Lazenby Group & Southco: High Performance Latch Enhances Security In All Weather Conditions

Introduction 

The Lazenby Group is one of the largest kiosk manufacturers in the UK and is one of the only kiosk manufacturers to offer outdoor kiosks for holding and collecting payments. Established in 1963, the Lazenby Group’s evolution and innovative approach to problem solving has earned a number of awards, with the company gaining market leading clients such as Transport for London, NCP, Imperial College London and the Virgin Group. The Lazenby Group was looking for a highly secure lock and latch solution for a range of card payment kiosks being designed for Transport for London.
Intended for outdoor use on the London Underground, the kiosks were required to incorporate a latching solution that would perform consistently in all types of weather. Providing high quality closure, environmental sealing and an exceptional level of security were also crucial requirements of the design.

The Challenge

The Lazenby Group was designing a series of payment kiosks for Transport for London for use on the London Underground. They needed to identify a secure, multi-point compression latch solution with remote actuation capability for the main access door. This solution would play a vital role in the overall performance and security of the kiosk. As
the kiosks feature high-value card-reading technology, hold cash and are usually unattended, they must be extremely secure. Transport for London needed complete peace of mind that the kiosks were vandalresistant. Because the kiosks also must be weatherproof, the Lazenby Group required a hardware supplier that offered adequate Ingress Protection (IP) ratings to ensure latch performance in all types of weather.

The Solution

The Lazenby Group was seeking engineering expertise to help support their hardware selection and suitability requirements, and wanted to invest in a partnership which would identify the highest quality and most competitive solution. Having worked with Southco before, the Lazenby Group knew that as well as having a long history of engineering and design expertise, Southco understood their culture. They also valued Southco’s proven track record in their sector, knowing that they would benefit from the insight gained through Southco’s longstanding relationships with the world’s leading self-service OEMs, which have enabled them to provide the best hardware for any selfservice application, irrespective of environment and purpose. Southco has worked with the world’s biggest self-service kiosk and ATM manufacturers for more than 20 years, providing the industry with a variety of both standard and customised mechanical and electromechanical locks and latches, for applications including ATMs, self-service parcel lockers and self-service pay stations for transport and parking. Southco applied its expertise in this area by working closely with the Lazenby Group to identify the best option for the Transport for London payment kiosks: the M3 Multi-Point Compression Latch System, featuring a hex rod drive.

The M3’s hex rod runs along the height of the kiosk access door and has multiple internal actuators, which provide enhanced security by making it almost impossible for vandals to break into the kiosk. The latch ensures that the door is securely closed against the frame, removing potential pry-points for vandals to manipulate and preventing the risk of accidental opening. Because the connected actuator on the front door sits flush to its face, it provides maximum security by ensuring that it cannot be pried open. The M3 provides the kiosk with exceptional protection and guaranteed
performance in all weather conditions. It also prevents intrusion from debris and moisture; locking the actuator compresses the gasket, providing an IP56-level seal.

The Implementation

Transport for London is now using 100 of the kiosks featuring Southco’s M3 latch system throughout its Tube network, with a larger roll-out planned. The Lazenby Group has seen increasing demand for enhanced security and performance in outdoor kiosks throughout their client base. According to Neil Sewell, Managing Director, The Lazenby Group, “Through our partnership with Southco we have been able to innovate and add value to our product offering across a range of different sectors. Also, as our partnership with Southco stretches across multiple projects their understanding of our business has helped to address complex design challenges and overcome problems other providers would not have been able to solve.” The interactive kiosk market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 9.2% between 2015 and 2020 . This growth in demand has led to a need for increasingly innovative features and products for retail and public use, making it more challenging to remain competitive in the industry. The Lazenby Group is seeking new ways to respond to these changes and to ensure that their products remain in line with the appropriate price points.

The Result

By working with Southco, the Lazenby Group has been able to enhance their product offering, provide superior security and add value to the end customer. “Southco was able to resolve this complex design challenge and allowed us to achieve everything on our wish list. Southco was the only company to offer us a complete solution and to provide us with
personal support and guidance by walking us through our best options at all stages of the project. We see Southco very much as an extension of our own team. I feel that I can call on them and trust them to provide the answers that we need. Working in partnership with Southco is helping us to stay ahead in our rapidly changing market, ” said Sewell.
The Lazenby Group’s association with Southco has extended to multiple projects, where together, the organisations are collaboratively developing a range of solutions for the self-service kiosk segment.