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Interview with Bernd Kagerer

10/24/2022
Bernd Kagerer, former General Manager of VITECTOR, currently President of Business Area Entrance Automation at CEDES, talks about his longstanding partnership with our company and future trends in industrial door safeguarding.

CEDES: Please tell us more about your relationship with CEDES.

Bernd Kagerer: My cooperation with CEDES goes back about 15 years - Jan Giger, today President Business Area Access, was my first point of contact back then. We got on well right from the start and quickly came to the conclusion that doing business together would make perfect sense. Both companies collaborated on the development of an industrial door product, including a common patent, and we could win over some large customers. For CEDES, it was a successful pilot project and a stepping stone into the industrial door market. I have to admit that CEDES has always fascinated me as a company, through its incredible energy and power of innovation.  

C.: In your opinion, why are CEDES and VITECTOR such a good match? 

B.K.: The two companies have the same DNA and a strong focus on OEM customers. The combined product portfolio for industrial door safeguarding is now complete, from junction boxes to light curtains. Moreover, CEDES brings the pioneering spirit necessary to develop future safety solutions for industrial doors. Time-of-flight technology is of special interest for this application. CEDES could already gather valuable experience with this technology in the elevator industry, which we can now implement in industrial door solutions as well.    

C.: What added value did the acquisition of VITECTOR by CEDES generate for customers?

B.K.: As a result of this acquisition, CEDES is now the world`s largest provider of safety sensors for industrial doors. On the other hand, it remains a medium-sized company specialized in the needs of OEMs. This combination allows for a great deal of flexibility. CEDES can offer its customers a comprehensive product range as well as corresponding service. After several visits to customers in Europe and in the USA, I`m happy to report very positive feedback. Thanks to the strong global presence of CEDES, we can also extend the VITECTOR by CEDES product offering to new markets, for instance in Asia. 

C.: What`s on the horizon for entrance automation?  

B.K.: As already mentioned, time-of-flight technology and advanced 3D image processing will have a strong impact on entrance automation in the near future, and CEDES is definitely a trailblazer in this area. The rise of Internet of Things is an equally exciting topic. Safety sensors are the eyes and ears of a building. The next step will be to unlock the potential of data collected by those sensors and make use of them in connected smart building systems.  

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