Cargo Chaos

This project took place in a cargo area completely separate from the airport. Hundreds of trucks entered the zone every single day. When they reached the loading bays to move courier shipments, the drivers had to go inside, submit documents, and then a staff member would walk back with them to open the shutter gate.

The problem was the shutter could only be opened manually - using a wall button or a handheld remote. As the place got busier, the staff would simply tell the driver to do it themselves. Drivers who visited daily knew how to operate it, but anyone new struggled. And beyond that, it was a major health and safety risk. Management wanted zero drivers touching any shutter controls.

The client wanted to integrate an access control system so operations could be centrally managed, allowing only authorized staff to trigger the shutter.

Execution was anything but standard.

Integrating the access control device with the Assa Abloy panel turned out to be a sensitive challenge. We spoke to the Assa Abloy engineering team multiple times, went in circles, got half-answers, and nothing usable came out of it.

Eventually, looping the button through the access control I/O module ended up being the cleanest solution. This allowed the access control device to effectively control the button itself.

Soon, some staff started handing out their own cards to familiar drivers. We had to replace the access control device with Suprema biometric access control so staff had to walk close to the shutter and then open it. Drivers couldn't interact with it at all - exactly what operations wanted. The project cost doubled when we replaced the device with a biometric model, but it worked out.