Kooi has more than 160 employees who are committed to delivering the best temporary mobile camera surveillance and heat detection services in Europe. From their offices in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Denmark, Spain and Austria, Kooi contributes every day to building a better future.
The company monitors sites with temporary, mobile, and innovative camera surveillance and heat detection. They are always on guard and take immediate action to prevent theft and damage at the construction site or location.
Interview with Kees van der Leij, Managing Director at Kooi International.
Easy Engineering: What are the main areas of activity of the company?
Kees van der Leij: We offer video surveillance solutions for different sectors. For example, materials and equipment used during the construction of wind turbines often contain expensive copper cables which are susceptible to theft. Thus, we offer effective camera surveillance solutions for wind farms to prevent delays and damages.
In addition, during the construction of a solar farm, expensive panels, inverters, and cables can be found on site which are susceptible to theft and vandalism. Kooi offers 24/7 advanced camera solutions that secure solar farms and prevent damage.
We also offer our services to construction sites and storage yards where valuable materials and tools need to be protected from theft and vandalism. We use the most modern equipment, including advanced construction site cameras. We work using our UFO (Unit for Observation) system. This system is equipped with 360° cameras with a range of 30,000 M² and fitted with infrared technology for visibility in the dark. This makes UFO the perfect choice for effective storage security.
Finally, we offer solutions for the recycling sector. The risk of heat build-ups and fires is considerable in this business. Especially for this sector, Kooi innovated the RED (Rising Early Detection).
E.E: What’s the news about new products?
K.v.d.L: 2022 was quite a unique year for Kooi as we introduced two new solutions. The UFO GO and the UFO PRO. Both solutions endured all tests and made it through the pilot stage (Q1/Q2 2022). In the second part of the year, several batches of these solutions were built, placed and activated across Europe.
E.E: What are the ranges of products?
K.v.d.L: We secure construction sites or locations by early detection of suspicious situations with our high-quality, advanced Unit For Observation (UFO) surveillance cameras. The advantage of a mobile surveillance unit is that we can swiftly adjust to the changes at a site. In addition, each camera has a siren and speaker to deter intruders. These prevent most incidents. When necessary, we take care of the deployment of police or security guards.
The UFO GO is developed for entrances and/or smaller sites. It is a completely autonomous solution (no external power source needed) which is easy to install and move around. From our customers in the construction markets across Europe, Kooi got the request if a solution could be developed with could secure larger sites (100 x 100 meters) and works with smart software for detection. Commercial wise this was interesting enough for Kooi so our R&D department came up with the UFO GO which was the answer to this question which came directly from the market.
For the recycling sector, we offer Rising Early Detection (RED) solution. The RED is equipped with a thermometric camera that can rotate 360 degrees. It can detect heat up to a distance of 150 meters. In an optimal situation, one unit can detect an area of 70,000 m2. The RED monitors the area in rotation and detects fires based on trend analysis.
E.E: At what stage is the market where you are currently active
K.v.d.L: That depends on how you define the market. If we look at the European market, one can say that we are only in the Introduction Stage. If we look at the different countries in the European Union, then we see differences. The UK market, for example, is far more mature than the Benelux market, whereas the Benelux market is far more mature than the Swedish or Spanish markets. Still, even in more mature markets, there is enough for Kooi to win as Kooi is an A-player specialist (with a focus on high-quality solutions).
E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?
K.v.d.L: With the macro-economic developments, we notice that materials get more expensive, delivery times of materials take longer and with that the request for security increases. Besides that, Kooi notices that there is tremendous scarcity in the job market within Europe. That goes also for security companies. Kooi gets more and more requests to fill in this gap with its high-end solutions. Strategic partnerships have been and will be set up across Europe for this.
E.E: What are the most innovative products marketed?
K.v.d.L: For 2022, those are the UFO RED, UFO GO and UFO PRO.
E.E: What estimations do you have for 2023?
K.v.d.L: For 2023, Kooi again sees enough room to grow and accelerate across Europe. AI will get even more crucial, technology that we already use, but it will be integrated further within our solutions. Next to that, we will focus more on online lead generation.
Are you curious about how secure your location is? We would be happy to perform a free security check for you. We will determine what is necessary to fully secure your project site using temporary and mobile camera surveillance. Request your free security check today!