Safety is our basisHonest work is a profitable workSecurity company “Fort +” earned a great reputation many years ago in the Ulyanovsk region as a responsible partner. High-caliber professionals work here. Its CEO Vyacheslav PETROV told us about achievements and challenges they face, and ways to address that problems. The main thing is stability- Vyacheslav Mikhailovich, what is the main thing in your business? - The main thing for us, as well as for any other business in Russia and abroad, is stability. Previous year was exactly stable for our company, and this is especially worthful in the current difficult economic situation. Even the scope of our work was increased. I think, it happened, because organizations we work with also appreciate stability, reliability, responsibility and discipline. We have all of that, all that have been earned by years and now it is our competitive advantage on the market of security services. More than 30 large objects - under the PSC (private security company) guard. Last year we added several construction sites to the number of secure facilities, including ones relating to major investment projects, which are implemented within the territory of the Ulyanovsk region by foreign companies from France and Germany. Our subsidiary enterprise “Sprut” status is gradually improved and the scope of its activities is expanded. We also observe there a noticeable increase in the number of objects. - The growth of demand for your services is apparently caused by the general economic growth? - This is not a sole cause. Apart from everything else the law enforcement reform was tied to personnel retrenchment, and this, in its turn, resulted in the promotion of private security companies’ role. I enter Coordination Council under the Administration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Ulyanovsk region. Where people often offer proposals to assist police, to provide information and secure public order next to our objects. Unfortunately regarding business development not many entrepreneurs have financial capacities to employ services of security business’ professionals. Today regional and city authorities stand for entrepreneurs raise the salary. Our employees’ salary tends to increase, but we need to take into account the other side of the shield: the greater salary we have, the more expensive services are, and the less enterprises could afford these services. Although entrepreneurs who are really in need of security, have a great deal of other problems, for example, measures associated with steady increase in pipeline rates, electric power and other services without which an enterprise fails to work. - How public procurements influence your work? - As everywhere, the system of public procurements creates a problem. When I offer my services for governmental or municipal objects, I without doubt set a contract price fair for both. However, who offers the smallest price, will win. Frequently nobody mentions qualification, recommendations and real ability to provide security of high quality. As a rule, a solid PSC has no chances to win in this kind of bidding. It’s going round in circles. However, today many understand professional guarding is actually more advantageous, than a watchman pensionary, as far as it greatly reduces the probability of various unfortunate incidents onsite. The most important thing is personnel- How do you solve this problem? - We pay sufficiently high, but economically feasible wage. We try to conclude contracts for security services with financially reliable companies. On the other hand, we don’t look for easy ways to go. We engage only in physical security of objects. One would think it’s quite simple: to install signaling system, to keep SWAT, which visits the scene if the system is activated. However, as experience shows, live person’s, professional’s presence who is onsite is safer after all. There can be no time to come to an object to make it in time and settle the situation. In addition, the presence of a security onsite is already a reason for trespasser not to tamper there. - What’s the person specification? - Good personnel are collected by years. Certainly, back in the day some people came to us who might take alcohol during working hours. Today there are people among the applicants for the position of security guard, who think they do not need to work here, but to be present, sleep or mind their own business. However, you need to take over an object in a proper manner, check invoices, secured property, make rounds, check passes… And those “personnel” who suppose they should be said “thank you” only for their coming to work are not stayed here for long. So, the main criterion of selection is practical work. Only those who are ready to service and fill collar stay here. For the years of our security company’s existence, we have a lot of such-like people. They are our base. The problem is many 30-years healthy men simply do not want to work, and those who are over 60 line up for the security guard position. A professional security guard should be also computer competent. Many objects are taken for security at the stage of construction. Foreign partners- Have Russian and foreign companies vital differences regarding objects security? - Foreign companies have more strict requirements to personnel, occupational safety and health, labour safety, and their scope of duties is wider after all. An employee should be more competent and computer literate. He should not just engage in the external site security, but also monitor company's employees' compliance with safety requirements. However, for the moment under current contracts a security guard does not have to know a foreign language, but he should know some basics for elementary communication with the administration. By the way, foreign companies also hold tenders, but there the level of professionalism is taken into account. And they consider it disgraceful, if their guard receives a salary below average. They certainly know how to tell money, but they understand you can not hunt after cheapness, because the work will be according to payment. - And does it happen that you secures the construction site, and then a going concern goes under yours wing? - We have already taken for security three objects. I hope the same thing will happen with several construction sites, where we currently provide safety. For example, we took the car components manufacturing plant "TAKATA-Rus" for securing during the construction stage. The main thing is to approve yourself by means of competent work, that we try to do. And I can say we do it well. Currently we secure the following construction sites: LLC "Jokey Plastic Ulyanovsk", JSC "Hempel", FM Logistic, which build their enterprises in our region. I expect we will not part with them after construction ending and enterprises’ works beginning. Generally, we try to focus on long term cooperation and regular customers. And for this purpose we need a proper staff - personnel managers, lawyers, accountants, health and safety engineers. Naturally, we pay them officially declared salary and provide a full benefits package. By the way, this is a necessary requirement to be able to cooperate with foreign companies. They simply will not work with those who are partially withdraw into the "shadow" or violate labor legislation of the Russian Federation. The more contacts - the more possibilities- Sometimes objects are located quite far from each other. Does it affect productive work? - When the system is set and transport question is solved, there is no problem. Except Ulyanovsk we guard facilities in Maina, Krestovye Gorodischi, Cherdakly and Mirny. - What are the most famous sites in Ulyanovsk you are protecting? - For example, the retail and office centers "Mirage" and "Amarant", the dairy plant in the Mozhaiskii street, the business center "Simbirsk" in Zheleznaya Diviziya Street - we took it for securing at the construction stage. Athletics arena construction in Minaeva Street - is also our object. - How do you find your clients? - Most often they find us. We have a good website in Russian and English languages. Many come upon the recommendations. All foreign companies in Ulyanovsk are in close contact with each other and share information. So, good work is beneficial - it gives opportunities for growth. Last year in December V annual business forum "The business climate in Russia" was held in Ulyanovsk, and there during one of the round tables, I met with potential investors, who may need our services. The more contacts, the more possibilities. Semyon Yuriyev | SERVICES![]() |