Covering 1200 acres, the Hean Castle Estate owns and manages property around the village of Saundersfoot, north of Tenby in Pembrokeshire. The Estate used mechanical master keys, which meant one lost key might compromise the entire system. As the Estate has varied land use from forestry to holiday caravan parks, it meant staff had to swap keys, or managers had to attend remote sites to provide access.
The Estate has gone over to the electromechanical product Assa Cliq Remote from Assa Abloy Door Hardware Group, installed by local distributor Lock-Tech. The product uses micro-electronics and programmable keys. The user can grant key holders, regardless of their location, remote access to properties and facilities, saving time and money around key control. The system was first installed in the Estate’s office and adjoining workshop buildings. Almost 80 cylinders and padlocks have been fitted across the site, with 40 Cliq keys in use and seven wall PD units installed, which allow users to update their key credentials without having to visit an administrator.
David Lewis, Trustee at Hean Castle Estate, says: “Firstly, lost keys are no longer an issue. For instance, we had one case where an employee forgot to return their key when leaving the business. From a security and peace of mind perspective, it’s difficult to fault.
“Secondly, the ease with which access rights can be set up is a big benefit. For example, we programmed the system so that the our staff’s access credentials end half an hour after their shift has finished. And with many different contractors, such as electricians and engineers, visiting our site, ASSA CLIQ® Remote lets us give these professionals access to only the areas they need. In comparison, with a mechanical master key system, a member of our team would have to escort them to the building and wait for the job to be done. Given how geographically dispersed the Estate is, this would waste a lot of our team’s time, but this is no longer an issue with ASSA CLIQ Remote.
“Finally, as the Estate expands, the ASSA CLIQ Remote system can grow with it. The system is now simply part of the infrastructure of the Estate; should we need more cylinders or padlocks added to it, then this is an easy and hassle-free process.”
