News, Jan. 2016

Jan. 4, 2016

Kaba Secures Military Base

Kaba Access & Data Systems Americas,  together with Ariane Systems, has deployed the Kaba K-COD 200 self-service solution at Joint Base Andrews, a premier U.S. military base in Prince George’s County, Maryland that encompasses both Air Force and Naval divisions. 

In working together to develop the K-COD 200, the strategic partnership between the two companies serves the purpose of supplying clients within the military housing market with the latest in self-service convenience to complement Kaba’s electronic lock products. The unit’s customized software incorporates a unique PIN Code management system, which is used to verify the user as an authorized resident within the base housing system. Once the user’s identification has been verified, a temporary keycard is encoded and dispensed, providing the resident with instant lodging access without any base staff involvement.

The installation of a self-service system not only eliminated the need for additional staff to come in after hours for lockouts, but it has saved the residents from having to wait sometimes up to 2 hours for someone to show up and let them into their rooms.   With almost 500 residents at the facility, the K-COD 200 system has freed up staff and eliminated wait time for residents and other authorized users in these types of situations. 

As a military base that typically experiences roughly 50 housing replacement keycard requests a week, the platform is a valuable addition to personnel services which due to its full compatibility with the base’s pre-existing Kaba Saflok System 6000 security access platform, is also a significantly cost-effective enhancement. 

“ Having previously been recognized by Joint Base Andrews as a superior provider of facility security technology, we are delighted to assist in further streamlining their access management abilities, said Dale Mathias, Vice President of Multihousing Sales at Kaba Access & Data Systems Americas. “Linking the K-COD 200 with the Saflok System 6000 ensures that residents are not inadvertently denied access to areas for which they are authorized, while simultaneously maintaining the highest level of base-wide security at all times.”   

Joint Base Andrews is home to the 11th Wing, 89th Airlift Wing, Air Force One, 79th Medical Wing, 113th Wing, ANG Readiness Center, 459th Air Refueling Wing and Naval Air Facility Washington. Since December 2014, K-COD 200 has allowed Joint Base Andrews to eliminate key-related after-hour calls to staff from residents. Prior to the installation of the self-service system, Airmen Dorm Leaders responded to locked out residents on a manual basis and tenants would experience significant inconvenience waiting for security staff to unlock their rooms.

“With decreasing budgets and increased housing security costs, the self-service system has proven to be an effective and convenient 24-hour solution to issues such including late arrivals, lockouts, lost keycards, and more,” said Michael Zetterlund, Product & Marketing Director at Ariane Systems. “We are pleased with the overwhelming success the Kaba K-COD 200 has had at Joint Base Andrews, and with its ability to increase security and convenience within the military housing market.”

DORMA Releases 7 Health Product Declarations

DORMA USA Inc.  has recently released Health Product Declarations™ (HPDs) for seven of its products. By doing so, DORMA once again demonstrates its commitment to customer needs and environmental safety by creating transparency throughout the entire life cycle of its products.

The Health Product Declaration (HPD) Open Standard gives manufacturers a standard and consistent format to disclose the material contents of building products. HPDs are product transparency tools that provide an inventory of a product’s contents and disclose any human health concerns or hazards that may be associated with them. The new LEED version 4 also requires HPDs.

DORMA has released HPDs for the following products:

  • DORMA BTS 80/ BTS 80 EMB/ RTS 80 EMB
  • DORMA BTS 75 V/ RTS 87
  • DORMA RTS 85/ RTS 88/ BTS 84
  • DORMA 8600/8900 Series
  • DORMA M9000 Series ANSI Locks
  • DORMA CL700/ C800 Series ANSI Locks
  • DORMA 8000/9000 Series ANSI Exit Devices

“The DORMA Group bears a great responsibility for the well-being of all who use our products. We take that very seriously,” shared Lea Kullmann, Manager Sustainable Projects for DORMA. “That is why we fully support all global requirements, such as HPDs, across the entire range of international products. It underscores our company’s philosophy of “enabling better buildings.”

To view DORMA’s HPDs, visit the Declarations/Certificates tab of the DORMA website’s Sustainability page at www.dorma.com/us/en/about-dorma/dorma-group/sustainability/sustainability.html.

Securitron Adds Live Chat Feature

Securitron®, an ASSA ABLOY Group brand, today announced the launch of a new tech support Live Chat feature on its website, furthering its commitment to excellence in customer service.

Securitron Tech Support via Live Chat is available Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. 7 p.m. EST to answer product questions, assist with installations and provide technical support. Simply visit www.Securitron.com and click on the Click Here to Chat button to instantly connect with a Securitron representative.

Along with expert technical support, Securitron also offers free wiring diagrams and the industry’s best lifetime, no fault, hassle free warranty, MagnaCare®. MagnaCare covers nearly all of the products that Securitron manufactures, and no product registration is required – replacement product is shipped next day air at Securitron’s expense if needed.

“We are committed to excellence at Securitron, from providing premium products to premium customer support – and our new Live Chat feature is just another step to ensure the most superior service in the industry,” said Wendy Bowman, Marketing Communications Director, EMS & OEM Group, ASSA ABLOY.

Customers can also reach sales and tech support at 1.800.MAGLOCK (1.800.624.5625) or via Email at [email protected].

Morse Watchmans Debuts in Ukraine 

The new headquarters of 1+1 Media Group, one of Ukraine’s largest media holding companies, has recently opened in Kiev.  Before the move, various departments were spread across the city, causing inefficiencies in both workflow and organizational structure. Now, all activities relating to the company’s broadcast, social media and content production groups are conducted at the new headquarters, making it easier for staff, temporary employees and visitors to go about business.

