Salto celebrates 25 years of innovation and inspiring access solutions

Salto Systems, a global leader in smart access technologies, celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2025. Since its founding in 2000, Salto has revolutionised how people open doors and secure spaces – from a small start-up in northern Spain, it has grown into a global technology leader that opens doors to new opportunities, connections and growth with its intelligent access ecosystem. Founded with the vision of creating universally applicable, wireless and networked locking systems, Salto has now grown into SALTO WECOSYSTEM – a global group of companies that brings together industry pioneers Gantner, Salto and Vintia under one roof. Together, these brands offer state-of-the-art solutions for access control, ticketing, identity management and electronic locking technology.

Today, Salto technologies are used in over 100,000 installations and at 10 million access points, providing secure access to more than 40 million people every day – spread across more than 40 countries worldwide. With over 1,850 employees, Salto stands for continuous innovation and user-centred design and is a trusted partner for numerous industries.

‘Our anniversary is both a celebration of our remarkable journey and a commitment to an ambitious future. We will continue to drive intelligent access solutions with state-of-the-art technologies to enable secure and smart experiences for our users worldwide,’ says Marc Gomez, CEO of SALTO WECOSYSTEM, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary.

From the initial idea to technology leader

What began in 2000 with the radical idea of a completely wireless, battery-powered door lock has fundamentally changed access control. Salto developed one of the first standalone electronic locks that does not require a mechanical key. The next milestone followed in 2002 with the SALTO Virtual Network: this data-on-card technology made it possible to store access rights contactlessly on RFID smart cards and to network doors offline. Key cards thus became intelligent data carriers that could exchange access data when held up to door readers. With the introduction of SALTO Wireless in 2008, Salto completely moved away from wired solutions – for the first time, an access system could be controlled in real time without having to lay any cables to the doors. This first radio-networked access system connected autonomous battery-powered door locks online with central control – a breakthrough in the industry.

In the 2010s, Salto transformed itself from a pure hardware manufacturer to a solution provider with an open platform strategy. Instead of isolated locking devices, Salto developed comprehensive systems consisting of door hardware, software and cloud services. Salto was thus a pioneer in cloud-based access solutions: As early as 2014, Clay by Salto (later Salto KS) was introduced as an access control cloud, long before ‘access as a service’ became the industry standard. Online management of access rights in real time – without local servers – allowed operators of modern buildings, offices and co-working spaces in particular to control their facilities flexibly and independently of location. In 2015, Salto was also one of the first companies to offer mobile access: JustIN Mobile allowed users to open doors via smartphone, which quickly proved very popular in hotels and office environments. At the same time, Salto placed greater emphasis on design and user experience. The electronic fittings and readers were offered in modern, sleek designs and a range of colours, allowing them to blend seamlessly into hotel or residential environments. This combination of aesthetics and functionality helped to significantly increase the acceptance of electronic locking systems in areas such as the hotel industry and residential living. Salto thus established itself as a provider that successfully combines security technology and architectural design.

Global expansion and strategic acquisitions

Technological success was accompanied by consistent international expansion. Salto pursued the principle of ‘think globally, act locally’ and built up a worldwide sales and service network. Local subsidiaries and branches were established in key regions of Europe, America, Asia and Oceania in order to better serve local customers. Salto opened its first foreign offices in the 2000s; By 2020, the company had its own branches in over 30 countries, and by the mid-2020s, this number had risen to almost 50 countries. The local teams took care of sales, installation and support, which not only catered to cultural and market-specific characteristics, but also strengthened customer confidence – because they always had regional contacts. This global presence played a key role in establishing Salto as a global brand for access solutions.

To further accelerate growth and leverage technological synergies, Salto increasingly focused on strategic acquisitions from 2015 onwards. A decisive step was the integration of the Austrian company Gantner Electronic in 2020. Gantner, a specialist in electronic access and billing systems (e.g. in leisure facilities, universities and companies), ideally complemented the Salto portfolio – for example with solutions for lockers, cashless payment, ticketing and visitor management.

The acquisition enabled Salto to expand its position as a holistic solution provider: together, the companies now had one of the most comprehensive product portfolios on the market and the capacity to deliver over a million access points per year. At the same time, the team grew and combined concentrated expertise in research and development. Further acquisitions – such as the earlier purchases of Dutch start-up Clay (2017) and Danish smart lock manufacturer Danalock (2017) and Conlan (2019) – had already paved the way towards the cloud and mobility. With Gantner, however, Salto reached a new level and took a big step towards a holistic ecosystem covering all aspects of access and user experience. In addition, 2020 saw the creation of a new group brand, Vintia (emerging from Gantner Ticketing), which focuses on ticketing and booking systems for leisure providers and events.

