A re-configuration of the car parks at Queen Mary’s College, Basingstoke has led to the installation of four new MCS barrier from APT Security Systems (part of the APT Controls group), the vehicle access product firm.
The barriers, covering the entry and exit points for both the staff car park and student car parks, allow authorised access via the presentation of a proximity card, while visitors report via an integrated GSM intercom. This is one of the first times this technology has been used in an APT installation, the product firm reports.
The MCS barriers feature arms manufactured from an APT aluminium profile with a secure fixing bracket to achieve maximum rigidity, according to the makers, against impact, whiplash, and vandalism. The balanced spring mechanism, with a four-bar link motion control ensures a smooth arm action and protects the gearbox from unnecessary stress, it is claimed. Various models are available, with arm lengths of up to 6m. MCS barriers have the options of stop discs, pole lights, sensing safety edge, warning sounder and flashing beacon.
“MCS barriers are proven to enhance site security with their fast operating action,” says Steve Moody, Business Development Manager for APT Security Systems. “The robust design and the advanced technology of the motion control mechanism protect components from the stress of high-speed operation, ensuring long-lasting reliability.” APT Security Systems was specified by project architects, Macallan Penfold.
And APT Security Systems has installed three of its proven heavy-duty (HD) barriers at the Cwmbran manufacturing facility of ArvinMeritor, one of the largest automotive suppliers in the world.
ArvinMeritor’s Cwmbran site manufactures brakes and axels for heavy vehicles, as Phillip Nicholas, Central Services Manager says: “Given what we do, we have large numbers of articulated lorries passing through our gates, sometimes as many as 60 or 70 a day. We have two security posts, and needed a solution that was reliable in terms of its mechanical design, but also in terms of its ability to effectively control traffic flow onto and exiting the site. APT Security Systems was recommended to us, and they in turn recommended their HD barriers given the application, usage, and the width of the access.”
APT says that its HD barriers are suited to industrial-type sites with a frequent traffic flow, with a strong barrier arm providing greater security control. They are particularly designed for very wide roads/openings, and access for wider vehicles, and can be fitted with a double curtain to offer added security without compromising on visibility, it is claimed.
The motion control mechanism protects components from the stress of high-speed operation, ensuring long-lasting reliability. Various models are available, with arm lengths of up to 8m. The barriers chosen by ArvinMeritor include curtains, stop discs, and sensing technology to prevent the barrier from causing damage to people or vehicles.
Steve Moody, Business Development for APT Security Systems says: “Our HD barriers are now proven in hundreds of industrial sites throughout the UK, and continue to perform in the most difficult and demanding environments. It is a testimony both to the original design, and the mechanical engineering inherent within the product.”
And Phillip adds: “I have been delighted with the barriers. They do their job efficiently, and aesthetically they are very much in keeping with our facility.”
