TDSi celebrates four decades of delivering “secure access control excellence”

TDSi was launched on 2 August 1982 as Time & Data Systems (International) to produce and supply a new type of infrared swipe card reader which had been invented by a development team that had previously worked for a division of IBM. Within just 18 months, the technology had been licenced as an OEM product to Chubb, which then took that ‘tech’ (and, indeed, TDSi) to an international market in 1984. TDSi continued as an independent business until 1998 when it became part of Norbain.

The company’s diverse and comprehensive product range encompasses access control systems, biometric readers, security management software, IP CCTV and video management software. Its portfolio of solutions can be easily integrated into other security and BMS applications and, across the years, has been deployed for businesses and organisations of all sizes and types.

TDSi also integrates its solutions with those of some of the leading manufacturers in the security industry, among them Milestone, Hanwha Techwin, Panasonic, Ela Soft, SimonsVoss, ASSA Abloy and Texecom.

Time for reflection

John Davies, managing director at TDSi, explained: “This year is a big one for TDSi as we reach our milestone of 40 years’ worth of innovation in the security sector. We are excited and proud to mark this occasion, at the same time reflecting upon the company’s genesis in manufacturing innovative time recording systems. We then focus on the present day and beyond as we provide the latest in fully integrated, wireless and cloud-based secure access control solutions for many customers.”

Davies joined TDSi back in 2003, leading a management buy-out of the business in February 2005. In 2019, TDSi embraced the next chapter of its journey by joining the VITAPROTECH Group, a leading French group of premium security providers of solutions in access control and management, smart monitoring and perimeter intrusion detection.

The VITAPROTECH Group now encapsulates 15 professional security providers and continues to grow, adding further market-leading solutions to its overall portfolio.

UK-manufactured products

For its part, TDSi continues to deliver UK-manufactured products combined with excellent service and support to customers around the world, including the UK and Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, China and South East Asia.

Three years ago, TDSi was ready to launch into the North American market, but the pandemic forced these plans to be delayed. “Despite the delay realised by COVID,” stated Davies, “we are now reaching out to partners and potential partners, as well as end user customers, in the USA and Canada. These are markets which are very switched on to the latest security developments such as cloud-based systems. On that basis, we’re very excited to be taking our GARDiS offering to these potentially very lucrative markets.”

The company’s customer base spans numerous vertical sectors including healthcare, banking and finance, education, transport, ports and airports, the utilities, the industrial sector and the retail/commercial spcae.

Davies concluded: “For four decades now, we have proudly led the way in delivering new solutions which embrace the latest technology, but also deliver tangible real-world benefits for our customers. This ethos underlines TDSi’s commitment to leading the security market with true innovation, quality, value for money and usability. We look forward to continuing this tradition as a prominent member of the VITAPROTECH Group, building upon a strong business base and attracting new customers and partners around the world.” 

*Further information is available online at www.tdsi.co.uk

**Learn more about the VITAPROTECH Group at www.vitaprotech.com/en/