New brand DNA: SALTO WECOSYSTEM

Just in time for its 25th anniversary, Salto initiated a comprehensive brand and structural change in 2024. Under the new umbrella brand SALTO WECOSYSTEM, the three core businesses – access control (Salto), identification and payment solutions (Gantner) and ticketing and visitor management (Vintia) – were brought together in a common platform. This holistic brand identity reflects the company’s commitment to offering customers a seamlessly integrated ecosystem in which all components are perfectly coordinated.

The reorganisation also saw changes in the company’s senior management: Since April 2024, Marc Gómez has been leading the Salto Group as Group CEO, while co-founder Javier Roquero stepped down from operational management after 23 years and moved to the Board of Directors. Roquero remains associated with the company as a strategic advisor and is particularly involved in the newly founded SALTO Foundation, which promotes social projects – for example in the field of sport and inclusion. The SALTO WECOSYSTEM structure has also created global teams for sales, innovation, service and cybersecurity to strengthen collaboration within the group and respond more efficiently to market demands. The company’s management emphasises that the new brand identity is intended to lay the foundation for a promising future – characterised by even more innovation, customer focus and sustainable growth.

People as the key to success

Despite all the technological milestones, Salto emphasises that the real key to success lies in the people behind the technology. From the very beginning, it was passionate and tenacious employees and partners who believed in the vision and drove it forward. Behind every product, every project and every leap in innovation are people who overcome challenges, contribute ideas and find solutions together. This corporate culture – characterised by teamwork, a pioneering spirit and the openness to learn from mistakes – has enabled Salto to repeatedly adapt agilely to changes in the market and achieve ambitious goals.

‘The real key to Salto’s success goes beyond products or technology – it’s about people and partners,’ as Salto aptly puts it.

Salto’s 25-year history is thus also the story of a team and a network of partners who have pushed boundaries and made innovation possible. This awareness is reflected in the motto ‘Our People’, with which Salto expressly recognises the achievements of its workforce and partners.

Outlook: next-generation access solutions

After a quarter of a century of innovation leadership, Salto is not resting on its laurels. The course for the future has been set: By 2030, the company aims to at least double in size and scope by tapping into new markets and further expanding its existing portfolio. Technologically, Salto wants to link its access ecosystem even more closely with the worlds of smart buildings and IoT. Topics such as AI-supported access analysis, predictive security systems and even more personalised user experiences are on the agenda. Sustainability is also playing an increasingly important role – from energy-efficient, battery-free lock technologies to climate-neutral production at the company’s site. The WECOSYSTEM strategy forms the foundation for supporting this future growth. It is designed not only to promote technical innovation, but also to foster customer focus and cultural integration among teams worldwide. Salto sees this new holistic approach as the key to consolidating its position as the leading brand for smart access solutions and continuing to set the pace for innovation in security and building automation in the future.

Salto Systems’ 25-year success story impressively demonstrates how long-term vision, continuous innovation and strategic flexibility can transform an industry. From the groundbreaking idea of a wireless, networked lock, a comprehensive access ecosystem has gradually emerged that now connects millions of people worldwide.

In 2025, Salto will not only stand for high-tech locking systems, but also for the intelligent interaction of people, spaces and digital services. With this combination of technological excellence and a people-focused culture, Salto is well equipped to continue redefining the standards in access control in the coming decades and to open the doors to a secure, connected future.

Historical milestones

2000

Salto Systems is founded in Spain with the aim of developing wireless, battery-powered and networked access systems.

2002

Introduction of the SALTO Virtual Network (SVN) – a data-on-card system that enables secure virtual networking of door locks without a wired connection.

2008

Presentation of SALTO Wireless, the first radio-networked access system for wireless real-time access control.

2014

Launch of Clay by Salto (now SALTO KS), one of the first cloud-based access platforms (Access Control as a Service) for location-independent key management.

2015

Introduction of JustIN Mobile – Salto is one of the first providers to enable mobile access via smartphone (via app, NFC/Bluetooth or wallet).

2020

Acquisition of Austrian RFID specialist Gantner Electronic, expansion of the portfolio to include ticketing, payment systems and locker locking technology; combined production capacity increases to over 1 million access points per year.

2024

Repositioning as SALTO WECOSYSTEM – a joint brand identity for Salto, Gantner and Vintia. Marc Gómez takes over as Group CEO in April 2024, while co-founder Javier Roquero moves to the Board of Directors. At the same time, the Salto Foundation is established to promote social initiatives.

2025

Market launch of new solutions such as XS4 Face (face recognition with mobile user management) and the Salto IDM identity management system; Salto celebrates its 25th anniversary as an innovation leader in the access control industry.

[Embark on a journey through 25 years of Salto Systems: www.saltosystems.com/de-de/25-jahre-salto]

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