The history of SALTO: A new approach to access control

In 2025, Salto Systems will reach a significant milestone: a quarter of a century at the forefront of electronic access control. Founded in northern Spain in 2000, the company has played a key role in changing the way doors are opened, rooms are secured and access is organised. What started as a small start-up has grown into a global technology group whose solutions now enable millions of people worldwide to access buildings and infrastructure on a daily basis.

Salto was founded with a clear mission: to develop universally applicable, wireless and networked locking systems. Over the years, this original vision has evolved into what is now known as the SALTO WECOSYSTEM – a global group that brings together the Salto, Gantner and Vintia brands. Together, they cover a wide range of integrated solutions, from access control and identity management to ticketing and electronic locking technologies.

Today, Salto technologies are used in more than 100,000 installations and secure around 10 million access points in over 40 countries. Every day, more than 40 million people rely on these systems. With over 1,850 employees, the company sees itself as a long-term innovation partner for numerous industries, including hospitality, commercial real estate, educational institutions, leisure facilities and critical infrastructure.

‘Our anniversary is both an opportunity to look back on our journey and a commitment to the future,’ says Marc Gómez, CEO of SALTO WECOSYSTEM. ‘We will continue to drive forward intelligent access solutions that enable secure and smart user experiences worldwide.’

From disruption to industry standard

Salto’s early influence was based on a disruptive idea: a completely wireless, battery-powered electronic door lock. At the turn of the millennium, access control was still largely dominated by mechanical keys and hard-wired systems. Salto challenged this paradigm and developed one of the first standalone electronic locks that did not require a traditional key.

Another milestone followed in 2002 with the introduction of the SALTO Virtual Network (SVN). Based on data-on-card technology, access rights could be stored on RFID smart cards and updated offline at a door reader each time they were used. This approach enabled virtual networking of doors without physical cabling – a concept that significantly reduced installation costs and at the same time opened up new freedoms in operation.

The company set new standards once again with the introduction of SALTO Wireless in 2008. For the first time, autonomous, battery-powered locks could be connected online via radio technology and managed centrally in real time – without any wired infrastructure to the door. The combination of wireless operation and real-time control established a new benchmark for modern access systems.

From hardware to platform

In the 2010s, Salto consistently expanded its strategic focus. Instead of limiting itself to the role of a hardware manufacturer, the company increasingly pursued an open platform approach. Hardware, software and cloud services were combined to form holistic end-to-end solutions.

With Clay by Salto, later Salto KS, the company entered the cloud-based access control market in 2014. At a time when such models were still barely established, the platform enabled location-independent management of access rights in real time – without local server infrastructure. Operators of modern office buildings, co-working spaces and distributed real estate portfolios in particular benefited from this flexibility.

The introduction of JustIN Mobile in 2015 marked a further step in the company’s development. Mobile access via smartphone – using apps, NFC, Bluetooth or digital wallets – quickly gained in importance, especially in the hotel and corporate environments. At the same time, industrial design became a greater focus. Electronic fittings and readers were developed in contemporary shapes and finishes so that they blended harmoniously into architectural environments. This design approach contributed significantly to the acceptance of electronic access solutions in hotels and residential buildings.

International growth and targeted acquisitions

With the expansion of its technology portfolio, Salto pursued a clearly defined internationalisation strategy. Following the principle of ‘think globally, act locally’, subsidiaries and local teams were established in Europe, America, Asia and Oceania. By 2020, the company was present in more than 30 countries, and by the mid-2020s, in almost 50. Regional sales, installation and support units made it possible to take local market requirements into account while building close customer relationships.

From 2015 onwards, this growth was accelerated by targeted acquisitions. The most significant was the acquisition of Austrian specialist Gantner Electronic in 2020. Its expertise in electronic access, cashless payment, locker systems and ticketing complemented Salto’s core competencies and opened up new areas of application, such as leisure facilities, universities and large corporate environments.

The integration of Gantner significantly expanded the Group’s service portfolio, resulting in one of the most comprehensive solution landscapes on the market and a combined production capacity of more than one million access points per year. Previous acquisitions – including Clay, Danalock and Conlan – had already strengthened Salto in the cloud and mobile sectors. However, with Gantner, the company took the decisive step towards a fully integrated ecosystem. The founding of Vintia in 2020, which emerged from Gantner Ticketing, complemented this approach with a clear focus on ticketing and booking systems for leisure and event environments.

A unified ecosystem: SALTO WECOSYSTEM

In 2024, this development was formalised through a comprehensive brand and organisational restructuring. Under the umbrella of SALTO WECOSYSTEM, the group bundled its three core business areas: access control (Salto), identification and payment solutions (Gantner) and ticketing and visitor management (Vintia). The new brand architecture represents the strategic transition from individual products to a fully integrated ecosystem.

The reorientation was accompanied by changes in corporate management. In April 2024, Marc Gómez took over as Group CEO. Co-founder Javier Roquero retired from operational business after 23 years and moved to the Board of Directors. There, he remains associated with the company as a strategic advisor and is particularly involved in the newly founded SALTO Foundation, which supports social initiatives with a focus on sport and inclusion.

As part of the new structure, global teams for sales, innovation, service and cyber security were established to strengthen cooperation within the group and enable a faster response to market changes. Management sees the WECOSYSTEM model as the foundation for sustainable growth, innovative strength and organisational resilience.

People before technology

Despite all the technological advances, Salto emphasises that the real factor for success lies in people. From the very beginning, the company’s development has been driven by employees and partners who were willing to question existing patterns of thinking, break new ground and learn from experience. This corporate culture – characterised by cooperation, perseverance and openness – has enabled Salto to continuously adapt to changing market conditions without losing sight of its strategic direction.

‘The real key to Salto’s success goes beyond products or technology – it’s about people and partners,’ according to the company’s self-image. The internal motto ‘Our People’ sums up this attitude and recognises the role of teams and partner networks in sustainable innovation.

Outlook: Access in the next decade

Looking ahead to the coming years, Salto shows no signs of slowing down its pace of development. By 2030, the company aims to at least double its size and market presence. Technological development will focus on even closer integration with smart buildings and IoT ecosystems, AI-supported access analysis, predictive security models and increasingly personalised user experiences.

Sustainability is also becoming increasingly important – from energy-efficient and, in the future, battery-free locking technologies to climate-neutral production processes. The SALTO WECOSYSTEM strategy is designed to support this growth by combining technological innovation, customer needs and corporate culture worldwide.

Salto’s 25-year development illustrates how long-term vision, continuous innovation and strategic adaptability can have a lasting impact on an industry. Starting from the idea of a wireless, networked lock, an access ecosystem has emerged that today connects millions of people and spaces worldwide. At a time when access control is increasingly merging with digital services and smart buildings, Salto is well positioned to continue to play a leading role in this market in the future.