Mobotix moves to NY

NEW YORK--From their new perch on Fulton Street here in Manhattan, German IP camera manufacturer Mobotix expects to rapidly expand its presence in the North American market. Mobotix, which is based in Kaiserluetern, Germany, opened its first U.S. office three years ago in Columbia S.C., its "twin city," where it had participated in some cultural and business exchanges. Mobotix relocated its North American office here six months ago, "to get more involved in the market" said Peter McKee, international marketing director for Mobotix on the show floor at ISC East, and because the New York metropolitan market is "where we are needed the most." Mobotix' high-megapixel cameras are made to withstand extreme weather conditions, McKee said, as evidenced by cameras that survived last year's Florida hurricanes and this year's rocket explosions in Israel. At the ISC East show, McKee said he'd just spoken with a representative from a large school system in New Jersey with which Mobotix is working. "That's a good example of why we need to be here [in New York]." Internationally, the company is involved in many different vertical markets. Here, the company will focus initially on schools, airports, ports, and other transportation areas. McKee said that there are a surprising number of "outdated CCTV" systems in place in and around New York City. McKee said Mobotix will benefit from the increased affordability of IP cameras and storage as well as the growing realization that excellent image quality is necessary for security identification. "The technology is here, [IP camera technology] is no longer too expensive, why not use it?" he said. He noted that in France there is legislation under consideration that would mandate that only high-resolution cameras be used in government-funded camera installation. The demand for higher quality images will be a trend to watch. He believes this mandate will come to pass in France, and then it will only be a matter of time before we see similar mandates in the United States.