Whether it’s a chic penthouse flat in the city or a homely farmhouse in the countryside, the dream of having your own home is wonderful – and turning it into reality is even more so. The only thing missing is the right partner to provide you with secure finance for your dream home in the long term. Around 1.3 million Baden-Württemberg residents have already found their partner: LBS Baden-Württemberg, the leading building society in the region. LBS is now using the digital locking and access control system from its technology partner SimonsVoss, to set new standards in sustainable building protection at its branches in Karlsruhe and Stuttgart.

 As a building society specialising in home loans and as part of the largest German financial syndicate, LBS Baden-Württemberg is synonymous with competence and high levels of planning security when it comes to saving for and financing the building, purchase or modernisation of your dream home. “We give your future a home” – making this promise a reality is what drives the 1000 LBS in-house staff and 474 independent sales representatives in the field sales team each day.   

The nightmare of losing keys

Building security is the top priority at LBS, particularly at the two main branches in Karlsruhe and Stuttgart. Losing keys always poses a security risk – especially when a lot of people use the building, as Werner Decku, responsible for locking systems in the administration department at LBS Baden-Württemberg in Stuttgart, explains. “Before, when we had our mechanical system, people were always losing keys. One day, our worst case scenario became a reality – a general key was lost. We had to reorder more than 80 locking cylinders, but some weren’t immediately available due to longer delivery times. It was an inacceptable security risk, never mind the time and cost involved in replacing the cylinders.” Various locking plans which were not stringently maintained also made life difficult for those responsible for access administration at LBS. 

In July 2007, LBS Baden-Württemberg put an end to its problems. It went on the search for a new partner who could provide a new locking system. All the exterior doors in 2 buildings used by the company itself and 8 rented out buildings in Stuttgart and Karlsruhe and key indoor areas such as rooms containing sensitive data and records, staff rooms and storage rooms were to be converted. Three solution providers passed the ambitious selecting and testing process, which was coordinated by Werner Decku and his team in close collaboration with their long-standing trade partner Link Sicherheitssysteme. In the end, SimonsVoss, Germany’s market leader for digital locking and access control systems, was chosen. “Simple, individual handling, quick response times for locking administration, better quality – SimonsVoss impressed us in all areas.” The Munich-based manufacturer also gained brownie points for its conveniently small knobs. “The knobs offered by other suppliers were much bigger – female testers in particular found this extremely impractical,” recalls Decku.

Providing security for your four walls

… is SimonsVoss’ speciality. The core competences of its digital locking and access control system 3060 include a digital key – the so-called transponder – and a digital locking cylinder. It’s the perfect pairing with the perfect communication method. The futuristic-looking transponder communicates with the associated digital locking cylinder wirelessly using encrypted data transfer. One touch of a button is enough – the transponder sends a signal to the locking cylinder and you’re granted access. The energy management is so sophisticated and economical that one cylinder operates smoothly for years on end, even if the system features a lot of locks. Thanks to the integrated battery, one transponder lasts for up to one million activations or 10 years on standby. When the battery begins to run low, a signal is emitted to warn the owner in good time.

The third element is the Smart Relay, a kind of digital key switch. Due to its extremely economical, external power supply using a mains device, it is mainly used in highly frequented areas. As Decku explains, “using the Smart Relay, the transponder also activates lifts, garages and gates at LBS – but of course, only for those with the appropriate authorisation.”

Precaution is good – control is even better

A clear system is in place to control who has access to which areas and when. “Generally speaking, only selected users, such as the executive board, have access to sensitive areas,” says Decku. “Access rights are issued in a very hierarchical and restrictive manner, as they were in the past,” he adds. Fortunately, the SimonsVoss management software makes this a much faster and easier process than it was before. Decku uses his PC to issue individual authorisations for each user in a user-friendly key-cylinder-matrix. The new system also adapts flexibly to all modifications. Decku is overjoyed. “Now, I can respond to all requirements immediately – no matter whether someone's leaving the company or a new colleague needs a transponder. If a transponder goes missing, it is simply blocked in the system. Unlike before, lost keys are dealt with in no time at all – and the status quo is restored.” It is also possible for all access tracking to be individually logged. Each access is logged and can be traced at any time if necessary.

Smooth conversion

The fast and simple installation of its digital components also tipped the scales in SimonsVoss’ favour. “With SimonsVoss, not one cable or structural change was needed on the doors,” enthuses Decku. Take the digital cylinder, for example. Because it is powered by an integrated battery and has exactly the same dimensions as a conventional mechanical cylinder, it is fitted in all standard DIN doors in the blink of an eye. “Other suppliers sometimes had removal and fitting times that were three to four times longer,” says Decku. In January 2008, Link started installing the cylinders, LBS took over afterwards. “It took just one day for around 80 to 100 cylinders – which is extremely short when you consider the routes.”

Satisfied owners

Currently, there are around 800 satisfied transponder owners: about 50 LBS employees and some 150 for external employees – tenants, tradespeople, service providers, post office and service employees, technicians and material suppliers – and 600 transponders in the rented buildings. Decku describes how the users responded to the digital technology: “At first, some people were slightly critical – as is often the case when something new is introduced. Now, we have all long since realised that we are saving considerable amounts of time and money and have gained significantly in terms of security.”

The employees at LBS Baden-Württemberg are extremely satisfied with their new investment. “We had stringent requirements of the SimonsVoss digital system – and it's proved itself in every respect,” raves Decku. For this reason, other LBS rented buildings are to be converted to SimonsVoss products by mid-2010. There are also plans to change to a completely new, multi-branch software provided by the Bavarian supplier.

SimonsVoss: recommended by insurers and the police

SimonsVoss Technologies AG, based in Unterföhring near Munich, is the market and technology leader for digital locking and access control systems. The SimonsVoss 3060 digital locking system, consisting of a digital locking cylinder, transponder (digital key) and the Smart Relay (key switch), provides innovative access solutions for companies, organisations and discerning private individuals. Compared with conventional mechanical and electronic locking systems, SimonsVoss products offer greater security, flexibility and cost-effectiveness. The 3060 digital locking system from SimonsVoss fulfils the highest security requirements. It is certified as Class B by the Verband deutscher Sachversicherer (German Insurers’ Association) and is recommended by insurance companies and the police as an electronic locking system.