Production operators, subcontractors and maintenance technicians working in the water industry need easy access to various remote sites where Locken has fitted thousands of access control systems.
In complex settings, where a drop of water travels through miles of pipelines, pumping stations, tanks, treatment plants, then sewers and waste water treatment plants to complete the water cycle, controlling the process and securing these highly sensitive sites is challenging.
Water industry facilities usually comprise many scattered sites. This means maintaining tens of thousands of facilities across the country in urban and often remote areas (home to the largest clean water production plants). These plants are often far from any power supply, adding further complication to the access control solution.
Autonomous access control, the very latest in cable-free technology, offers the perfect solution for access points and doors, as the padlock and lock cylinders are passive. Keys provide the necessary power and hold the access rights data. Electronic cylinders can easily replace existing cylinders and do not require any special maintenance, making it especially suited to remote sites and clean water aqueducts. The complete solution is managed by the Locken Smart Access software.
We recently spoke to Stéphane Conreux, CTO of Locken, to find out more about this solution and why it is particularly well-suited to the water industry.
Question: Tell us about Locken Smart Access.
Answer: Our software solution, Locken Smart Access (LSA) has been developed to design and operate access policy. LSA can be easily connected with other software to become part of the customers' IT system. Within a water network, the best performance is achieved when all parts are fully connected, LSA offers scalability to integrate the individual specifications of water companies… to talk the language of the customers.
Q: What are its main characteristics?
A: Each part of Locken Smart Access is focused on the needs of the who and why. For example, the web part of LSA operates the specifications of scalability and manages access policies - manager centric access policy. MyLocken (Locken’s mobile app) is dedicated to the specific needs of end users. Each part of Locken Smart Access considers both user and manager to deliver added value through global collaboration of access management.
Q: Why choose this solution over others on the market?
A: Choosing Locken Smart Access doesn’t mean choosing a solution among other similar solutions. It means choosing a tool that allows you to create custom-made solutions that meet the specific needs of each water company, while seamlessly integrating into their value chain.
Q: What role do innovation and new technologies play in water management and what main challenges does the water industry face?
A: Innovations and new technologies only make sense if they reflect the requirements of the water sector. Their major roles are to simplify the expected answer and to address the user's needs by creating added value without any additional task for the user. Data mining is a key factor of Locken Smart Access, because one of the main values of access control solutions is their capacity to deliver relevant information to the managers. This helps them understand complex situations and provides them with the ability to define and meet the needs of their organisations. The major challenge of innovation is to deliver its promises without adding complications that may result from introducing new technologies. With expertise in both the hardware and software elements of the solution, Locken is able to offer the most capable and reliable access control solution on the market.
Q: Among the new technologies marking the evolution of the water sector, which ones does Locken Smart Access use and how?
A: More and more, the water sector requests flexibility, enabling people to find solutions which support them in doing their job and ultimately managing the entire water cycle. Locken Smart Access uses the capacity offered by mobile apps to get the user of the electronic keys more involved in the smart access process. This increases the benefits of the access control solution.
Q: Finally, look to the future, what business and development expectations does this type of solution have within the water sector?
A: We plan to continue to develop and add to the Locken system. Our objective is to make each user an active contributor for the benefit of all; as an example, expanding our 'MyLocken' app to key users by adding smart technologies and innovative functionalities that will help to make their job always easier and safer
For further information about LOCKEN visit https://www.locken.eu/, find us on LinkedIn or telephone 0203 691 1610
