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    CASE STUDY - ACCESS CONTROL
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    Scaling production with smart automation

    Faced with surging global demand and a complex product portfolio, a global leader in access control has trusted ESCATEC as a strategic partner for more than 15 years. During this long-standing collaboration, ESCATEC has supported the company across a wide product range, handling over 150 different variants. Known for quality, reliability, and continuous innovation, the access control leader has relied on ESCATEC’s flexibility and end-to-end services to keep pace with evolving demand.


     

    The company required a partner that could deliver comprehensive in-house capabilities — from PCBA and box-build assembly to plastic injection moulding — combined with the agility to manage diverse production volumes and global shipping requirements.
    The Challenge

     

    As demand for access control solutions continued to grow, scaling production became increasingly complex:

    • Labour-intensive processes: Manual assembly steps, such as screwing, gluing and testing, depended on skilled operators. Training new staff to meet cycle-time requirements took significant time.

    • Product complexity and variety: With more than 150 product variants in scope, managing production while maintaining consistent quality was a challenge.

    • Space and scalability: Simply adding more operators was not feasible due to physical constraints in production areas.

    • Flexibility in logistics: The company required a partner that could adapt quickly to shifting demand and shipping requirements.

    • Integrated services: Instead of coordinating multiple suppliers, the company wanted a partner capable of delivering the full range of services in-house — from electronics to mechanical components and plastic injection moulding.

    The Solution

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    (Left: Screwing process. Right: De-panelling process.)

     

    ESCATEC partnered closely with the access control leader to modernise several production lines and introduced automation at various stages where it had the greatest impact:

    • Jigs and fixtures: Existing jigs using hand tools to fit gear mechanisms were redesigned to semi-automated toggle jigs. This ensured even force was applied, eliminating downstream quality issues and reducing cycle times by 3%.

    • Screwing process: Introduced handheld screw feeder machines to automate screw placement, improving efficiency and consistency.

    • Gluing process: Introduced an automated weighing station for glue dispensing to replace manual application, ensuring correct volumes are consistently applied.

    • De-panelling process: Invested in an auto laser de-panelling machine to eliminate damage risks to flex rigid PCBAs, improving quality and reducing cycle times by 15%.

    • Packaging process: Created new jigs to fold inner product packaging cartons during shipping, reducing cycle times by 3%.

    The Results

    • Increased output capacity: Production scaled significantly without proportional labour increases.

    • Stable quality across variety: Automated processes ensured consistent results across 150 different modules.

    • Operational efficiency: Improved layout and automation reduced cycle times, maximised space, and boosted throughput.

    • End-to-end partnership: With ESCATEC providing electronics, box-build, and plastic moulding in-house, coordination was simplified and turnaround times improved.

    • Future-ready scalability: An automation roadmap ensures the company can continue to expand capacity and adapt to global market demand.