that the
security market offers today.”
Over the past five years, Rivero
has had to up her game as she now
competes with several global competitors
in the distribution business.
She said a lot of distributors have
added security to their portfolio,
plus having a global presence put
added pressure on Inalarm. Rivero
makes up the difference by working
harder and smarter throughout
Mexico. It also helps that 12 branches
are strategically placed, and that
she is opening three more branches
in 2016. The other 11 branches are
located in Culiacan, Chihuahua,
Puebla, Hermosillo, Tijuana, Juarez,
Guadalajara, Guatemala, Monterey,
Leon and Merida.
“We offer the best technical support
in Mexico,” Rivero said. “Our
engineers and technicians analyze
the products that we distribute, and
if asked, can go out to the field and
put together a solution. We’re not
integrators, but we can help make
things right. We work mostly with
the integrator, but once in a while
an end user comes to the Mexico
City office and buys the products
they need. There are many times
that the end user will come to our
showroom and bring the integrator
with them where they go through
the exhibition rooms looking at
product, or will use our training
rooms to better understand the
product they are buying.”
Respect and Passion
Inalarm was the pioneer of distribution
in Mexico. Rivero has gone
from an employee to the executive
by developing many good friends
in the industry. For her, respect
and passion are the key ingredients
of success.
“I also had a great desire to succeed,”
Rivero said. “First of all, I fell
in love with the technology, then I
found I understood it and wanted
to share the possibilities with our
many customers.”
Rivero’s success has placed her
on the international stage. She and her team are guests at ISC West,
and ASIS, but also at conferences
and tradeshows in the Orient. The
business, however, is here at home.
The Mexican Republic is home
to nearly 113 million people; Mexico
City has about 25 million people.
There is a need for security, and
with this many people, security is
on the minds of everyone. Mexico
is home to Rivero, who travels the
Republic about 25 times a year.
“I enjoy meeting our customers
and looking in on our branch activities,”
She said. “Our goal is to have
happy employees. We’re among the
top employers in the Republic. We
have been honored twice (2012 and
2013) as a business where employees
are happy to work.”
Because products are manufactured
outside of Mexico, Rivero
tries to keep enough stock on hand
for local sales, with major products
kept in Mexico City. Enough stock
means a supply for at least 60 to
70 days. When additional stock, or
even major stock, is needed in another
branch, immediate delivery
has to happen.
“Customers don’t want to wait
on their products,” Rivero said.
“Immediate delivery from Mexico
City is the only way we can do it.
We handle Axis and Bosch cameras,
and when they are needed at another
location, we move them quickly.”
Understanding the
Camera Business
Rivero knows cameras so much so
that Inalarm now has its own brand,
the Pyxis. Rivero describes this as a
low-end camera suited more for
smaller dealers. It is a 4-camera kit
with the Inalarm label.
Despite the fact that business has
been up and down thus far, Rivero
and son, Guzman, keep pounding
away. Guzman, who is the director
of business marketing, plays a major
role in day to day affairs. Their goal
is to enjoy their work, keep business
relationships strong and viable, and
to provide a place of employment
where employees take ownership
of all they do. Overall, the security
industry has given everyone a better
life.
This article originally appeared in the July 2015 issue of Security Today.