Swedish municipality invests in security

One-fifth of the people in Nyköping, Sweden – about 10,000 individuals – are connected to the municipality’s security system.

The municipality’s operations currently encompass about 400 properties. When it was time to upgrade the security system two years ago, the municipality contacted the lock, alarm and access system installer Sensum Lås & Larm, which recommended ASSA’s new ARX access control system.

“Our initiative focuses heavily on security,” Biörn Trehörning, security manager at Nyköping Municipality Facilities, says. “We’ve been chasing around after a considerable amount of vandalism and break-ins. A municipal building should be open and accessible – we can’t lock everything like a private business. But we want greater control over who may move around where and at what time.” It’s essential to have a system that can be adapted to meet future needs, both Biörn and Torbjörn emphasize. They are therefore installing ASSA’s Hi-O products whenever a lock needs to be replaced and using them in new construction projects. These products can “talk” to each other and report to ARX if anything is wrong in a door environment. 

 “ARX lets us read how many times a door equipped with Hi-O has been opened, and if anything breaks we can immediately see which door and room are involved, and what the installer needs to bring along to fix the problem. This saves time and service costs,” says Biörn. “In the past we didn’t always think ahead as much, but needs in premises can change,” Torbjörn says. “By installing Hi-O products we cover those needs right from the start. It would cost more to replace the lock down the road.”

A tip for others moving from a traditional key system to an access control system is to make sure that the personnel support the project. “It’s incredibly important that everyone understand why the system is being replaced and that it provides greater security for everyone, which many now understand here. If there’s been a theft or an incident they feel it’s nice to be able to see who has been in the building just then.”

So far Biörn feels that ASSA has been responsive to their desires. “We have regular meetings, and certain things we’ve asked for have already been implemented in ARX or soon will be,” he says.

Lars Myske, segment coordinator for municipalities at ASSA, is enthusiastic about the Nyköping project. “Nyköping decided they would exclusively use ASSA products, which is really great. Now we’re maintaining regular contact. We get to know each other, gain additional information and build a good relationship. If you come to the customer even when projects aren’t going on, it’s easier to build trust.”