Knowledge base · Technical note
Standardising locks across multiple sites
The hard part is not buying locks. It is keeping every site — and every future replacement — on the same specification.
Why standardisation fails quietly
It rarely fails in a dramatic way. It fails one replacement at a time: a site manager orders a compatible-looking cylinder from a local supplier, and two years later nobody can say which key opens which unit. By the time it is visible, the fix is a full rekey.
What a usable specification contains
- Photo set — one per door type, taken straight on, with a ruler where size matters
- Cylinder size or padlock size — the measured value, not the model nickname
- Material and finish — SS201 or SS304, and the finish reference
- Keying rule — which units are keyed alike, which are keyed different, and the master-key scope
- Supplier and model reference — including the supplier's own reference, not just the brand
- Re-order contact — one named person, not a general inbox
One page per door type is enough. The point is that a new site manager can pick it up and order correctly without asking anyone.
The re-order test
A specification is only proven by time. The test is simple: does a cylinder ordered three years from now open with the key a tenant is already holding?
If the answer depends on someone remembering a conversation, the specification is not finished.
Phasing a portfolio fit-out
Most groups standardise as leases turn over rather than all at once. That works, provided the target specification is fixed first — otherwise each phase becomes its own standard, which is the problem you set out to solve.
Where the supplier fits in
Ask your supplier to store the specification against your account, including artwork, keying and packaging. A supplier who can re-produce an order from a record is worth more than one who is marginally cheaper per unit.
Confirm it on your own doors
Send a door photo, the cylinder size or the mounting dimensions. We confirm fit with a physical sample before you commit to a quantity.
What readers ask next
Holding the specification once it is written.
Can you hold our specification for future orders?
The specification holds when it is recorded against an order reference. Give that reference on every re-order and the new batch follows the original instead of being specified again.
How do we bring a non-standard site into line?
Phase it at unit turnover rather than replacing working hardware. Send that site's current door types and we will confirm what it takes to bring it onto the standard specification.
What belongs in the specification document?
Model, cylinder or hasp size, material, finish, keying levels and how the unit is marked. Anything left out will drift, so send the draft and we will say what is missing.