According to Wikipedia turnkey is defined as:
…a type of project that is constructed so that it can be sold to any buyer as a completed product. This is contrasted with build to order, where the constructor builds an item to the buyer’s exact specifications, or when an incomplete product is sold with the assumption that the buyer would complete it.
Our own Chuck Duda was explaining a project ECI completed earlier this year for the Ferrara Candy Company. The project consisted of the installation of two barrier gates to control access and egress. Previously the company employees had to manually unlock, open and later close and lock two swing gates when access or egress from the location was required.
Chuck was trying to explain what constitutes a turnkey project to our company and its customers. This project was almost 100% completely supplied by ECI. We installed two barrier gates, a concrete island, four protective bollards, a gooseneck mounting pole (for the customer supplied card access reader) as well as three vehicle detector loops. Not readily seen was all the electrical wiring, coring, penetration of the building walls, conduit work, concrete driveway cutting and resealing.
An example of the craftsmanship and professionalism is the detail work shown below of the conduit work we supplied. On the left is the interior penetration (red arrow) and conduit work (off to the right) piping to the electrical panel and the card access controller. The image on the right shows (between the middle handrail on the right) the conduit coming up from the ground and into a junction box. Additional conduit moves across to the left where it terminates opposite of the electrical boxes shown on the left image in the interior.
By providing the majority of a turnkey project, our customers benefit immensely. Among other things turnkey:
- lowers the customers’ investment since there is a single supplier,
- minimizes time dealing with multiple contractors (and bids),
- helps assure timely delivery of the finished product,
- offers a single project manager, and in this case,
- ECI contacted the existing access control contractor and coordinated his portion of the installation.
Why didn’t ECI supply the card access control reader when they could have? The answer is simple. Unless ECI supplied the existing system, the new reader would need new software and cards for each authorized employee. While existing cards could possibly have been used, the logging information would not be co-mingled in a single report per employee. And time would be wasted enrolling all the new cards.
ECI could have installed a stand-alone keypad, a key switch or an intercom system for example. But for the Ferrara Candy Company the best advice was to integrate into the existing card access control system.
It was another example of professional advice from ECI and our paramount concern with our customer’s satisfaction. It’s rare in this day and age.
Let ECI partner with you on your next vehicle access control project. We can also service and maintain existing equipment. Call today at 847.949.0134 or click below for direct contact information.