UTC Fire & Security: new brand, new president

FARMINGTON, Conn.—UTC Fire & Security recently aligned its United States fire and security services businesses under the Chubb brand. The company's fire and security services businesses abroad have already consolidated under the Chubb name, and the branding in this country will provide “a new, more seamless interface to customers,” UTC Fire & Security said.

In other news, UTC Fire & Security also recently announced it has a new president: Scott Buckhout, previously a senior manager with the company. He succeeds William Brown, who has been promoted to senior vice president, corporate strategy & development, of United Technologies Corp. UTC Fire & Security, based here, is a unit of UTC, which is based in Hartford, Conn.

In an April 4 announcement, UTC Fire & Security said the U.S. businesses that will combine under the Chubb brand include Antronnix, CalProtection, Detection Logic, Diversified Fire Products, Fire Systems Inc., Florida State Fire & Security, HFP Corporation, Lane Fire & Safety, Pratt Landry Associates, John W. Polhemus, Red Hawk, and Vantronics Security Systems.

“The transition is more than changing our name - we are transforming our business,” Sean Flint, president of UTC Fire & Security's services business in the Americas, said in a statement.

He explained further in an email interview with Security Systems News:

“Aligning our U.S. fire and security services businesses under the Chubb brand supports our goal to be the #1 fire and security service provider in the U.S. Chubb is committed to providing a consistent high standard of service, professionalism and quality, and the new brand provides a more seamless interface for our customers. Our service excellence, paired with a single brand name, will help us build stronger brand recognition on a regional and national basis, and we are now much more attractive as a leading fire and security solutions provider.”

Flint also said the move would aid the company in hiring top talent. He said UTC Fire & Security is now “better positioned to attract leading talent in the industry who have an interest in joining a large multi-national, which was a bit more challenging when having multiple brands.”

He also said that centralizing the U.S. service businesses is part of UTC Fire & Security's long-term global strategy. “Our fire and security service businesses in Canada, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Netherlands, France and Belgium have already been consolidated under the Chubb name,” Flint said.

Chubb, founded in 1818, has a strong reputation in life safety and security services, the company said. Chubb serves more than 1 million customers worldwide from more than 400 locations and has nearly 10,000 technicians, according to UTC Fire & Security. The company said the solutions Chubb offers include installation, service, test and inspection and monitoring.

Buckhout joined UTC in 2007 after 15 years of management and consulting experience at Honeywell and Booz Allen, respectively, according to the company. At UTC Fire & Security he was president of the Systems & Fire Fighting business in the Europe-Middle East-Africa region and most recently served as president, Global Fire Products, according to the company.

“Scott's significant experience in Europe, coupled with his general management skills, and broad industry knowledge make him well qualified for this important UTC leadership position,” UTC Chairman & CEO Louis Chênevert said in a statement.

Chênevert also issued this statement about Brown: “As UTC Fire & Security president, Bill made significant contributions to UTC's success and we look forward to his leadership on UTC's acquisition and organic growth initiatives.”

Chênevert said that since Brown became president in 2006, UTC Fire & Security completed over 40 acquisitions, including the 2010 acquisition of GE Security. Under Brown's leadership, UTC Fire & Security grew sales from $4.2 billion to $6.5 billion while tripling operating profits, Chênevert said.

When asked why the alignment under Chubb is taking place now, Flint told SSN that the focus of the U.S. services business has been on acquisitions but is now shifting to organic growth. 
“While each of our legacy brands brings a unique history and strong local reputation, of which we are all proud, aligning these businesses allows the organization the opportunity to leverage our national scale and position ourselves for long term growth,” he said.