Year: 2022

London, October 2022 – Focus is a French real-estate company in a booming sector. With offices nationwide, it specializes in business colocation, offering turnkey office spaces and related services. In 2019 alone, the total number of flexible workspaces across France grew by 20%^*.

 Reliable, agile access control is a key attribute for this sector. Different users come and go, at all times of day. An office’s client group does not stand still. Change is part of the landscape. For these reasons, flexibility in access management is essential.

To manage access into and around its Lyon coworking premises, Focus sought this type of flexible system combined with contemporary aesthetics and high security features.

For easier installation and cost savings, the Focus team decided on a battery-powered rather than a wired solution. In planning efficiently for the future, they wanted a solution to evolve with their business — adding new features or functionality without the need to replace devices.

Ease of use and system customization were also critical considerations, to make working life easier for the different teams who share their spaces. After extensive research and discussions with a range of service providers, Focus selected ASSA ABLOY’s SMARTair^Ò access control system with Wireless Online management.

“For quality reasons, we needed an expert supplier to meet our security and confidentiality needs,” says Gauthier Massardier, Real Estate Manager at Focus. “We needed a company with real expertise and solid experience in access management. Choosing ASSA ABLOY seemed obvious to us.”

Security, cost control and easy self-management

Doors at their Lyon workspace are now securely locked with battery-powered wireless devices. All credentials, door locks and users are administered from the intuitive SMARTair TS1000 software control panel. It allows remote opening and real-time management. Access logs for devices, credentials and users are easy to retrieve, for rapid incident investigation.

Building managers can tailor and update the access rights of any space user — or easily cancel access permissions for everyone who should no longer have access. SMARTair is fully scalable: The team in Lyon can add new openings or devices anytime. Devices have a memory which helps premises remain secure even if power is cut.

SMARTair has the option to extend functionality in future, with features such as unlocking by mobile app, remote lockdown in an emergency or a Web Manager to administer multiple sites.

SMARTair real-time access control is also cost-efficient to manage compared to wired access control — which needs mains electricity — or traditional mechanical security, where locks must be administered manually and individually. Wire-free fitting enables businesses to install SMARTair with minimal disruption to the working day.

In the medium term, Focus plans to equip many other sites with ASSA ABLOY solutions — to further enhance security and streamline daily access management at its workspaces.

To learn how SMARTair^Ò wireless access control is perfectly adapted to coworking spaces, download a free solution guide at https://campaigns.assaabloyopeningsolutions.eu/smartair-coworking

Edinburgh, October 2022 – An historic institution in Scotland’s capital city, the University of Edinburgh is among Europe’s top-rated higher education providers and a centre of excellence in research. They also own and maintain over 600 buildings around Scotland, from heritage properties to contemporary architecture.

As part of a drive for quality and standardization across this estates portfolio, the university wanted to replace their existing Door Closers. These had been supplied piecemeal over the years by a range of manufacturers.

The university sought uniformity in the quality and functionality of door closers for many different applications. Criteria for choosing the right solution included product cost-effectiveness – examined from a “whole-life” cost-of-ownership perspective, rather than just the initial price.

They needed door controls with high efficiency and low opening forces with full certification coverage (EN 1154 / 1155), from a supplier who could be trusted for ongoing service and specification support.

“ASSA ABLOY was chosen because we have confidence in the brand, there’s full test coverage, and transparency in the supply chain,” says Cameron Duncanson, Maintenance Coordinator at University of Edinburgh Estates Department.

The university already had experience with ASSA ABLOY’s products and ongoing service: “AA Door Closers have been used here for 7 years without a single fault,” he adds.

The benefits of Cam-Motion^Ò Door Closer technology

Estates managers were able to choose an appropriate ASSA ABLOY Cam-Motion solution for every opening – more than 1500 in total spread across multiple buildings. The low-profile product design of ASSA ABLOY Cam-Motion Door Closers suits their diverse estates portfolio: Buildings equipped range from refurbished historic properties to the Nucleus, a major new student and staff hub whose first phase will be complete later this year^*.

