Different needs require different solutions

Interest in better locking solutions is gradually increasing, not only in developed markets but also in the new, emerging markets. How this is happening, and what the driving forces are, varies greatly, but the underlying trend towards higher security is evident everywhere.

The needs of different application areas also vary greatly. Airports have totally different needs from private apartments; shopping malls from schools; factories from hospitals or hotels. These are just some of the markets that the ASSA ABLOY Group companies have to satisfy.

With their global presence and unparalleled installed base, the Group companies have had unique opportunities over the years to meet these needs, and have come to understand their customers well. Nevertheless, large efforts are currently being directed to focusing even more precisely on the needs of the different customer groups.

On 19 May 2002 the HDB HUB – the Singapore Housing & Development Board’s 40-storey twin-tower building – was formally opened. On the ground floor is an integrated bus and rail station where 19 bus lines and two rapid-transit rail lines carrying almost 60,000 travelers a day converge. In the terminal, Besam has installed 60 sliding doors with the GGS-I door package, and four swing doors. When a bus parks at one of the 38 bus platforms, a signal is sent to the doors of that platform, which open to let the passengers come and go. When the bus drives off, the doors are automatically closed and locked. The installation will be the pattern for future integrated transport solutions in Singapore.

Customers need more than good security
Every type of application has its own balance between the three demands of security, convenience and safety. Increasing the level of security can easily lead to loss of convenience. When one more lock is added to a door, convenience tends to be reduced. The challenge for the lock industry is to meet the demand for higher security without losing focus on the user. Inconvenient security solutions may actually worsen security.

Safety requirements also often conflict with higher security. People inside a building must be able to get out quickly in case of emergency. An unlocked door is clearly not secure, but a securely locked door may well be unsafe. Balancing security with safety as well as convenience is a second important challenge for the lock industry. Intelligent electronic solutions are often necessary.

Airport security
Airports have complex security needs, ranging from fairly simple locking to advanced high-security solutions. This need is in focus more than ever after 11 September 2001. Most airports have shops, restaurants, cafés, offices, secured luggage areas, sometimes hotels.

The site is divided into multiple security zones. There are often thousands of staff with different access authority, but also public areas with access for everyone.

With so many people in one place, one of the most important considerations is safety in the event that a terminal building or the whole airport needs to be evacuated.

In an airport, all the products ever produced by the lock industry – mechanical locks, electrical locks, and the most advanced access-control systems – can be found. So can thousands of people carrying different keys, codes, and access cards forming part of contactless identification systems. In these complex applications, the solutions often call for joint efforts from different sorts of providers. ASSA ABLOY has a unique ability to source the best products from within the Group.

Israel Electric Corporation has 500,000 Mul-T-Lock cylinders and locks installed at its sites around Israel. “Mul-T-Lock is the first choice for all our security needs as they offer flexibility and fast, tailor-made security solutions,” says Asher Cohen, VP Purchasing. “The locks meet strict safety standards, which are crucial since most products are installed on electric cabinets and high-voltage equipment, which can be very dangerous unless properly protected.”

Industry, commerce and the public sector
Every type of organization has areas that require high standards of protection, and different needs for access control or fast evacuation.

Factories: For a manufacturing company, protecting its production processes and customer relationships are central issues. Prevention is much more important than insurance. Locks must meet approved Standards and be secure enough to protect the business. Access control to regulate entrance, and safety precautions to allow escape, are elements of a modern industrial security solution.

Offices: An office handles a variety of sensitive information, and flaws in security may cost more than the whole security system many times over. Approved locking and controlled access are essential. Rapid escape in cases of emergency is an equally important consideration. A growing trend is to handle physical security and information security from a common perspective.

Government organizations: Many public institutions and organizations hold a lot of restricted information but also have high numbers of visitors. Physical access, and access to information, must be granted to authorized people while safeguarding the integrity of all the stored information.

Colleges and universities: These are complex communities with open as well as closed areas and heavy pedestrian traffic around the site. Who is allowed where? Everyone, and most of all the students, must be properly protected. The conditions – and the solutions – are quite similar to those in hotels.

Hospitals are another application area with a challenging blend of highsecurity areas and areas open to the public. Powerful medicines, personal belongings, sensitive equipment, medical records, and – not least – the safety of patients must all be considered. In homes for the elderly, where many of the residents may have restricted mobility, automatic doors can solve many problems.

Shops must seem welcoming, but shoplifting and pilfering by staff are major problems. The balance of security, safety and access control to protect staff and customers while controlling the flow of goods must be carefully considered.

Utilities providing water, gas, telephone and other services have thousands of sites, with many legitimate visitors from different organizations. There are often too many keys in circulation, making key control almost impossible. But protection is essential to avoid accidental injury or damage or intentional sabotage. Modern electronic key solutions and access control are the tools needed for control and security.

Residential market
The residential lock market is a passive market in most countries. Locks are chosen, delivered and installed as part of a building. Where there is a local security Standard, builders usually try to comply with the Standard at minimal cost. The lock user – the householder – is never asked about security and probably never thinks about it until an intrusion occurs.

Traditional distribution channels show little interest in changing this system, but some lock manufacturers are succeeding in raising consumer interest by moving closer to the end-user. Householders’ perceived needs for increased security, and their greater interest in convenience and design, present the industry with new opportunities.

Market research
Over the years, little market research has been done in the lock industry. There has been some dialog with distributors, but few efforts directed at customers. ASSA ABLOY has been increasing its activities in this area, starting with the development of the CLIQ technology a few years ago. Professional end-users in many countries, mainly in Europe, were asked what their main problems were, especially with lock cylinders and masterkey systems. The resulting CLIQ products have been well received in the market.

To further understand the residential market, focus-group studies were carried out during 2001 and 2002 among consumers in a number of countries. A major Problem Detection Study was also carried out to quantify customer preferences for future product and market development. Interest in locks proved greater than expected, showing that a huge potential exists.

Global customers
Customers with similar businesses throughout the world offer a new challenge to the lock industry.

At present the hospitality market is the only true, established global lock market. The main benefit of electronic locks for the hotels is to get full key control, avoiding risks from lost or copied keys. The latest ranges of electronic hotel locks make it possible to give each new guest an individual key code. They can also provide an audit trail of authorized entries into hotel rooms by, for example, cleaning, maintenance and supervisory staff.

Methods of access control generally are becoming increasingly international, but outside the hospitality segment the market is still very dependent on local mechanical Standards and practice.

However, other businesses are moving towards a global market. They include chains of shops with a worldwide organization and telecom companies with thousands of sites. The development is driven by at least two factors. International companies demand consistent security solutions throughout their organizations, and even more companies recognize the growing importance of security
in their businesses.

The opportunities and advantages are obvious for the
ASSA ABLOY Group, which can offer similar or equivalent
solutions anywhere in the world based on common
technical platforms. An important observation in this
context is that security needs, and hence the best
security solutions, differ far more widely between market
segments than they do between countries. This
provides the opportunity for transfer of concepts and
technologies between countries. The ability to provide
a complete package within a security concept is therefore
an increasingly valuable asset for ASSA ABLOY. It also
provides an important platform for future concepts,
technologies and product developments.