Trans-Alarm, Automated Entrance join

BURNSVILLE, Minn. - After several years of working side-by-side, systems integrator Trans-Alarm and automatic door supplier Automated Entrance Products have come together under a new parent organization called Trans-American Security Services. The match is expected to be one of several for Trans-American in the coming years as it looks to become a one-stop provider of electronic access control and monitoring related services. "Our anticipation is that under Trans-American Security Services we will create a family of companies," said Terry Mullet, president and chief executive officer of Trans-Alarm and Trans-American. The first step in accomplishing that goal involved Automated Entrance Products joining Trans-Alarm this summer. The financial details of the transaction were not released, but Automated Entrance cofounders Carl Baldwin and Leon Donaghue continue to manage the day-to-day operations of the company. "Over the years we have worked with Trans-Alarm from time to time, where we would provide the door and Trans-Alarm would provide the electronics," said David Smith, who has been named the new president of Automated Entrance. Partnering, said Smith, was a natural step. Besides installing the likes of access control and CCTV systems, Trans-Alarm also runs a lock division. The next move was to add the doors themselves to that product and service mix, said Smith. Automated Entrance installs sliding, swinging and revolving doors and door control systems. Both companies also serve many of the same customers and plan to "exchange sales leads," he said. In the coming year, that's expected to translate into a 25 percent growth rate for Automated Entrance. The door supplier has since relocated from Plymouth, Minn., to Trans-Alarms headquarters here. To accommodate Automated Entrance, 5,000 square feet was added to Trans-Alarm's facility in August.