News

From the integration of Advanced Access, to the enlargement of our distribution and office facilities, much groundwork has been laid for us to continue being an acquisitive business. This is a strategic priority of both Oprema and our parent company, EET Group.

We caught up with Gareth Williams, Managing Director, to reflect on some of the huge changes that have been undertaken this year, and glimpse into what looks to be a very exciting future…

Oprema has experienced massive growth over the past 5-10 years, achieving some great milestones and really flourishing as a unified team.  We’re deeply grateful to all our customers and partners who’ve supported us throughout this journey. Thanks to that continued support, Oprema and EET Group are reinvesting heavily to build the foundations for the next 10–15 years – ensuring we continue to serve our customers even better.

Another huge step for us was merging all of our smaller warehouse facilities into our state-of-the-art, 106,000 sq. ft. distribution centre. The big move – which took place over Easter weekend – was executed thanks to the exceptional efforts of our team. We’ve poured blood, sweat, and tears into both the moving process and the settling-in period, through which we’ve found our flow and adjusted to the much larger setting.

More than ever, the market has been hyper competitive, with lots of players fighting over the same business. One of our central aims moving forward is to keep maximising our service levels; we’re soon launching two new knowledge angles in our Training Academy and Innovation Centre, and will continue to act as a conduit between the manufacturer and the customer.

There have been several elements to this integration. Firstly is the stock angle: we had the huge task of moving inventory from Northampton to Newport, and combining it with our existing stock. Those original customers now have access to over 200 brands, and a much broader, deeper stock portfolio, which they can access either through their account manager or via our ecommerce website. What’s more, they can also use Oprema as a one-stop shop for fire, intrusion, and CCTV needs – whereas previously they would only have been able to purchase access control products.

We’ve also had the integration of the sales team. Everyone has been supporting each other more than ever, and the former Advanced Access team are now part of a much bigger, more resilient sales force. As well as that, we have new team members across most of our departments: marketing, finance, and tech have all benefitted from an increased headcount. With plenty of new ideas and approaches being brought to the table, we can’t wait to see how the coming years pan out off the back of this acquisition.

For a start, we’ll be working with a much bigger space, and a more modern look and feel to the facility that is conducive for learning. We’ve installed a bigger interactive screen, and even our desks and chairs have had an upgrade from those in our previous facility.

The Training Academy – based at our Newport Distribution Centre – is more conveniently located near the Severn Bridge, making it accessible for those traveling via the M4. Plus, being based at the NDC makes it ideal for customers to check out our Innovation Centre and impressive warehousing whilst they’re here.

In addition to our partners, we’re looking to work with more third-party companies in order to deliver generic industry training to our customers and staff. Our investment in education is something we’ve always been proud industry leaders in, and our brand-new academy will be able to help us to extend our offering further than ever before.

The biggest appeal of our Innovation Centre is that it will provide a highly interactive experience. We’ve worked tirelessly to create a walk-through simulation of specific vertical markets, from retail to education to healthcare. All of these will feature interconnected technologies and showcase security solutions in a really visual way for visitors.

However, this isn’t just a sales tool for us: we’d like to partner with installers to bring in end users and help them sell more projects. In this sense, the Innovation Centre can also become an extension of their business. We can’t wait for our customers to start seeing all of the hard work that has gone into designing and executing this brilliant resource.

Yes – we’ll be relocating from our current HQ in Q1 of 2026, and the fit-out process is already taking place in readiness for the team to make the big move. We’re going from a smaller, commercial operation, into a much bigger, more modern facility, in keeping with the upgrade our warehousing enjoyed earlier in 2025.

Our people have always been front and centre of our brand, and this move will mark a real improvement for our staff in terms of day-to-day office life. Everyone will be together on one floor which will simplify collaboration, and there will be plenty of room to support our business growth over the coming years.  

At the heart of everything we do is that personal touch that sets us apart from our competitors – this fantastic new space for our team will be pivotal in us providing that long into the future.

Oprema, as part of the EET Group, is a highly acquisitive organisation, and this is something we’re keen to keep exploring moving forward. We’re also constantly expanding our portfolio in an effort to keep delivering our customers the latest and greatest in security tech, so be sure to keep an eye out for new partner announcements in 2026. Additionally, we’ll be making our usual appearance at The Security Event, a real highlight of our calendar year, alongside our ever-popular Tech Days.

In short, there are lots of exciting things happening next year in what promises to be another big chapter for Oprema – watch this space!