Creating secure yet seamless access throughout common areas and areas dedicated only for doctors and other medical staff within healthcare facilities is a top priority for security professionals, who must balance convenience and safety within high-traffic and sometimes highly volatile areas ranging from small outpatient locations to sprawling hospital campuses with multiple buildings and security systems.
“We are seeing an emergence of new outpatient services locations throughout the U.S. … driven in large part by older demographics,” says Beau Edelen, VP, locking solutions, Wesco, who notes that the latest data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services shows revenue from outpatient services rose 8% in 2022, with outpatient demand for adults older than 55 forecast to grow 16.9% by 2025.
“It presents an excellent opportunity for security professionals,” Edelen points out. “Historically, cities had one or more large hospital campuses, which typically employed in-house support for their security needs. With the change to outpatient centers, there is opportunity for ‘new business’ for the security pros. These sites generally do not have in-house support since they are often too small to justify that expense.”
In addition, there is continued expansion of elder care facilities across the nation. “These sites usually have specific technologies with which locksmiths should become familiar, such as delayed egress on exterior doors and low-energy operators on common doors and restrooms,” he explains. “And, of course, key management will remain critical for these sites.”
Touchless Access Shows Continued Growth
COVID certainly accelerated the movement to more touchless access solutions, especially within healthcare, ushering in a new era for access control professionals.
“A significant trend is the increasing demand for touchless access products,” notes Garrett Kaufman, vice president of sales and marketing at Essex Electronics. “This demand surged notably during the COVID-19 pandemic and has continued to rise, particularly in public facilities, including healthcare settings. A need for enhanced hygiene and reduced physical contact drives the shift toward touchless systems. Additionally, there's a widespread transition regarding access control systems in healthcare facilities. Many are moving from the traditional 125kHz proximity technology to more advanced options like HID Seos.”
This upgrade, he explains, involves switching from the Wiegand protocol to OSDP (Open Supervised Device Protocol), which ensures encrypted access control and a secure connection between the reader and the access control panel, a change that is “crucial for enhancing security and data protection in sensitive healthcare environments,” says Kaufman.
He adds that this sustained and increasing demand largely stems from the concern around a noticeable rise in healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) during the pandemic, underscoring the need for more hygienic and contact-free solutions in healthcare facilities.
“This heightened concern has increased demand for touchless door switches and access control readers,” he says. “These technologies are crucial in minimizing physical contact and thus reducing the spread of infections. The market for touchless door activation, for example, is a testament to this trend. According to a report by Arizton (see sidebar), this specific market is projected to surpass $5.3 billion USD by 2027. This projection indicates a clear recognition within the healthcare industry of the importance of touchless technologies, not just as a temporary response to the pandemic but as a long-term solution for enhancing safety and hygiene in healthcare facilities.”
Edelen agrees, noting, “This trend is absolutely continuing. Touchless has become an expectation from the public, and COVID just accelerated the adoption and awareness of these solutions. We have seen an uptick in requests for low-energy door operators, touchless activators, and all the accessories needed to upgrade existing openings to touchless. I expect this will continue. We are seeing an increase in sliding and revolving doors on the perimeter openings. For building interiors, low-energy operators, combined with touchless activators are at an all-time high in the U.S. On this front, we are catching up with our friends in Canada, who have mandated this change. In public venues, we are seeing an increase in newer technologies, such as optical turnstiles, which can be integrated into the building access control system to help control traffic flow and prevent unauthorized entry.”
As we delve deeper into the current trends in locking and access control technologies, it's evident that certain products are increasingly in demand, driven by specific needs and technological advancements.
He continues, “Our touchless readers and switches are being specified by security consultants for specific applications in the healthcare environment. The demand for Essex Hand-E-Wave more than tripled during COVID, and manufacturing never shut down. The reason behind this preference is the robust design of these readers, which are both vandal-resistant and ligature-resistant. This makes them highly suitable for settings where safety and durability are critical concerns.”