Bringing together more than 1,000 employees in an eight-story building necessitated rigorous planning with regard to logistics and physical security. Access to the building had to be controlled, with different levels of access assigned to various employees. For economic and security reasons, management concluded that door locks with keys would be the best solution for managing access. However, manual management of the keys quickly became a problem; keys were often misplaced, lost or taken without authorization.

According to Volodymir Tarasyk, Chief Security Officer for 1+1 Media Group, numerous procedures for controlling the keys were tried without success. He says, “There were simply too many people who needed access to keys for a manual system to be effective. We needed somehow to minimize the human factor.”

They found a solution with the Morse Watchmans KeyWatcher® Touch key control and management system. With the automated system, all keys are secured in a tamperproof cabinet when not in use and, when needed, can only be accessed by authorized personnel using their access control proximity ID badge to open the cabinet and remove or return a key. Users can only take a key they have been pre-authorized to access and all others keys remain securely locked in the cabinet. All activity is automatically recorded so Mr. Tarasyk’s department has an accurate record of who accessed keys and when.

The system’s automatic email notification sends an alert when a key has not been returned as scheduled; there is also a daily PDF usage report. The managing software package runs all programming, remote functions and reports while the server performs all synchronizations of transactions as well as maintaining the SQL database.

“The Morse Watchmans KeyWatcher Touch system is integrated with our existing access control system and this has greatly enhanced the level of security in our building,” says Mr. Tarasyk. “Manual control procedures have been eliminated and we know who has used or is using each and every key.”

Even though the new offices of 1+1 Media Group are equipped with state-of-the-art media technology, it was a calculated risk on Mr. Tarasyk’s part to approve deployment of the system. He says, “Ours was the first ever installation of KeyWatcher Touch in Ukraine but I was confident in the quality of the product and with the after-sales support that was promised from SPV Company, the authorized representatives of Morse Watchmans in Ukraine.”

He goes on to say, “As it turned out, the American headquarters provided additional back-up support and we never had a serious problem. They were even able to help us when we wanted to add proximity tags to the system’s SmartKey® mechanism to prevent keys from being removed from the building.”

In addition to the economic savings realized by using mechanical locks and keys on doors throughout the building, 1+1 Media Group was also able to realize a savings in security personnel. Mr. Tarasyk states that by using the automated KeyWatcher Touch system they were able to reduce the number of security posts by two, further enhancing ROI (Return on Investment). The system installed at 1+1 Media Group consists of two 9-module cabinets, each holding up to 144 keys and configured with proximity card readers. Operating language is in Ukrainian.

For more information visit www.morsewatchmans.com, email [email protected]

Allegion Products Secure Denver’s New Triangle Building

Allegion recently architectural hardware for The Triangle Building – a part of Denver’s new and improved Union Station neighborhood. Its shape marks The Triangle Building as one of Denver’s most iconic new structures. Designed as a modern business place, it offers an all-glass exterior that creates a “wealth of light” and “mixing of city and sky.” In fact, The Triangle Building has 20 percent more window space than traditional offices, according to East West Partners,  the project’s property developers. LEED Gold building techniques also ensure it’s a healthy, sustainable office hub.

“This was an open specification project, where both the architect and the distributor shared a complete confidence in the products we found through Allegion,” said Architectural Doors President Jeff Hegstrom. “We knew the Allegion team would work hard to deliver the best hardware that not only met our quality standards but also the Triangle Building’s aesthetic standards. With design being a crucial element for this new and modern space, Allegion brought a decorative offering that was preferred.”

The Triangle Building is being outfitted in a variety of Allegion’s leading safety and security products, including: Schlage® L Series mechanical locks with decorative levers; Von Duprin® 98 Series exit devices, including the concealed vertical cable system; LCN® 4000 Series door closers and SEM Series magnets; Glynn-Johnson® overhead stops; and Ives® accessories.

The Triangle Building has more than 200,000-square-feet of space and stands 10 stories high, already attracting significant tenants like the world’s largest international cable company, Liberty Global. It marks one of Allegion’s more innovative projects in commercial real estate, as the security solutions company is well known for also outfitting institutional spaces, like schools and hospitals.

“A building on such a unique site in the city should be an inspiration,” said John Graham of Anderson Mason Dale, the architectural firm that designed the building. “Allegion shared this common goal and understood our desire to meet the very unique hardware needs of The Triangle Building, even at such a large scale.”

Kaba Exit Lane Technology Secures Airport 

As part of a construction and innovation project, the Kaba one-way exit corridor accommodates Charlottesville Albemarle Airport's expansion plans and offers the latest in exit lane breach control technology.

“In order to provide top-notch amenities and a pleasant traveling environment, we embarked on a project that would not only meet today’s travelers wants but address the growing needs of passengers throughout Central Virginia,” says Melinda Crawford, executive director, Charlottesville Albemarle Airport. Central to the improvement plan was increasing the TSA passenger screening area size and relocating the exit lane area.

“Previously we employed revolving door technology that dated back to 1995,” notes Crawford. “We needed newer technology that would increase passenger throughput as well as accommodate our size, location and budget. The Kaba corridor was the perfect solution for the scope of our project.”

The Kaba one-way exit corridor efficiently controls passenger flow while preventing unauthorized entry, or breach, to the secure airside of the airport. The stand-alone integrated system monitors, alerts and notifies airport security personnel, in real-time, of any intrusion events and detects suspicious pass-through or unattended objects. 

“Kaba corridors have undergone independent evaluations, successfully preventing an exit lane breach without the presence of a guard,” reports David Wurtz, director of business development, Kaba Access and Data Systems Americas. “If we took a snapshot of the airport industry today, there is growing concern about recent changes in exit lane staffing requirements. The Kaba corridor offers a viable solution that eliminates the recurring costs associated with staffing exit lanes with a relatively short return on investment.”