The Locksmith Journal Sep/Oct 2019 - Issue 64 | Page 62

HARDWARE & SECURITY Locksmiths Say ‘Yes’ to the New 3 Star Cylinder by Schlosser Technik » » THERE HAS BEEN AN overwhelming response from locksmiths across the UK following the launch of the new Schlosser Technik 3 Star Euro Cylinder. The Schlosser Technik 3 Star Cylinder comes with 5 keys as standard, dual colour finish and a non-handed design which offers a number of opportunities for Locksmiths. “The recent lock changes I’ve done with the new Schlosser 3 Star have really hit the spot.” Says Tim Tarrant of AAA Quality Locksmiths. “The advanced security features sell the cylinder without even mentioning the additional keys at no extra cost.” “From my perspective, there’s a number of key reasons why I’ve swapped to the Schlosser 3 Star. The free marketing literature available is great and yields extra leads. I have 100% confidence in the quality of the cylinder which also puts the customers’ mind to rest. It features a patented trap pin system, Sold Secure Diamond Rating and Secured By Design.” In the development of the Schlosser Technik 3 Star Cylinder, discussions with locksmiths led to one common issue that affects all – excessive stock. The huge financial commitment to stock a variety of finishes, sizes and handed 3 star cylinders was something that was immediately considered. To resolve this issue, the cylinder was designed with a dual colour finish and non-handed design. These two features can potentially allow van and shop stock to be cut in quarter freeing up cash and space. Furthermore, the industry standard to offer three keys was also an issue for both customers and Locksmiths. Additional keys are expensive and can almost double the initial cylinder cost. That’s why the Schlosser Technik 3 Star comes with five keys as standard. Since the launch of the new 3 star, the feedback received from locksmiths across the country has more than justified the pre-development locksmith discussions. Schlosser Technik are also in the process of rolling out a new certified locksmith installer programme with a number of significant benefits for stocking the new 3 star cylinder. For more information or to join the locksmith installer programme – please visit www.schlosser.co.uk PRICE INCREASES ARE UNAVOIDABLE » » ADRIAN VICKER, GENERAL Manager at SIEGENIA talks about the recent price increase the company introduced to its customers, and the outlook for the hardware sector going forward. Having delayed for as long as possible, SIEGENIA took the decision to introduce a price increase of 2.8% on core products - with the exception of the surface coating ‘E Look’ which had a further increase - to its distributor and fabricator partners in June this year. Like many others in our sector, and in the wider industry we are aware of the sensitivity of increasing prices into what remains a nervous marketplace, uncertain of how its future will unfold and where the various customer groups it serves sit right now. 62 The consumer market remains cautious, and while the demand in other sectors such as new house building and the development of high-end high-rise apartment buildings across all our major cities remains strong the impact of price increases cannot be under-estimated. We had originally planned to introduce an increase in January but decided to delay its implementation due to much talked about ‘other’ factors including potential tariffs and uncertainty surrounding the rate of exchange with the EURO linked to the Brexit process. We were very determined not to react in a ‘knee-jerk’ manner to the looming Brexit deadline and like many others hoped that with a satisfactory resolution to this political issue, a price increase would not be necessary. However, with that not being forthcoming, and deadlines being missed, we were left with no choice but to react to the sliding value of the EURO against the pound and increases in other areas including, material, labour and utilities. How did we calculate the price increase? The basis for currency consideration is that we used an average of the exchange rate over the previous 12 months and calculated the increase figure based on that historical information and how we think it might move over the coming months. We are not planning any further increases this year unless there are truly dramatic currency fluctuations going forward. Many of our distributor and fabricating partners have long term commercial contracts and we fully understanding the difficulties they face when trying to introduce increases midway through these and we will continue to work with them to provide as much stability as we can. Adrian Vicker, General Manager SIEGENIA UK SEP/OCT 2019 locksmithjournal.co.uk Issue Takeover Magazine Sponsor