Simplified key management and increased general security

Northumbrian Water comprises of both Essex & Suffolk Water and Northumbrian Water employing all together around 3000 people. The company provides wastewater and sewerage services to the community in the surrounding area in addition to fresh portable water to roughly 30,000 people in one site.

Northumbrian Water has many rural assets in remote locations that have to be secured to the required Water UK standard. The site security is extremely important, as these assets give direct access to portable water. Water facilities are notoriously difficult to secure due to the complexity of these sites, with various locking points such as perimeter gates, external cabinets, chemical storage buildings, various hatches and covers all requiring either high security padlocks or cylinders. Northumbrian Water had a requirement to relock all their assets onto a patent protected master locking system that would allow them to restrict access and regain key control with a product that is designed to withstand harsh environments.

Customised security for the most sensitive areas

ABLOY PROTEC2 cylinder system was specified as it is specifically designed to provide the highest level of security for the most sensitive areas. ABLOY PROTEC2 offers 1,97 billion different key combinations providing the possibility to create extensive master key systems and patent protection until 2031.

ABLOY UK worked closely with Northumbrian Water to develop a master key system that would meet all of their requirements and needs. With Abloy, Northumbrian Water knows that their critical sites are secured, access is controlled and the products last long time under any weather conditions.

“Our new key system allows us to grade keys and control access so that individuals that only need to access certain assets can have a particular level of key, and other employees can have a higher level where required. Other benefits include increased general security, as we can control who can order locks and keys.” Victoria Jobling, Investment Delivery Project Manager at Northumbrian Water.

Benefits of Abloy's solution

ABLOY products meet specific standers required by Water UK and include a patent protection against uncontrolled key copies
Improved key control and decreased number of keys carried by individual employees or contractors
Compatible with PROTEC2 CLIQ electromechanical solution
Adds convenience without compromising on security