Latest News
BROUGHTON HIGH SECURITY LAUNCHES
SECURITY RATED TURNSTILE
Broughton Control’s rapidly expanding High Security Division has launched a new high security turnstile, the Defender 970, aimed at customers requiring unsupervised control of pedestrian access within a site perimeter.
The Defender 970 High Security Turnstile is the latest addition to a range of products from Broughton High Security aimed at front line security locations including ports, airports, prisons, police stations and government buildings as well as high risk commercial and industrial facilities such as banks and oil refineries.
Click here for the full story
Service is the key to effective entrance control solutions
Article written for Practical Facilities Management Magazine August 2003
Laurence Goode, managing director of Broughton Controls, highlights some of the issues to be considered when selecting entrance control products.
The only effective way in which to make effective entrance control choices is to start with a fundamental understanding of the basic issues of traffic flow, rates of flow, safety, control systems, supervision, even the skill levels required for the operation and supervision of the equipment. It is also important to consider how critical the system is to the particular site with a view to failure procedures, maintenance and emergency repair support.
THE TOTAL SERVICE SOLUTION
In the UK at the moment there is probably no more than a handful of companies capable of offering a true full service. A supplier that designs, manufactures, installs and maintains your system, will provide a better understanding of the application and limitations of equipment through its years of development and feedback and this helps ensure that you get the right product for the job.
Keeping your equipment running is obviously an essential part of the service you require. Any breakdown threatens the security and safety of your whole site, so you need a service provider that acts quickly and effectively. This doesn't mean how quickly an engineer turns up but how quickly your system is put back on line! Broughton Controls for example prides itself on fixing 80% off all call outs on the first visit and within 24hours of the breakdown being reported. Simply turning up, rendering your equipment safe but inoperable and then waiting a week for parts to arrive is not the sort of service you need when site security is at stake.
CHOOSE CAREFULLY
By bringing your potential provider into the project at an early stage it is far easier to achieve a cost effective operational design but you still need to examine specifications carefully, especially in competitive tender situations.
Under-specification is a common mistake. Take great care when making decisions on which supplier to use. There are many products out there in the market that are excellent in their own right when used in the right place but industrial and commercial premises require a higher level of security, are subject to higher frequencies of use and require more complex and flexible control systems. Possibly two or three times more expensive as an initial installation, they will more than pay back that investment in reduced maintenance and repair costs as well as less quantifiable operational benefits.
Safety, service and security are the three key watchwords - purchasers would be well advised to choose their entrance control solutions and suppliers very carefully as ultimately it is their site and their responsibility.
Laurence Goode is managing director of Broughton Controls Ltd. Built up over the last twenty-five years into one of the UK's foremost entrance control specialists with design, manufacturing, installation and maintenance capability to ISO 9001 2000 accreditation, Broughton regularly works alongside major architects, specifiers and contractors and has a project list that includes Jaguar, BP, MOD Commonwealth Games Stadium, Manchester United, DaimlerChrysler, Tesco and BAe Systems.