These features ensure that the products are touchless, hygienic, safe, and secure for use in environments where patient safety is a critical concern. “In the touchless product market, especially in healthcare environments, the demand is driven not just by the touchless feature alone but also by the technology used, the reliability of operation, and additional safety features that cater to the specific needs of the healthcare sector,” says Kaufman, who notes that not all touchless products are created equal. “Regarding this, demand varies based on the technology and reliability of the products. For instance, while many conventional hands-free switches rely on infrared or capacitive technology, these can be prone to interference and often have a limited detection zone. This is where products like our touchless switches stand out. They incorporate advanced Doppler radar technology, which has the unique capability to read through materials. This feature ensures consistent and reliable hands-free operation, along with an adjustable detection zone, making them highly sought after in the market. In specialized areas like behavioral healthcare, the demand shifts towards specific features like safety and durability. Here, there is a high demand for ligature-resistant products, considering the safety needs of patients.”
The rise in the use of mobile access solutions and fear-field communication (NFC) technology within hospitals and healthcare settings is a natural extension of the touchless movement.
“Another value-added offering that Wesco offered in 2023 was tagging door frames with near-field communication (NFC) stickers,” notes Edelen. “The NFC sticker contains all relevant data about that opening, such as keyset, model numbers of hardware dates of service, and more. This is a huge need in the hospital space, and it can be a very profitable venture for the dealer.”
In addition, demand for mobile access solutions is growing, notes Kaufman. “The use of mobile credentials is expanding across various sectors, including healthcare. These solutions allow integrating employee badges and student IDs into digital platforms like the Apple Wallet. Products like the Essex iRox Pro readers are at the forefront of this trend, enabling HID technology through mobile devices, thereby offering a more flexible and secure access control system in healthcare facilities.”
Challenges and Opportunities for Locksmiths
One of the biggest challenges in the healthcare space is the noise created by doors shutting and
latching, Edelen explains. “This is driving an increase in requests for solutions such as quiet electric-latch retraction panic bars on doors, and hospital latch hardware to replace traditional cylindrical or mortise locksets. If you have stayed overnight in the hospital, you understand the importance of this issue, and healthcare facilities are spending money to decrease that ambient noise.”
Another concern is the rise of mergers and acquisitions in the healthcare space after slowing down during the pandemic. “The result is that multiple sites are owned and managed by fewer players, which means numerous buildings have disparate key systems and key formats that need to be updated and managed,” Edelen points out. “These are fantastic opportunities for commercial locksmiths. Additionally, many of these facilities do not have robust key management or key control policies in place, which leads to unplanned, as well as unbudgeted, operating expenses to rekey facilities. As an industry, we need to do a better job of educating end-users on key policies, key management solutions and the benefits of restricted keyways. Also, the need for improved key management is more than a trend – it is a constant and critical need.”
Compliance regulations are another big area of focus when it comes to deciding on the right solution for healthcare facilities and can often dictate what and what can’t be used in terms of products or technology, for example.
“There are many regulations in the healthcare space, and it is important for locksmith dealers to learn and understand these codes,” Edelen explains. “Each code provides an opportunity for the locksmith dealer to bring value to their healthcare clients. It could be as simple as upgrading existing knobs to levers to meet ADA compliance, or as complex as asset-tracking, fire-door certification, or adding audit trail capabilities to meet HIPAA regulations. Again, it is important that locksmiths learn how to sell, service and install the solutions that meet these regulations.”
Toward that goal, Edelen points out that locksmiths can be that trusted resource when it comes to providing site surveys and analysis as well as vulnerability assessments, which are an integral part of the overall security process.
“The security professional is uniquely positioned to provide this service to healthcare clients,” he asserts. “The healthcare professionals are rightly focused on those who require medical attention, not building security. We need to be the experts and advise clients on the security issues within their facilities. I would encourage any locksmith or dealer to get trained on fire-door inspection, as that continues to be an underserved niche in the industry.”
