Recently, a small group of security trade press was invited to Greenville, S.C., for a tour of Paxton’s new U.S.-based headquarters facility, opened in January 2025.

Founded more than 40 years ago in the U.K. by Anthony Brotherton-Ratcliff and now owned by his son, Sholto, Paxton started out in the access control space, but has since branched into video intercoms, electronic door handles, and video surveillance. 

“The reason we do this selection of products is because they are generally installed by the same companies onto the same buildings, and together they increase the value of one another,” said Paxton CEO Adam Stroud. “We recognized about 10 years ago a trend for consolidation of different product types. Your video system is more useful if it is connected to your access control system, and vice versa. A lot of what we offer is a range of functionality within a common system.”

In a market often categorized by its increasing complexity, Paxton aims to differentiate itself through a more simplistic approach, Stroud explained.

“Three things connect all these products,” Stroud told us. “One is simplicity. We are always thinking about simplicity, whether it is the design of our buildings; getting through to technical support or returning products; installing products or our route to market. Every facet of engagement with Paxton we aim for it to be very, very simple. There are companies with more cost-effective solutions and more fully featured solutions than us. And good for them. Our aim is to be the company that has the most elegant and simplistic solution to the core needs across the market sectors we serve.”

Two other core tenets Stroud stressed were quality and support.

“We have a five year no quibble warranty,” Stroud said. “Any problem and they can send it back. We won’t contest it. We will just make the replacement process as simple and easy as possible. Installers and dealers need to believe in the quality of the product we offer them. This is how we do that.”

Support is a key differentiator, according to Stroud. “Now more than ever, it is unusual to be able to get hold of a company and speak to a real person that can help you within a few seconds,” he said. We have hundreds of support personnel globally. Some companies would view that as a very large cost base. We view support as a good investment.”

The Greenville office is a physical representation of Paxton’s goal of expansion in the United States. At approximately 30,000 square feet and 37 on-site employees, the new facility has plenty of room for expansion. It also houses onsite technical support and training facilities, as well as U.S.-based centralized HR, finance, IT, and marcomms functions. 

Gareth O’Hara, chief commercial officer, joked that Paxton’s approach to its U.S. base was like a British band trying to make it in America. “Where we are now and where we wish to go is we still feel as though Paxton here in the U.S. is one of the industry’s best-kept secrets,” he said. “Our goal is to be a recognized brand and market leader in the U.S.”

Now in active customer acquisition mode, the new purpose-built facility is designed to help with that. O’Hara led us on a tour of the facility, including currently empty rooms that can be set up as demonstration areas, an open-plan collaborative working space with a floating floor to make it easy to reconfigure and expand over time; a large warehouse area with a reinforced concrete floor capable of taking the weight of machines that will allow for U.S. assembly of certain products; and the customer support area. 

“We see this building as an extension of our installer’s value proposition to their customers,” O’Hara said.

“The U.K. is where we were founded and where our head office is,” Stroud added. “But in the U.S., we have more people and more investment and development than in any other export market. It represents the largest opportunities for growth. This newest and shiniest facility gives a good representation of Paxton in the U.S. and of the commitment we have to the U.S. market.”