An Inside Look Into Dahua

Avatar
Ethan Ace
•Published Dec 16, 2015 05:00 AM

Dahua is the 'other' billion dollar plus Chinese manufacturer. Large in its own right, just not as huge or as well connected with the Chinese government as its blood rival Hikvision.

Last month, IPVM visited China, including trips to the CPSE show as well as Hikvision and Dahua's HQs.

Dahua has struggled to expand 'overseas' in the past few years. We have followed a string of Dahua's errors, such as: Dahua Attacks Hikvision, Dahua Admits Failed Channel Strategy, The Bizarre Dahua North American Tour, Dahua Massive American Expansion, etc.

We wanted to see Dahua up close, visit their headquarters and better understand their mentality and operations.

Key Findings

Three key findings were clear from our meeting:

  • Dahua, like many in the West, believes the market is being destroyed.
  • Dahua is paranoid and very cautious/conservative, about Hikvision, about releasing products and about expansion.
  • Dahua is technically strong, at a level far beyond any Chinese manufacturer except for Hikvision and similar to Western manufacturers

Inside this note, we examine each of these.

Destroying *** ******

***** ********* ******** ***** ********* "**********" the ******** ******, **** **** **** inside *** ******* *****. **** ***** Hikvision ** *** **** ****** ** price ******** ** *** ******** ******* market, *** ***** **** ******** *************.

**** ******* ****** ***** ***** ***** are *** **** *** *** ******, and ********* ***** ********** ** ***** "supportive" ** *** ******, ******* ** aggressive ****** **. **** ******* **** this ********* ******** ***** ******** ** bad *** ********, ********* ********.

**** ********** ***** ** ** ** stark ******** ** *********, *** ********* to ***** ****** *** **** ** new *** (***'* * ***,*******/***-** ********) *** *** ****** ***** ******** (********* ******** ****** *** **** *****).

Paranoid *** ****** ************

***** **** ******* ****** ** *** conversations ***** ***** **** ****** ** paranoid *** ****** ************:

********* *******?

*** ***** ***** *** ******** ** our *********** *** **** ** ********* "copying" *****. **** **** **** ** several ***** **** **** **** **********, and ********* ******. **** **** *** the *** **** ** *********** ** embedded **. ******* **** ** *** early *****, ******* *** *********** ** HDCVI (***** ********* ****************'* ***), *** ********* *** "*****" ********** IR *********. *******, * **** ***,***** *********** ******* ********* ** *********.

***** ******** *********

********** *** *************, ***** *** **** conservative ** ***** ***** ** ********* North ******** ********.

** ******* *** **** *** ****** is ********* *******, **** ***** ******** users ********** ***** **** ****, ** well ** ************ ******** *********. **** acknowledged ****, *** ********** **** **** wanted ** ** ****** *** "***** way", **** "** ***** ****", *** were ******* ** ******.

***** ****** ***** ***** ******** ******* will ****** ** ****, ****** ***** not **** *******.

*******/***********

*** ** *** **** ******** ******** in *** **** **** *****, **** mentioned ******* **** ***** ******* *** "not ***** *****" ** ********** ** historical **** *** *********** **** ** Axis. ** ***** ************ **** ******** they **** **** *******, *** **** were ***** ***** *******.

***** ***** ***** ************, *** ********** similar ** ** ****** **** ***********, and ********* ** * ***** ***** point, ** ***** **** ******** **** conservative.

*** *******, *** ******* ***** ****, ***** *****'* ***** ****** ********* model ********* ** **** ** ** better **** ****, *********, *** ******, at * ***** *** *****.

Technically ******

***** ** *********** ******, *** ****** the **** ***** ******* **** **** in *** **** **** **** **. We ***** ** ******** ********* ******, including ******* **********, *** **** *************, both ** ******** ** **** ** the ******* ***** ** *** ********/*********** knowledge.

*****'* *&* ****** *** ***** *****, about **,*** ****** ****, **** **** equipped **** ********** *** ***** *******, IP *******, *********** *****, *********, ***. On *** **** ** * *** of ****** ** ******* ******* **** the ******* *** *** ******** ******, seen ****:

**** ******

***** **** ****** (***** ** **** not ******* ** **********) ******** *** expected ** *** *** ******** ***** to **** ** *** *****, *********** the ****** ***** **** ***** ** the **** *** ** ******** ****.

