Apollo Fire adopt TouchStar Access Control Solution

The company  

Apollo Fire Detectors Ltd specialises in the design and manufacture of high-quality fire detection solutions for commercial and industrial applications. From its base in Havant, near Portsmouth on the UK’s south coast, Apollo has, for over 35 years, designed and built products that save lives and protect property from the risk of fire.  

Over time, Apollo has broadened its offering from a straightforward focus on conventional fire detectors to the manufacture of sophisticated analogue addressable detectors and interfaces. Apollo is dedicated to innovation and continuously explores new technologies that help deliver leading-edge fire detection solutions.   

Through planned expansions, Apollo has reached a leading global position in the market for professional fire detection. Apollo delivers its customers tailored, fire detection solutions approved to local standards and regulations, wherever they are based in the world.  

Apollo fire safety products are used in prestigious locations across the globe: The Statue of Liberty, New York; The Royal Albert Hall, London; The Kremlin, Moscow, to name but a few. 

Apollo is part of the Halma group of companies. Halma is a FTSE top 250 listed PLC, with over 40 subsidiaries worldwide; all engaged in specialist engineering activities.   

In early 2009, Apollo was awarded the Royal Warrant by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, in recognition of our official supplier status to the Royal Household. Apollo is no stranger to Royal approvals, having been the first UK company of its kind to hold three consecutive Queen’s Awards for Export Achievement.     

Challenges  

At its Havant base, Apollo controlled access to the majority of doors via ‘mechanical’ digi key pads, which required a code to unlock. However, the codes to open these locks would frequently be passed around by staff, meaning that Apollo had very little visibility of who had access of certain locations and when they were being accessed.  

Apollo required a solution that would increase visibility of access to specific locations, and allow them to track and control vital ‘who, where and when’ data points around the site.    

Solutions  

TouchStar deployed its MicroTrak Evolution software, which has a reporting function enabling Apollo to gain greater visibility of access around the Havant site.   In addition to the reporting feature, Apollo requested a complete overhaul of the way their site was controlled to make the site more secure, and TouchStar offered a bespoke proposal to take in to consideration all their requirements. A complete, tailored end-to end solution was deployed covering hardware, software, card/badge production and consumables.   The Touchstar Evolution software can also be easily integrated to many of the industry standard HR and payroll solutions.    

Results and benefits  

The new solution is running smoothly and has helped to improve visibility and access control across the Havant site.  

Simon Astle, Site Facilities Manager for Apollo Fires commented: “The TouchStar solution is now running well and doing exactly the job we wanted it to do. We now have the ability to see the ‘who, where and when’ when it comes to access at our site, and therefore we now have a much more secure facility.”