Associated Security News

Our Safe Deposit Centre Solutions

12th May 2022

In 2015, many long-time safe deposit users were shocked to learn of the closing of Safe deposit facilities in banks, leaving them with the predicament of finding a new secure storage location for valuables they wish to store outside of their home. So, many independent facilities began to offer the services that banks were ceasing.

We have been installing safe deposit solutions for over 40 years, so when the banks stopped offering their service our independent solutions became much more popular and ASSL were many peoples first choice due to our experience and expertise.

Our Services

We established ourselves as a Safe Deposit supplier and installer quite quickly upon adding these services to our offering, as our expertise in similar security products & services set us ahead of the competition. Some of the more notable projects out of the countless number we have completed include the construction of a large vault in London, which was built to hold 20,000 lockers, as well as building the largest deposit centre in the North West of England.

In 2016, we built the largest Grade 10 Safe Deposit Centre in the North West for a client who asked us to manage the project from start to finish, with state-of-the-art lockers, access control technology, in addition to the installation of both fire and intruder alarm systems. This project was completed with the highest levels of security and equipment, and it has since received an endorsement from the Metropolitan Police Flying Squad Division and has become the standard for other centres built throughout the UK.

Our engineers have perfected the craft of building Safe Deposit Centres from start to finish and are able to create these high-security structures in as little as 8 weeks. In addition to our engineer’s expertise, our clients are supported by our expert consultants who offer their insights and knowledge through the entire process, assisting with tasks including assessing the location through to adding the finishing touches such as our Access Control solutions, alarm systems and aesthetics of the centre.

One of our team of expert consultants is Charles Holmes, who has been at the forefront of the Safe Deposit Centre projects we have completed. As Vice President of Eurosafe and a founder of the Safe Deposit Owners Association, Charles had to ensure that all of the processes and procedures involved in the building of Safe Deposit Centres and lockers met the highest standards.

What to consider

If you’re thinking about delving into the world of Safe Deposit Centres yourself, but are a bit lost as to where to begin, what you need to consider etc. then make sure you keep reading as we’ve got some top tips from Charles himself to really help you out.

Starting out there are a few key things to think about – the location, size of the premises (height is a major factor), floor loadings/structural integrity and both the accessibility and suitability of the site.

In terms of location – direct access from the street is the most suitable solution, this, of course, allows for your future customers to easily locate and enter your facility. Nearby parking facilities for customers goes hand-in-hand with what to consider when choosing a location, but there do tend to be obstacles involved in obtaining parking areas in town centres.

When a potential location has been found, this is where the crucial evaluation of the property takes place. The size of the available space needs assessing to determine the number of deposit boxes that could realistically be held on the property. As previously stated, the height of the property is a major factor because it is very important to have extra space post-construction for ventilation & lighting facilities, and our most commonly recommended vault height is around 2600mm but can be lower in certain circumstances.

You should also be considering how you would like the deposit centre to operate, and the preferences of your eventual clientele in regards to vault size and locker accessibility. We offer two locking options: the first of which being manual operated lockers (dual key access), and the second being automated (code access). Manual lockers require the accompaniment of a member of staff at the facility, as the locker-holder has a key, and the facility has one too, making it quite a favourable solution due to the additional sense of security. Whereas Automated Lockers allow individual access to the vault room, providing a more private and confidential setting for the customer’s comfort and peace of mind.

Next, we move onto the importance of structural integrity – floor loadings will need to be checked to ensure that the weight of the vault & lockers can be sufficiently supported and transported. Due to the construction of the locker from 10mm steel, these obviously require a good support system, not to mention the support the actual vault & vault door require. Although basement and upper floor installations are possible and have been completed, there are additional costing elements compared to a ground floor installation, so it is especially important to keep that in mind going forward.

Once you’ve taken all of this into account and found the perfect location, then its time to think about the additional security measures you’re going to need to provide a secure storage solution for many peoples most valued possessions. CCTV, monitored alarms, time-locks, air-lock doors and even ballistic pay-point windows provide the finishing touches for Safe Deposit facilities. These additional solutions help to ensure not only the safety of the items in storage but the safety of staff members and customers whilst inside the premises.

How we can help

Our safe deposit consultations include advice on location, floor plans and layouts for your facility, in addition to full project and account management assistance throughout the entire process. We can provide the supply, delivery and installation of strong rooms and safe deposits boxes, as well as security doors, counters/windows, access control systems, alarm systems and fire detection, offering a one-stop solution for our clients’ safe deposit facility needs.

We can also offer full marketing aid, website design and branded merchandise, helping our clients to set up their facility completely.

With years of experience within the security industry and proven expertise in building and supporting safe deposit centre facilities, our engineers and advisors can offer an unrivalled service for your needs.

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