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| SALTO XS4 electronic locking system installed for doors in the Inverclyde centre |
Prior to the refurbishment of the Inverclyde Centre, the accommodation contained within consisted of shared flats for homeless individuals. However when people were temporarily accommodated in these flats, the lack of privacy for individuals often inevitably led to management difficulties and disputes between clients.
To combat this problem, the Inverclyde Centre was extensively refurbished by the Council and equipped with small, self-contained controlled access flats. Here individuals have their own safe haven and space to live, without having to share facilities, while they work toward getting their lives back on track.
The recently completed refurbishment exercise, as part of an on-going improvement programme, has included improving the access control arrangements on the first floor of the building to improve the physical accessibility of the homelessness service and ensure staff have the latest security tools to manage egress to and within the centre.
After listening carefully to the Council's requirements, local SALTO reseller Gemini Access Ltd proposed and subsequently supplied the SALTO XS4 electronic locking system for doors in the centre. This consists of 2 stainless steel handle sets for corridor doors and 12 stainless steel handle sets for the bedroom doors, allowing staff to police who has access to what areas on the floor and when. The installation was then carried out by the main contractor in conjunction with WLE Electrical services and commissioned by Gemini Access Ltd.
Smart, secure and innovative, the XS4 system supports up to 64,000 users and is designed for use in stand-alone operations. It needs no hard wiring and provides a totally wire free networked electronic locking solution with a huge range of features. It can be easily added to almost any existing lock and door, turning them into fully featured access control doors without compromising comfort, convenience, security or control.
Kevin Faulds, Sales Director at Gemini Access Ltd, explains: "The Council had the option to extend the existing access system in use on the upper floor of the centre but we were able to demonstrate that by opting for SALTO on the first floor instead, it would give them a far simpler installation and would be easier to use.
Once installation got underway, the staff were particularly impressed with the lack of physical hardware needed i.e. door ironmongery and locking wiring etc, and by the fact that the XS4 system contains less moving components which can be damaged or vandalised. Another plus point was that the time delay between passing the access key fob over the reader and lock release is negligible so less damage would be caused by users who don't understand the delay issue.
As a result of this positive reception, the centre is now looking into the cost of and seeking funding for replacing the existing access system on the upper floor with the SALTO product."
James Anderson, Inverclyde Council's Service Manager for Homelessness comments, "The SALTO XS4 system has more than matched our requirements and will prove cost effective. The installation was quick and we like the fact that the system enables faster, easier management of individuals and rooms in case of emergency."