He continues, “There are many other services the security professional can offer their healthcare customers, including building walk-throughs and site surveys. Results are then provided back to the facility, along with steps to improve security. If the locksmith dealer is not comfortable performing assessments, they can lean on their distributor and/or suppliers who have relevant experience in the field.”
While Edelen sees the migration to electronic security as inevitable and accelerating in all commercial settings, he feels this as something locksmiths can leverage to their advantage.
“This is an opportunity for the commercial locksmith to grow and expand their service offering while staying relevant to their clients,” he points out. “However, we always recommend a mechanical key override on all openings, and I do not see that changing anytime soon.”
When asked what advice he would give locksmiths who are beginning to work within commercial settings where newer electronic access control solutions are being used, Edelen says, “Keep learning. Expand your knowledge and service offering. While some traditional technologies are becoming increasingly commodified, focus on areas with high growth, high profitability, and lower barrier to entry. We are here to help with any training needs you may have, so please reach out if you would like to learn more.”
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Growth for Touchless Door Activation Market Continues
According to Arizton’s latest research report, the touchless door activation market is expected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 7.4% from $3.5 billion to $5.3 billion during the forecast period (2022-2027). Touchless doors offer a hands-free access solution, limiting the spread of germs and disease transmission, and are optimal for medical facilities, food establishments, and other businesses where sanitation is essential, which is driving the demand, researchers noted. These units also reduce the risk of injury and damage, as their sensors ensure they never close on someone, while their timely opening facilitates safe building access during emergencies.
Touchless door activation systems are used in commercial and industrial, and residential sectors, including retail, hospitality, recreational facilities, and institutions such as hospitals and educational institutes, government facilities, workspaces, and offices. In addition, the growing demand for smart homes is expected to provide growth opportunities to touchless door activation vendors, as smart homes rely on internet-connected devices for remote monitoring and management of appliances, smart door and access control systems, smart lighting systems, smart security systems, and smart plugs.
The global touchless door activation market is highly competitive with the presence of many public and private companies, including major vendors ASSA ABLOY, Allegion, Camden Door Controls, and dormakaba, which were mentioned among others in the report.
“These brands have a comprehensive product portfolio and a widespread presence in the global market,” researchers noted. “The major vendors are adopting innovative technologies to retain their strong market position. Many international players are expected to expand their reach worldwide during the forecast period, especially in the fast-developing countries across APAC, the Middle East & Africa, and Latin America to enhance their market share. Additionally, companies with better technical and financial resources can develop innovative products that could pose a threat to competitor products to render them non-competitive and even obsolete before they can recover their R&D and commercialization costs. Therefore, vendors must develop new technologies and stay abreast with upcoming innovations to have a competitive advantage over other vendors. The existing global players are increasing their investment in R&D facilities to ensure continuous customer-centric product innovation.”
Key Insights from the Report:
· The sliding door segment, which dominated the market with a revenue share of 45.93% in 2021, is expected to witness an absolute growth of 59% by the end of 2027.
· The infrared sensor segment, which dominated the market with a revenue share of 32.30% in 2021, is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.07% during the forecast period to 2027.
· The industrial & commercial segment dominated the market and is expected to witness an absolute growth of around 54% by the end of 2027.
· In 2021, APAC emerged as the largest regional touchless door activation market with a revenue share of 34.42%.
· Countries such as Japan, India, China, Australia, and South Korea are major contributors to the APAC touchless door activation market. Factors such as strong economic growth, the surge in construction activities, and rise in disposable income post 2021 are expected to accelerate the growth of the regional market.
· The cost of raw materials accounts for a large portion of the overall manufacturing costs borne by vendors. Most vendors focus on procuring high-quality raw materials for manufacturing durable, reliable, and secure touchless doors.
· The rapid expansion of commercial facilities such as corporate offices, business parks, and retail stores in emerging markets such as China, India, Singapore, Indonesia, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia will drive the demand for touchless door activation during the forecast period.