**** ***********, *******, **** *** **** complex *******-***** ******* ********* *** *** in ***** ***** ********* * ******* range ** ************, *********:

  • ******* ******** [**** ** ****** *********]: ******* ******** ******* ******* ** several ********** *****, ******* ** ********* and ***** *********/******: ******* ***** ****** drivers ** *** ******* **** ****** and ***** ********* **** *** ** when ******** *** ******. ********* **** multicolored ***** ***** **** ****** ** spaces ******** ******* ***** *** **** or ********, ****** ** ****** ** locate ***** *****. *******, *** ******** the *******'* ***** **** ***** ******* parking, ** * **** *** ***** enter ***** ***** ****** *** ******** their ******* ******** ** **** ******.
  • ******* ***** *********** [**** ** ****** available]: ***** ****** **** ******* ***** recognition *******, **** *** ******** ** the ******, ********* ** ***** ******** CMS. ****** ***** *******, ***** ***** systems **** ***** ******* ** **** a ****** *** ** ***********, *****'* (and ******) *** ****** ******** * white ***** ****** (**** ** ******* driver ******) ************ **** *** ******* camera, ***** ***** *********, *** ***** integrated ********.
  • **** **** *******:***** *** ********* ******** ****** ** body **** *******, ***** **** ***** wireless *** **/***, *** **** ********** to ***** ******** ********. *** ****** markets *** ***** *** *** **** police, ***** **** ****** ***, *** private ******** *** ****** ******* *******, such ** ****** *** *******.

*** ** ***, ***** ******* (*** the **** **** ******** ****) *** much **** ******* **** *** *** cost ******** ***** ** ***** *** in *** ****.

********

** **** *** ******* ** **** photos ** **** ** *****'* ********, including ***** ****, *&*, *** ************* facilities. *** **** *** **** ** Hikvision.

******, *** ********* ****** **** ***** to ** ** ******* ****. ** was *** ******** ** *** * relabeled ****** ** *&* ** ************* areas. *** *** ************* ** *******, including * ******* *** ** ********, were ****** ********** ** ***** *************.

************

*****'* ************ ** * **** **** building ** *** ******** ******** ** Hangzhou, **** *****. ***** ******* *** R&D ****** *** ******* ******** (** the **** *** ****** ** **** photo). ***** ** **** ******** *******, larger, ******* ******* ** ********, ** open **** ****.

*** **** ******** **** ** **** allowed ** ********** *** *** *****:

Comments (13)
Avatar
Luis Carmona
•Dec 16, 2015
Geutebruck USA • IPVMU Certified

"The only interior area we were allowed to photograph was the lobby:"

Because the lobby has already been copied by the competition...?

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U
Undisclosed #1
•Dec 16, 2015
IPVMU Certified
In reply to Luis Carmona

Because the lobby has already been copied by the competition...?

Probably because that one is a 'dummy', real one around the corner...

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U
Undisclosed #1
•Dec 16, 2015
IPVMU Certified

Ethan, what is employment like in general for Dahua/Hik? Does it follow the Japanese, 'Job for Life', model or is it more Western?

Are the two HQ's around the block from each other? Normally you would think there would be quite a few defectors at each company, but with the apparent paranoia, maybe not...

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Avatar
Ethan Ace
•Dec 16, 2015
In reply to Undisclosed #1

They're about 10 minutes from each other by car. Not particularly far, but not really close, either.

In China, things are more Western, generally speaking. It's my impression from talking to people there that employees move around fairly often, especially at the smaller manufacturers. Landing a Dahua/Hik position, probably not so much. But I don't think they're "lifers" either, necessarily.

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U
Undisclosed #1
•Dec 17, 2015
IPVMU Certified
In reply to Ethan Ace

You had mentioned before about labor being as low as $1/HR for the flea market merchants. Do you have a guess at what the average Dahua factory worker makes? The average engineer?

Did they consider themselves equal to Hik in technology or superior?

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BH
Bill Hand
•Dec 17, 2015

Just a note of interest, when I clicked on the image of the cameras on the building, our Symantec/Norton anti-virus software sounded off that the link was unsafe and contained possible drive-by downloads of malware.

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JH
John Honovich
•Dec 17, 2015
IPVM
In reply to Bill Hand

Bill, I tried a few other IPVM images from other pages, it reported all of them for warnings, so I suspect it is a false positive.

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JC
Juan Carrillo
•Dec 17, 2015

Nice to see IPVM is finnaly coming out of the "western superiority shell". Congratulations for the report.

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U
Undisclosed #1
•Dec 17, 2015
IPVMU Certified
In reply to Juan Carrillo

Nice to see IPVM is finally coming out of the "western superiority shell".

Not for me, I wish I could crawl back under it... :)

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Avatar
Luis Carmona
•Dec 18, 2015
Geutebruck USA • IPVMU Certified
In reply to Juan Carrillo
What about the report says Western products are not still superior? They were even quoted by saying their quality was "not quite there"....
Avatar
Ethan Ace
•Dec 18, 2015
In reply to Juan Carrillo

I don't think we've been in a "western superiority shell."

We have positively reviewed plenty of non-Western product, with quite a bit of it outperforming Western companies.

See:

Just as a start off the top of my head.

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Avatar
David Johnson
•Dec 17, 2015

Very interesting read - must have been a fascinating trip!

UI
Undisclosed Integrator #2
•Dec 18, 2015
Dahua marketing is poor. Now they are not willing to sell their product direct to Small System Installer direct, but they sell to Medium-sized System Installer and aspect them to become distributor. We so call small system installer have to buy from the dahua product from our direct competitors..... this is so funny and happen in Singapore. At the end we decide not to sell dahua product and go to hikvision.
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