Chubb Fire & Security is a global organization specialised in fire protection and security systems, and is a subsidiary of APi Group Corporation.

Chubb Fire & Security Group
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryAsset Protection, Life Safety
Founded1818; 206 years ago (1818)
Founder
HeadquartersBlackburn, UK
Area served
Key people
Andrew White, CEO

Brendan McNulty, VP Europe

KT Yiu, VP Asia Pacific
Number of employees
12,000+ (2023)
ParentAPi Group Inc.
SubsidiariesSecurity Monitoring Centre
Websitewww.chubbfs.com

History

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Former office in Sunbury-on-Thames

The company was founded by Charles and Jeremiah Chubb, who patented their Chubb detector lock in 1818. The company won a government competition for a lock which could not be opened other than by its own key.[1]

In 1835, the company produced its first Chubb safe at its factory in Wolverhampton, UK and, in the second half of the 19th century, the company expanded into the United States, and produced a time lock that was fitted to bank vaults across the country.[2] In the 1800s, Chubb gained some important customers such as the Duke of Wellington and the Bank of England.[3]

Over the next one hundred years, the company turned out more than 2.5m locks.[2] By the 1940s, Chubb expanded its operations in 17 countries. From being a single company manufacturing specialized security products it turned into a broad-based group of companies covering not only many aspects of security but fire protection as well.[4]

The company went on to acquire a number of rival firms including Chatwood-Milner Ltd. (1958), Burgot Alarms Ltd and Rely-a-Bell (1962), Read and Campbell Limited (1964), Josiah Parkes and Sons Ltd. (1965) and The Pyrene Company Limited (1967).[5] It was bought by Racal Electronics in August 1984, from which it was demerged in September 1992, before being acquired by Williams Holdings in February 1997.[6] as the latter company sought to build a security-focused conglomerate. Chubb was again demerged in July 2000.[2]

 
Service Engineer van in 2021

In August 2000, Chubb sold Chubb Locks, its lock and safe making unit, to Assa Abloy, and concentrated on security systems such as door access and CCTV systems.[7] In May 2002, Chubb held intensive acquisitions talks with Sweden-based Securitas AB, the world's biggest security services business. After 18 months of negotiations,[8] the talks were called off on the grounds that the deal would not be "financially attractive" to either company's shareholders.[9]

In Australia, Chubb Security bought MSS Security in 1996,[10] but then sold it to SIS Limited in 2008.[11][12]

 
Hot air balloon in the shape of a Chubb fire extinguisher at the 2008 Kemble Air Show

In April 2003, Chubb was acquired for £622m by United Technologies Corporation.[13] In March 2007, UTC bought Initial Fire and Security, the security arm of Rentokil Initial and proceeded to merge the business and its assets with Chubb in UTC Climate, Controls & Security. In December 2013, Chubb's Australian cash in transit business was sold to Prosegur.[14]

In 2020, Chubb was spun off with the rest of UTC Climate, Controls & Security into a separate company, Carrier Global.

On 3 January 2022 it was announced that Carrier Global had sold the business to APi Group for US$ 3.1 billion.[15]

Brands

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  • Chubb Sicli (Secours Immédiat Contre L’Incendie)
  • Chubb Delta Security Solutions
  • Chubb VitalCALL
  • SMC (Security Monitoring Centre)
  • Counterforce by SMC
  • Ajax Brandbeveiliging (Ajax Fire Protection)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Evans, Jim (2002). "A Gazetteer of Lock and Key Makers". Local History, University of Wolverhampton. Archived from the original on 8 December 2008.
  2. ^ a b c "Chubb's safe blown wide open but will there be anything left inside?". Financial Times. 23 April 2003 – via UNI Global Union.[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ "The History of Chubb Locks Custodial Services". Chubb Locks Custodial. 10 January 2006. Archived from the original on 8 September 2008.
  4. ^ "Chubb – Centuries of Innovation" (PDF). Chubb. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  5. ^ "Early Sales History / Office Locations / The Chubb Group / Last 25 Years". Chubb Archive. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2011.
  6. ^ "Williams of Britain to buy Chubb Security". The New York Times. 15 February 1997.
  7. ^ Shah, Saeed (12 June 2003). "Troubled Chubb agrees £622m UTC takeover". The Independent.
  8. ^ "Securitas halts Chubb merger". BBC News. 13 May 2002.
  9. ^ Goodley, Simon (14 May 2002). "Chubb slips as Securitas calls off acquisition talks". The Daily Telegraph.
  10. ^ "ACCC to allow Chubb's acquisition of M.S.S." Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (Press release). 18 June 1996. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  11. ^ "Security & Intelligence Services India Ltd". Business Standard India. Delhi, India. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  12. ^ "About Us". MSS Security.
  13. ^ "United Technologies of US is in talks on £1bn takeover of Chubb". Financial Times. 21 April 2003 – via UNI Global Union.[permanent dead link]
  14. ^ "Prosegur Compania de Seguridad SA through subsidiary acquires Chubb Security Services Pty Limited". Reuters. 16 December 2013. Archived from the original on 16 December 2013.
  15. ^ "APi Group Completes Acquisition of Chubb Fire & Security Business". Business Wire. 3 January 2022. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
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