Scalable digital access for car showrooms by ASSA ABLOY

Growing businesses require flexibility and easy scalability from their access management. Choosing a secure digital solution which easily adapts and grows as needs change, ensures the organisation is prepared not just for now, but for the future.

H.R. Owen is a dealership specialising in the sale, service and repair of luxury and sports cars. Its portfolio of high-end brands includes Lamborghini, Bentley, Aston Martin, Rolls Royce and Lotus. Based primarily in London, the company expanded operations with a new facility in Hatfield to accommodate its growing business. As with all of H.R. Owen’s premises, this new showroom required high security due to the nature of its vehicle stock.

Access management solution

Unified access control solution that could encompass a wide range of openings

“Security is paramount as we needed to ensure that we are not just protecting our high-value products, but also our staff and our customers,” explains Sean Nevatte, Group Aftersales Director at H.R. Owen.

For the new premises, managers sought a single, unified access management solution which could encompass a wide range of openings including glass doors, fire doors and parking barriers.

Investment in digital access

H.R. Owen customers expect a degree of refinement in the showroom environment. So, as well as security and reliability, access devices must blend with the high-end interior design.

Finally, they needed a solution which offered easy scalability. As a successful, growing company, they have to be confident their investment in digital access would meet evolving requirements for security, flexibility and aesthetics – now and long into the future.

SMARTair® brings real-time control and easy scalability

“During the planning stages with H.R. Owen and the architects, it was clear that ASSA ABLOY’s SMARTair solution was the only real choice for the site,” says Matthew Taylor, Operations Director at Knightsbridge Security, who installed the dealership’s system.

SMARTair, part of a suite of connected digital access solutions from ASSA ABLOY, is an out-of-the-box system ideally suited to medium-sized premises with a broad range of openings to equip. Among more than 100 devices installed throughout the facility, SMARTair Wall Readers and SMARTair i-max Escutcheons were selected for their sleek aesthetics and versatility.

Benefits of choosing a wireless solution

The facility can manage access remotely, ensuring access rights may be monitored

The devices are wireless, and therefore fast and cost-effective to fit. With no need for extensive cabling, they are quickly installed, minimising onsite disruption. Another benefit of choosing wireless, the reach of H.R. Owen’s solution can be easily extended or reconfigured anytime, protecting their investment for the long term.

SMARTair is equally convenient to operate. The facility can manage access remotely, ensuring access rights may be monitored or amended in real time in response to any potential threat.

SMARTair’s mobile access solution

H.R. Owen also chose SMARTair’s mobile access solution Openow®: staff can use their smartphones for access, rather than physical cards or fobs. Access by secure mobile app boosts both security – fewer lost credentials – and sustainability performance by cutting single-use plastics.

Particularly well suited to car showrooms and other premises with parking, Openow’s Parking Mode feature allows drivers to unlock barriers from 3m–5m away. They don’t need to get out of the car to open the barrier. This reduces the risk of opportunist theft or unauthorised access, which is a critical benefit for premises like H.R. Owen with high-value goods inside.