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Can ‘Buying British’
Benefit Locksmiths?
»»Overseas factories
creating replica products are
an increasing concern for
all British manufacturers,
including those in the security
industry. In this article for
The Locksmith journal, Tony
Brittle, who is responsible for
the manufacturing team that
manufactures UK mortice
locks at ASSA ABLOY’s factory
in Willenhall, discusses how
locksmiths can benefit from
UK-manufactured products,
and considers some of the
problems that imitation
hardware can cause.
Having 43 years of
experience working with
mortice locks I can usually
spot a low quality lock from a
mile away. There are, however,
some locks on the market that
are visually identical to high
quality products - and it is only
when you look closely that
some startling differences can
be seen.
UK manufacturing ensures
that quality and security is at
the heart of products, with
UNION’s C-series range a
good example of how trusted
manufacturers’ products
outperform unrecognised
replicas.
Firstly, consider the
materials used: the C-series
range offers high quality
deadlocks and sashlocks that
have levers and keys made
out of self-lubricating brass
in order to prevent rusting.
But replica products may use
brass-plated steel as a cheaper
alternative, which will tarnish
quickly and, therefore,need
replacing.
The resilience of imitation
products can also be a
concern. To reduce costs
‘Buying locks from a trusted manufacturer ensures
the necessary standards and legislation are met’
further, some replica locks
may be made out of thin
substandard materials
that are not robust, leaving
them vulnerable to attack.
Whereas UNION’s authentic
locks have thick cases with
tough, anti-drill structures.
In addition, ASSA ABLOY
has an in house UKAS
independently-accredited
Test Lab, where every three to
six mo