Notice Board
30 Years Service
High Street to Smart Homes
Louise Frost , a senior marketer at Door Controls Direct , sat down with her long-serving MLA locksmith colleague Mike Drayton . Join them as they look back at the last three decades of being a trusted provider of comprehensive door control solutions , and what Mike foresees in the trade as we move forward .
» NOW WELL AND TRULY INTO 2024 , I ’ m sitting with someone I ’ ve known for 14 years , looking back into the mists of time ( 1993 , so practically yesterday for anyone over 40 ), whilst having an eye for the future .
Mike has been in the industry for well over 30 years . What started off as key cutting , call outs and installation for a high street locksmith is now the latest GAI course in access control and upskilling in electronic locking . From cutting church keys to troubleshooting proximity keypads , Mike took some time out to talk me through how he got here , where here actually is , and what he feels is around the corner .
Louise : How have things have changed during your time at Door Controls Direct ?
Mike : Having been with the company for 30 years last year , I ’ ve seen some real advances in technology whilst other aspects of locksmithing haven ’ t changed at all . I became an MLA locksmith in 1993 , gaining my Guild Diploma in 1997 .
Mechanical locking systems are pretty much the same as they have ever been since those early days , even before then . It ’ s the electronic side of things that ’ s really seen substantial changes since I started out . I ’ m still in touch with many locksmiths , friends and ex-colleagues , and they ’ d all agree with me .
‘ My heart lies where I started , but I ’ ve chosen to move with the times .’
There is a real need now to diversify . The feedback I hear is that it ’ s difficult , near impossible , to survive as a traditional locksmith . Whilst mechanical locking remains the bulk of what our customers have in place and need to maintain , there ’ s an increasing shift to access control . Larger facilities , like private schools , are moving across to access control , letting mechanical locking drop off . We ’ re still servicing many master key systems but the volume tails off year on year .
L : What are you seeing in the industry today ?
M : Choice . Abundance . Ecommerce . Online shopping , online product catalogues , and a flood of new suppliers has meant our customers and end users are spoilt for choice . How do they know what is a reliable product , or what the right product is for their doors ? Years ago , there were only a few brands . It was so much easier to navigate .
Now , you need such a broad , generalist knowledge of a wealth of products and locking solutions , new and historic . Some products are not easily replaced because they ’ re either an older , discontinued product or imported as part of a door set or locking solution . It can be a real challenge to find replacements , so you need to know specifics as well as general ranges and model specifications .
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MARCH 2024
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