Access Control

Tower access for Veolia

by Mark Rowe

Water towers may be used as telephone antennas but serve as reservoirs. Chances are it is managed by Veolia, one of two traditional operators. In 2016, the Veolia group supplied 100 million people with drinking water and 61 million people worldwide with wastewater services. Drinking water sites are classified as sites of critical importance and their security must be safeguarded, under the control of local administration and, where appropriate, military authorities.

The primary requirement is to prevent any risk of malicious intrusion. However, towers are scattered across the country. Collection systems must be as close as possible to springs and rivers and to complicate matters further, if towers host the equipment of telephony or energy operators, their staff need access to perform maintenance.

In late 2016, Veolia in France chose LOCKEN as its preferred access control service. This gave all of its public service concessions (DSPs), around the country, access to the electronic key, with the transmission of access rights in real time. As always with LOCKEN products, the person seeking access now only needs a single key containing the necessary authorisations. Moreover, the keys are connected by Bluetooth to their smartphone, which communicates with the centralised access management system through the MyLocken App. The system lets Veolia provide access rights to personnel upon their arrival at the site and, if necessary, for a single entry.

The cable-free installation requires no other operation than the replacement of cylinders. The electronic keys can also open the numerous padlocks used on the storage tanks, as well as the key deposits intended for the partner operators positioned at the site entrances.

Vincent Govelet, a buyer at Veolia, says: “LOCKEN provides a solution, which allows sensitive sites to be secured, without electrifying the equipped doors, while adapting to the mobility and multiple-use imperatives specific to Veolia Waters’ activities. Bluetooth technology, coupled with a smartphone application, is particularly popular in the field for the distribution of access rights. The fact that the cylinders are weather-resistant is a decisive advantage in our business.”

And Nick Dooley, Managing Director of LOCKEN UK says: “LOCKEN has secured over one million access points worldwide and has seen huge success with Veolia in France. There is big potential to replicate this achievement in the UK and we take great pride in offering a robust and reliable access control solution to an industry that is vulnerable to risks, including terrorism, vandalism and theft. With this collaboration, LOCKEN is once again demonstrating its reliability in securing the sensitive sites of network operators.”

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