Scott Poluhowich, morale, welfare and recreation (MWR) director at
Commander Fleet Activities (COFLEACT) Sasebo, Japan, was frustrated
with the time it took to find the key to one of the thousands of doors
at MWR facilities that he needed access to. He decided there had to
be a better way, and he found one.
After a long and careful search of the latest
lock technology available, Poluhowich found exactly what he was looking
for — a non-electronic, security-safe, cost-efficient and easily
manageable key system.
Technological
Advantages
Developed by CorKey Control Systems, Ltd.,
the new security system does away with traditional keys, opting instead
for a dog-tag-sized magnetic card encased in stainless steel that
can be quickly and easily coded for any or multiple doors.
Unlike other card-operated locks, this system
does not require special wiring, batteries or a central computer system,
Each card can be quickly and easily coded for a specific lock or for
multiple locks in a matter of seconds. If a lost key is reported,
a new one can be coded in an instant and the door lock changed from
the outside to match the new code.
"It was really frustrating when we needed
to gain access to a particular place end couldn't find a key;”
said Sasebo MWR Club Coordinator Ken Taylor, who serves as CorKey
administrator for the MWR department. ''There were times when we didn't
know who had keys to what.. Something had to be done about it."
The stainless steel card grants access to every lock in every MWR
building that is already fitted with the new system.
The new system is already installed in about
half of the 40-plus MWR buildings at Sasebo, greatly improving security,
and the cost savings to date has been impressive. Plans call for all
Sasebo MWR facilities, representing thousands interior of and exterior
locks, to have the |
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system installed by the end of the year. Sasebo MWR clubs, restaurants,
day care centers, retail facilities, freezers and other buildings, some
miles apart from each other have already been fitted with the system.
"It's relatively easy to install the new
system because it uses existing door mechanisms," Taylor said,
"This is the only system that I know of that will retrofit existing
doors and replaces traditional key-in-knob and other locks, We can do
a large building with hundreds of locks in just a day or so."
Key
Coding
A single key can be coded to unlock every
door in the system or a single lock, which is a key element of security
management For example, an employee can be provided with a single
key that is coded for either a specific door or lock or an unlimited
number of specific doors or locks, depending on the employee's need
for access.
"The beauty of this sysiem is that we
can code our own keys any way we want to, as often as we want to,
at no additional expense, Taylor said.
Management personnel, such as Taylor and Poluhowich,
can gain access to any lock in the department with a master-coded
key they carry with them
everywhere they go.
"It's a great system," Taylor| said.
"No more searching through; hundreds of keys to open a door or
lock, and we don't have to spend a lot of money making new keys every
time an ernployee leaves without turning in his or her keys or when
someone loses one.
"It's a heck of a lot better than the
old system."
With reporting by Frank DeSilva, Sassebo MWR Public Affairs |