Mechanical Locking Hardware Archives - Page 3 of 4 - Kenton Brothers Systems for Security

Mechanical Hardware Guru Bill Harris Implements Record Setting Mechanical Sale As He Approaches Retirement

July 28, 2021/in Access Control, Mechanical Locking Hardware/by Ryan Kaullen

Bill Harris

The Kenton Brothers headquarters is based in Kansas City, MO but we do work across the United States to take care of our customers. Some of the most rewarding jobs are those close to home.

In 2021, Kenton Brothers was awarded a job for Bartle Hall Convention Center located in Downtown Kansas City, MO. What also makes this job special are two of the gentlemen involved in this project. Bill Harris of Kenton Brothers and David Mullins with Bartle Hall. Both Bill and David have been long standing pillars with their respective companies and both are going to be retiring in the near future. The job itself is being run by Zack Holden, one of Kenton Brothers’ Project Managers.

From left to right: Zack Holden (Kenton Brothers), David Mullins (Bartle Hall) and Bill Harris (Kenton Brothers)

The Project

The two main vendors involved in this project are Alarm Lock and Sargent Manufacturing.

The scope of the project is installing door hardware, new power supplies, Alarm Locks, coordinating new door & frame installs, new electrical work, and more across 75+ openings. This job has many tricky facets to it including coordination of sub-contractors, coordination of where we can work (different rooms are in use for events), keeping low voltage wires hidden, and even the coordination of parts being delivered. All of these variables add complexity to the project.

No Exposed Cables

This is a door to an event space in Bartle Hall. They initially thought that we would have to bring wire mold down from the ceiling. For a cleaner and aesthetically pleasing install, we were able to design a solution by pulling cable in the drywall instead of having the cables exposed.

Exit Bars

We added exit bars to dozens of doors for this project. This was required to get their facility up to current life safety code standards.

Kenton Brothers loves these types of projects.

Large, complicated projects allow us to show what makes us different than our competition. Kenton Brothers, under one roof, has technicians that understand locksmith work, mechanical door hardware, commercial access control integration, commercial video surveillance and the ability to source and coordinate subcontractors. The end result is that our customers look to us as their single point of contact for large projects.

We want to thank Bartle Hall for trusting us for this project and we also want to give a farewell send off to Bill Harris who has been with Kenton Brothers 17+ years, you picked a great time to sell your largest project!

Keying Systems Part 3: Peace of Mind with Keying Systems

April 23, 2021/in Access Control, Mechanical Locking Hardware/by Ryan Kaullen

By Ryan Kaullen, Field Services Manager at Kenton Brothers

Keying Systems Series
Part 1: Importance of Master Key Systems and Restricted Keyways
Part 2: Restricted vs. Standard Keyways
Part 3: Peace of Mind with Keying Systems (this story)

As a building owner, business owner or manager, you may wonder how the keys for your business are maintained. Are they being properly taken care of? How many copies are floating around? Has anyone lost one? Which of the employees have them? The list of questions goes on. The good news? The answers don’t have to be as complex as you think.

There are several checks and balances you can implement to have peace of mind with your access control systems.

The first step would be to implement a restricted keying system at your location(s).

A restricted keying system comes with many benefits. These include, but aren’t limited to, the following:

Keys can’t be duplicated at local hardware stores.
There’s a list of authorized users at your locksmith of choice who can get more keys made.
If a key is lost or stolen, you’ll know immediately. Why? Because the key holder will have to report it as they can no longer access the doors/areas they need to open.
Restricted cylinders are harder to pick/bypass than standard keyways.

Kenton Brothers has run into the first example many times. We’ve had customers come in to request keys. We ask their name, and they weren’t on the authorized user list. So we turned them away. It was later found out that the person in question had been let go earlier in the week.

The next benefit is the checks and balances portion of a restricted key system.

As mentioned above, there is an authorized user list associated with all restricted key systems.

What this does is stop employees or individuals from getting keys made, new cylinders created, etc. This is extremely beneficial for employees who’ve lost a key or have bad intentions at the facility.

Understanding how a key system can work to your benefit is also important.

A properly planned master key system can be set up that allows employees specific access to certain areas. This is an important component of securing your facility.

Kenton Brothers has many customers who implement a master key system.

A great example of how this works is for one of our customers that owns a 10 floor building. Each floor has a different tenant, and each tenant should only have access to their floor. We created an overall master key system, created floor masters, and keyed the cylinders to flow traffic properly.

The result? Tenants knew they had secure spaces.

Kenton Brothers has been designing key systems since 1897.
Let us help you find peace of mind with your keying and security needs.

National Account with 600 Sites in 15 Weeks? Check.

March 17, 2021/in Commercial Security, Mechanical Locking Hardware, Projects/by Ryan Kaullen

By Ryan Kaullen, Field Services Manager at Kenton Brothers

Kenton Brothers Systems for Security, in its 124th year of existence, has seen projects of every size across most industries. We really thrive taking on the unusual, the time sensitive, and challenging projects across regions/states. This is a common situation when we’re working with some of our national accounts.

One such project that covered all of these aspects was a recent install at over 600 sites for a major utility company in the Midwest.

The scope of the project was to install locking hardware and specialty electronic hardware (eCylinders/ePadlocks) across the customer’s list of sites. This was a complex project involving lots of variables. These included timeframe, hardware needed, and the geographical locations of these sites. A lot of planning went into this project to evaluate requirements and determine the best course of action with limited information.

Timeframe

The timeline for this project was a total of 15 weeks. This meant we would be doing installations at roughly 43 sites per week. One of the requirements of this project was to meet a federally mandated deadline. This required us to plan the best routes possible to ensure our technicians were as efficient as possible.

