Have you ever walked onto the job site and resisted the urge to cover your eyes because you were scared to look? Tossing and turning the night before, you weren’t sure if one of your worst fears would come true. Would your grille still be in perfect condition, or would it hang there, ruined, a former shell of what once was? Did a job site team need early access to the building and destroy the grille meant to provide a closure once the building was complete, red ribbon cut? Or have you pulled up to your facility, ready to face the day, and immediately wanted to turn back around? The cause: thieves, who entered your parking garage because the security grille was lifted. With a spree of broken-into and robbed cars in their wake, now you have to deal with the aftermath.

But what if there was a better way: a way that increased your facility’s security while keeping the look of the upscale, high performance grille you chose in the first place?

The type of security grille and additional security you add depends on your specific application and need. Do you have daytime-only staff and security guards, differing or unusual hours of operation, or a location that is prone to criminal activity? All high performance grilles on the market today provide a level of protection against forced entry, however, they can be overpowered when enough force or a team of people coordinate an attack and the grille doesn’t lock.

Introducing CornellCookson's Electronic Autolock

This is why we’ve introduced an automatic locking mechanism that requires no manual intervention and can be used in high cycle applications, specifically when a grille is preferred for visibility and ventilation called the Electronic Autolock – automatically activated, guide-mounted locks that secure the grille’s bottom bar on both sides. Because typical security grilles are lightweight and don’t lock, they can be more easily lifted by people after hours looking for easy targets, such as cars in parking garages. To combat this, electronic autolocks are mounted to the guides and automatically engage the cylinder lock each time the grille closes to provide additional lift resistance without compromising aesthetics, headroom, or performance.

You can keep your high performance Microcoil grille while having more protection for your parking garage with electronic autolock. It works in conjunction with our APEX SmartController and direct drive operator, which is a “set it and forget it” system that can read when the door is opened or closed, and displays the messages for quick updates when you need them.

Electronic autolocks on new orders are preinstalled and mounted to the guides for easy installation. They can also be retrofitted for existing high performance grilles. In the event of a power outage, electronic autolock will remain closed. It also has a key-operated override to open the door manually during an outage if necessary.

Along with securing your parking garage or facility, electronic autolock eliminates the need for in-person 24/7 monitoring. Instead of having someone keep watch over your garage all night, you can relax in knowing electronic autolock can handle the job on its own.

Lift resistance testing showed that our extreme MicroCoil grilles with electronic autolock were able to withstand up to 1200 pounds of force on grilles with aluminum guides and up to 940 pounds of force on stainless steels guides without budging the bottom bar over the lock. It also has a tapered collar made for wrench resistance, making it even more difficult to pry open.

Electronic autolock can also help you eliminate worries about the wrong people having access to your garage, not only through its automatic locking feature, but also because the core of the lock cylinder can be changed without completely replacing the bottom bar or electronic autolock.

Now you know the basics of CornellCookson’s electronic autolock, the only one of its kind on the market. But what about its use in real life?

High Performance, High Security in Parking Complexes

Electronic autolock is best used in applications where high-performance grilles and doors are needed, such as parking garages and industrial manufacturing facilities. When you need a grille with low maintenance demands, our MicroCoil grille with electronic autolock can help. It is also guaranteed to last 300,000 cycles and offers almost 50% more headroom when installed as compared to traditional grilles. Because grilles on parking garages and in industrial manufacturing are cycled all day long, especially at peak times such as working and delivery hours, you’ll want a grille that can withstand daily, intense wear and tear.

Electronic autolock can only currently be used with our Microcoil grille and the APEX SmartController, so applications that don’t require a high performance security grille aren’t likely to use electronic autolock. This includes areas like retail, restaurants, and schools, where push-up security grilles are used, but may be backed up with other safety measures, including:

• Placing the security grille behind another barrier such as a glass partition
• 24/7 alarm systems and security guards

If you’re tired of worrying about your parking garage or high-traffic facility and possible break-ins, a CornellCookson security grille with electronic autolock can put you at ease. Instead of an unsecured security grille that may be easy for criminals to lift and scurry under, you can rest assured with electronic autolock, which can elevate the security of your high performance grille.

Want to learn more about having 24/7 security without 24/7 monitoring? Contact our experts today!

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