Merger: Dorma and Kaba - Second-Largest Access Control Supplier To Assa Abloy

Dorma and Kaba recently announced merger plans, which could have an interesting impact on the physical access-control industry in the coming years. Dorma is a provider of access solutions and related services, and the company is a global market leader in door closers, automatic door systems and glass fittings, while Kaba is a global leader for access control, enterprise data collection and key systems.

The access-control industry - including readers, panels, cards, software and electronic locks -- is highly fragmented, and the top ten vendors in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) comprised about half of the market last year. According to the most recent IHS report on electronic access control, the merger of Kaba and Dorma would make the combined company the second-largest player in EMEA's access-control industry, according to the analysts of IHS second only to Assa Abloy.

Dorma began expanding its portfolio in 2012 with the acquisition of RCI -- and again in 2014 with the acquisition of Farpointe Data. While the acquisition of RCI complemented Dorma's existing portfolio, Farpointe Data allowed Dorma to further penetrate the government-equipment category with products that are complaint with federal information processing standards (FIPS). Kaba's acquisition of Keyscan in 2014 helped to further solidify the company's presence in the American region and gain an additional foothold in the access control as a service (ACaaS) market.

In this merger Kaba and Dorma would combine complementary product offerings, and perhaps fill gaps in each company's current portfolio, as they relate to physical security and entrance-control equipment. Dorma will bring to the deal door automation-control expertise (including revolving doors, swing doors, slide doors and industrial doors); while Kaba offers a larger portfolio of pedestrian-control equipment (such as turnstiles, gates and security doors), as well as hospitality and commercial electronic-locking devices.

There will continue to be more acquisitions and mergers during the remainder of 2015 and into 2016, as companies look to better position themselves within total solutions and platforms. While this merger is more complementary in terms of existing portfolios, IHS expects to see even more mergers and acquisitions surrounding video surveillance, access control and other disparate systems in the next 12-24 months.