Cam-Motion technology is built for demanding environments like universities. Doors shut tight, for security, thermal efficiency and fire protection. Models across the range meet the university’s certification demands and provide effective fire compartmentation.

Cam-Motion Door Closers’ symmetric cam design allows each model to be fitted to door or frame, push or pull side, making installation hassle-free. In-house staff and contractors can individually adjust latch and closing speed via the easily accessible front-facing valves. The height-adjustable arm system enables later adjustment without cost or time delays.

“As part of the support package, ASSA ABLOY experts trained staff to install the new Door Closers, which even joiners with decades of experience found valuable,” says Barry Harris, Regional Specification Development Manager at ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions. “The university can continue to rely on ASSA ABLOY Door Closers over their extended lifetime.”

To learn more about ASSA ABLOY Cam-Motion Door Closers, visit

https://www.assaabloy.com/group/emeia/solutions/topics/door-closers

London, October 2022 – Saint Jacut de la Mer, on Brittany’s Côtes d’Armor, faced growing difficulties with access management for their public buildings. As in many other towns across Europe, they looked for a more cost- and time-efficient way to operate.

 Keys were being lost — and the costs of rekeying put even more pressure on budgets.

Town staff needing to hold and track multiple keys was inconvenient and further contributed to key loss. And because different access solutions had been installed over the years, security levels were not consistent across properties.

The arrival of a new director of technical services brought a new approach to access control. They sought a trusted solution which would harmonize security and access management across the entire town — ideally a wire-free electronic system which was easy to install at doors and other openings.

Wireless cylinders and electronic keys are already trusted by many municipalities

After much research, a hands-on demonstration and consulting a local hardware supplier, buildings around the town have been equipped with eCLIQ electronic locking cylinders.

“We decided to install eCLIQ wireless access control because of the good reputation of ASSA ABLOY equipment,” explains the town’s director of technical services, M. Bertho.

This first phase includes the Town Hall, festival hall, school restaurant, meeting house and more. All these properties now enjoy the benefit of convenient, secure access management within a single eCLIQ system which includes single and double cylinders, as well as eCLIQ padlocks. Adding electronic access control to all these different buildings required no drilling around doors.

Authorized users have been issued with programmable eCLIQ keys. Each one unlocks all the openings they need in their day-to-day work.

Now M. Bertho can instantly review the status of all eCLIQ-equipped premises and issue individually tailored access rights. For example, canteen staff, cleaners and delivery teams have their own access slots for the school restaurant. The local campsite is safer: If seasonal workers lose their key, its rights are removed immediately. At the Town Hall, only those with authorization can enter. Daily life for residents has improved.

The flexibility of an eCLIQ access control solution

A fully electronic extension of ASSA ABLOY’s award-winning CLIQ^® access control technology, eCLIQ is built around precision-engineered locking cylinders and high-end microelectronics. A standard battery with a 10-year lifespan in normal usage, is inside each programmable electronic key. This energized key powers the cylinder or padlock and encrypts data transfer between lock, key and system.

The eCLIQ cylinder range can bring almost any opening into an access control system. Robust, durable eCLIQ cylinder locks can secure lifts, machines, mailboxes, cabinets and more with the same control as doors. Installing an eCLIQ device is simple: The existing cylinder is replaced and secured in place with one screw.

Certified and available in formats including Euro — first patented by an ASSA ABLOY company nearly 100 years ago — eCLIQ cylinders ensure security and regulatory compliance. A range of programming devices transfer and update access rights for user keys.

“We trust ASSA ABLOY,” adds M. Bertho, who was also impressed by the simplicity and speed of installation.

Indeed, the town has already decided to extend coverage of their system year by year. Next up are the elementary school and cultural centre. The ultimate objective is to equip all Saint Jacut’s public buildings with eCLIQ.