We accomplished this using route planning software based on addresses and GPS coordinates. This was a crucial step to ensuring we would hit our deadlines.

The result? Kenton Brothers completed this project over a week early.

Material

The tricky part about material for this project is that we couldn’t easily plan ahead for the amount of hardware that would be needed at each location.

Before the start of the project, we visited 7 sites and created hardware lists to cover the different scenarios we found. The goal was to make sure our technicians didn’t have to make return trips for materials.

We were also installing security cylinders known as eCylinders or ePadlocks. They provide access just like an access control system. If you have the correct key, you’re allowed access. If you don’t, the cylinder or padlock stays locked. This is for auditing capabilities of who went into the site and at what time. This product and solution met the industry specified regulatory requirements for remote sites.

Locations

The locations ranged from being in major cities to farmer’s cow pastures.

We provided our technicians aerial views of all of the sites. This helped them verify they were at the right place and what to expect getting into the area. This played a vital role in our completion date. We were able to plan routes based on those views and we could see the access points.

This complex project was a fast-paced, time sensitive, and complex project that required an attention to detail. Every site required work detail reports with specific information, specific billing was required to meet our customer’s needs, and technicians with outstanding craftsmanship were needed to accomplish the project goals.

We are proud that we were able to provide one of our national accounts customers this commercial security solution. And it was a big win to deliver a week ahead of schedule. Do you have large commercial security projects that require attention to detail, multiple sites, and a team who can get the work done? If so, give Kenton Brothers a call. We’ll make your life easier!

Keying Systems Part 2: Restricted vs. Standard Keyways

February 3, 2021/in Access Control, Mechanical Locking Hardware/by Ryan Kaullen

By Ryan Kaullen, Field Services Manager at Kenton Brothers

Keying Systems Series
Part 1: Importance of Master Key Systems and Restricted Keyways
Part 2: Restricted vs. Standard Keyways (this story)
Part 3: Peace of Mind with Keying Systems

Restricted and Standard Keyways

In a world of ever-changing physical security, the question consistently is raised: How do I bring more security to my facility through keying?
The answers are contained within knowing the options that are available between Restricted and Standard Keyways.

Restricted

Restricted key systems operate on a higher level of security vs. a standard key system. And yes, restricted key systems come with a minor increase in cost, but the benefits justify the added cost.

Benefits of using a restricted key system include:

An authorization process determines who can get keys and high security lock cylinders made/purchased.
They are harder to pick (open).
They can’t be duplicated at your local hardware store.

One of the biggest upsides of a restricted keyway solution is that there are checks and balances in place. To get a key made, you must be on the authorized user list. This means that if keys are lost or stolen, the key holder must approach management. You immediately know when a key is lost or stolen. This provides another layer of security to your facility, and lessens the time of exposure.

Standard

Standard key systems have their place in security, but they’re easily duplicated at most hardware stores. Users can make as many duplicates as they want without getting authorization. And if keys are lost or stolen, management may never know that there are keys missing until it’s too late. This scenario ultimately compromises the people, property, and possessions of your facility.

Want to know more about restricted key systems?

Physical key security is extremely important for facilities, just as important as commercial access control and intrusion. And physical key security is an important element of a complete access control security solution. If you would like to know more about restricted key systems for your company, please give us a call.

Keying Systems Part 1: Importance of Master Key Systems and Restricted Keyways

January 20, 2021/in Mechanical Locking Hardware/by Ryan Kaullen

By Ryan Kaullen, Field Services Manager at Kenton Brothers

Keying Systems Series
Part 1: Importance of Master Key Systems and Restricted Keyways (this story)
Part 2: Restricted vs. Standard Keyways
Part 3: Peace of Mind with Keying Systems

Master Key Systems

In the world of access control, intrusion, and networked video surveillance, physical keying systems are still important for your facilities. At Kenton Brothers, we get questions all the time about reducing the number of keys for a building, establishing better physical key security, and managing authorized employees who can get keys made. That’s when we explain the importance of a Master Key System.

A Master Key System is a physical security system that uses a framework of keys to access a facility externally and internally. This system allows authorized people to have access to certain areas of the building while keeping unauthorized people out. All of this is determined by the facility manager or business owner.

Advantages of a Master Key System include but are not limited to:

Improved Security of the Facility – You design the system to give employees access to the doors they should be allowed to pass through. You can also set up lists of people who are allowed to get more keys made to stop unnecessary duplication.
Fewer Keys Needed – You can drastically reduce the number of keys your facility has by smartly keying doors to fit your security needs.
Customizable – Doors will be keyed to access levels, who needs access, and so forth.
Standardization of Facility Keying – Standardization is important because it allows you to set standards within your business for employees and managing their access.
Cost Effectiveness – There is an upfront cost determined by many factors including level of restriction, number of doors, number of keys, etc. But the long term gains are tremendous. If a door needs to be rekeyed, you know how that will support the master key system already in place. If a key is lost, you know the budget needed to fix the problem. If you add doors / locks, those can be added to the existing master key system. Implementing this properly allows the facility to keep people, property, and possessions safe.
Control – Implementing a Master Key System provides a complete understanding of how every door is keyed, who you gave keys to, who has access, what they have access to and so forth. If you decide to set your system up with a restricted keyway this provides even more control to your system.

Implementing a Master Key System

When considering a Master Key System, there are many steps to setting the system up properly. A site survey will be required to review existing hardware, key meetings are held to determine how the facility wants everything keyed. And then the site is rekeyed. The importance of these steps cannot be skipped or taken lightly… the security of the facility is in the balance.

Consider letting Kenton Brothers help you implement a Master Key System. We will secure your facility and bring key control back into your hands!