Boon Edam Inc., a provider of security entrances and architectural revolving doors, announces that a completely new production line for its Lifeline Optical Turnstiles is now operational at the company’s Lillington, NC factory. These are the first turnstiles of the Lifeline Series now officially “Made in the USA.” Until now, the Lifeline Series has been built exclusively in Holland. Today, orders for new Lifeline turnstiles can be filled directly from the USA factory for customers in the Americas.
High demand in the USA
“When the Lifeline Series was originally launched in 2014, the demand in the Americas was exceptionally strong,” said Mark Borto, President and CEO of Commercial Operations at Boon Edam, Inc., a subsidiary of the global company. “We had so many inquiries back then it was hard to manage delivery expectations. One of the hardest factors was the long lead time because they were made and shipped from Holland. We knew early on that we needed to build a production line at our USA factory to deliver the product within our customer’s timeframe. Other benefits include being able to directly manage product quality and respond quickly to any need for spare parts.”
Planning and design for a new Lifeline turnstile production line started in the summer of 2016. One of each type of the Lifeline turnstiles was ordered from Holland to enable local engineers in Lillington to analyse the construction. Boon Edam’s Supply Chain management was involved in sourcing local materials and vendors to stock inventory and determine which components would be manufactured in-house.
Lifeline optical turnstiles
There are three distinct types of Lifeline optical turnstile: Open (barrier-free and smallest footprint), Slide, and Swing. All three models will now be built in the United States, with some exceptions for custom painted parts. The Lifeline Series is a unique turnstile in the marketplace due to its high-end aesthetic design and distinctive LED cueing feature when users approach for entry. Special lighting indicates where users should hold their RFID card for authorisation and running lights indicate the correct lane to pass through.
“The response to the Lifeline has been immense,” said Borto, “we are experiencing heavy demand for these turnstiles for Class A office buildings in large cities and the headquarters buildings of Fortune 1000 companies in the USA and around the world. Having them roll off the production line here in Lillington is a huge step in fulfilling demand and delivery expectations for our most successful product launch in over a decade.”
