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Nikolai Vladimirovich Lebedev was born in 1946 in Leningrad. In 1971, he graduated with honors from the North-West Correspondence Polytechnic Institute, while working at the Television Research Institute (VNIIT), where he worked his way up from a traffic controller to the head of the laboratory. In 1981, he defended his PhD dissertation. In 1991, Nikolai Vladimirovich Lebedev organized the EVS company, where he currently works as General Director.
Is it difficult to be a Russian manufacturer of high-tech products? I get asked this question quite often, and not only by the media. Probably, the stereotype that has long been ingrained in the mass consciousness is triggered that no one can produce anything in Russia. Fortunately, this is not true, and even in our high-tech industry there are worthy manufacturers whose products are in demand not only in Russia, but also abroad. Of course, producing is somewhat more difficult than selling what someone else has produced. Although, in fairness, I will note that a good seller is also a rare commodity in any market, and a manufacturer cannot do without him. It is no coincidence that in the largest corporations, sellers are much more honored than developers.
Where does production begin?
Probably, first of all, the idea is important, or, even better, the set of ideas that are to be implemented in hardware. There should be many ideas, because most of them are doomed to perish in the process of implementation: some will die a natural death, some — a violent death. There are no ready-made recipes for producing high-quality products, especially those intended for the world market. For example, the cameras with which we entered the Western market were the implementation of the solutions and ideas of my PhD thesis. I was very lucky at the time — I worked in the laboratory of Leonid Iosifovich Khromov, who raised a whole galaxy of specialists in the field of applied television.
That is, it is quite natural that already practically in the second year of our company's existence we began to make cameras for video surveillance. At first, on domestic matrices. But these matrices were of such low quality that we had to arrange supplies of Japanese components. It was not easy, but we reached out to direct suppliers and got the opportunity to make good cameras on the basis of good components. This was the foundation of success.
After all, even very good and high-quality components can make a bad camera. Because the element base is a very important component of production, but that's not all. Figuratively speaking, every camera developer who has good matrices, a good element base, has a reliable foundation. But what kind of building will be built on this foundation is a big question. It depends on the circuitry, experience, knowledge and technology. Based on Sony matrices, hundreds of manufacturers make thousands of different cameras. And how many brands are well-known? Much less. After all, even in the production of printed circuit boards, when implementing the same basic circuit, it is important to very accurately follow the circuitry, ensure the correct layout of the printed circuit boards, installation technology, setup and quality control. If at any stage you make some seemingly insignificant mistake, the desired result will no longer be there. And low-quality products will not be bought abroad. And they won’t buy it in Russia either, because the level of our consumer is growing every year and in a certain price/quality ratio, quality is slowly but surely coming to the fore.
Will the production of TSB develop in Russia?
A very difficult question, to which, in my opinion, there is no clear answer. On the one hand, there is the experience of dozens of Russian companies, there are highly qualified specialists capable of generating ideas. There is, finally, a real demand for Russian-made equipment. But the dynamics of the development of the domestic TSB industry today, of course, cannot be satisfactory.
There was a time when some experts expected that leading global corporations would start opening their assembly plants in Russia. This did not happen. In order for production to be profitable, it is necessary to produce a very large number of cameras. Opening a plant to produce 10,000 cameras a year (and not sell more in Russia) is not needed by anyone.
A special topic is entering the foreign market. I can share my own experience. At one time, we put in a lot of effort and spent a lot of money to find a buyer for our cameras in the West. We participated in exhibitions and talked to representatives of various companies. There was no result until one German company doing installations needed equipment with the characteristics that our cameras had to fulfill a specific order. So, we were in the right place at the right time. Luck? Partly yes. But the path to such luck was long and expensive. The Western market is very viscous. It is difficult to get into it, every step is very difficult. Do new companies have such an opportunity today? Of course, they do. But a good combination of technology and business is necessary. A developer is a talent, it is difficult to learn. If such people exist, there will be competitive technical ideas and solutions. Then designers, technologists, production come into play — the product that will be sold is created by a team.
Another important nuance: only a product that is extremely clear to the consumer will be sold abroad. It can be a very complex product, but it should be as easy to handle and operate as a fountain pen. If the product is clear and does not require support, it can be sold. True, reliable dealers are needed, warehouses in the countries of distribution are definitely needed. Naturally, much more is needed.
But the main thing is a good quality product, interesting in characteristics and functionality, which is supported by the necessary support, logistics, a control system, the possibility of exchange and warranty service — and you can enter the foreign market. Making a model, jumping on a plane and starting sales — this is out of the question.
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On the TSB market, like on the clothing market
Sellers and installers are the main participants in this process, our, if you like, couturiers. The way they present their goods is the way the customer will be equipped with technical security equipment. After all, it is no secret that in most companies, people responsible for security do not have sufficient technical knowledge. And when there is not enough knowledge, you have to chase fashion. If there is no good preparation for comprehending technology, you have to rely on advertising slogans.
Take the same IP cameras. Their appearance is the result of the natural process of development of video surveillance systems. They complement the lines of cameras that integrators use to create security systems. IP cameras provide the ability to transmit information in a standard way via standard communication channels, using standard and well-known technology. This is, of course, their advantage. But the question is where and how this advantage can be used to the benefit of the customer. At a small site where there is no network, it is much easier and cheaper to make a system on analog cameras. If there is a network, again you need to look and very scrupulously calculate whether it is profitable to use network cameras. What will be the load on the network. The cost of ownership and maintenance. It is often slyly claimed that the customer wins in price. This is not true, in most cases they do not win. It is no coincidence that many leading companies entered the IP market quite late.
Today we are witnessing a new boom in the market, caused by the widespread use of megapixel cameras. But this is not a panacea either. Megapixel network cameras are color. This means that they are at least 3 times less sensitive, because with each megapixel the sensitivity decreases. These cameras require lenses with high contrast-frequency characteristics. The main thing is that in low light conditions a megapixel camera produces a bad image.
IP is a great, and in some cases very necessary, addition to analog cameras. But no serious system is built solely on IP. It's like having only one color on an artist's palette. That's why security systems are always built using combined surveillance tools. There must be a thermal imaging camera, a mid-wave IR camera, a long-wave IR camera, and a visible camera. These are, in fact, all-weather systems capable of detecting an intruder in any conditions.
Let's Dream
We have nothing, no matter what you think. There are no independent equipment testing centers. There is no independent body that would provide the market with objective information. And what we do have are commercial interests. They are present and dominate among those who issue certificates and conduct testing today. Abroad, in the US, for example, everything is different. The authority of test labs is so high that the test results are trusted unconditionally. And it is impossible to buy these results.
We do not have this. Moreover, any newly created structure will be immediately bought. Corruption, which only the lazy do not talk about today, alas, is a given in our industry.
Another dream: it would be good to create an independent commission in each segment of the industry that would determine what equipment is needed, develop clear criteria that would be understandable to consumers.
Of course, every manufacturer wants to have real support from the state. But today, under no circumstances should one try to directly support a Russian manufacturer. If we assume that the state will allocate some budget for the development of the TSB industry, it is scary to even imagine how much a place in this queue for money will cost.
Of course, Russia needs a clear and thought-out federal security program. Based on such a program, it would be possible to plan promising equipment developments, purchase technologies that we do not have, and train personnel. To restore order in the organization and conduct of tenders.
And state participation in the affairs of Russian manufacturers must be real and targeted. If you export, receive loans on preferential terms. If you are engaged in promising developments, receive a grant as an innovative enterprise. And in this case, you should be guided by only one criterion — the quality of the manufactured products.
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