akii chooses BlueID’s cloud-based solution to digitize the construction industry
9. December 2020
“BlueID provides us the convenience we need to digitize the construction industry.“ December 2020 | Sandra May, Head of Product Development of akii
Who:
akii offers an intelligent key ring for all locking scenarios on a construction site. With one single app, the access management is centralized, simplified, and secured. It allows construction and container rental companies to grant access permissions in real time, saving key allocation time and costs. The robust electronic cylinders and padlocks meet the challenging demands of construction sites, while the app guarantees a smooth user experience.
Location:
Berlin, Germany
Challenges:
akii was looking for a solution that enables all administrative tasks of access control to be carried out from a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet. To avoid the need for personal interaction with the users, the management system needed to work from a distance – an essential requirement particularly in times of COVID-19.
Another prerequisite was the restriction of access rights based on time. Because work steps are done consecutively during construction, the various companies only need time-limited access to the different areas of a building. As soon as a work step is completed, the responsible company needs to be able to lock the room before the next company takes over. This would effectively prevent theft and damage by third parties.
On top of that, only the most robust locks were considered. Due to the dynamic on construction sites, the hardware would have to withstand accidental impacts by heavy equipment, extreme weather conditions and workers who usually do not handle things with kid gloves. Nonetheless, the hardware needed to be easy to install and maintain.
Solution:
Through open APIs and SDKs, the functionalities of the BlueID cloud-based backend were easily integrated into the akii app, allowing an administrator to conveniently manage users, grant them time-limited access and revoke rights in case of lost keys. The time-consuming handover and return of keys have therefore become superfluous, as access permissions are now issued and withdrawn from anywhere, without personal interaction.
The choice of locks was straightforward with BlueID’s-integrated hardware portfolio. The electronic cylinders from Uhlmann & Zacher not only meet akii’s demand for mechanical robustness and security, but also allow another substantial application in construction sites: installed in mechanical padlocks, they can also securely lock containers and storage boxes for tools and valuable building materials.
The physical installation of the battery-powered cylinders in new and existing projects is extremely simple, as it requires no wiring and no Internet connection. All necessary lock maintenance and firmware updates are carried out conveniently via app, making additional devices and key cards redundant.
„BlueID provides us the convenience we need to digitize access control in the construction industry. With BlueID’s APIs and SDKs, we have easily integrated the cloud-based solution into our app; with BlueID’s integrated-hardware portfolio, we were able to choose the most suitable lock to manage all aspects of access control in construction sites; and with BlueID’s approved security, we can be sure that our users are in the best hands“ Sandra May, Head of Product Development of akii.
BlueID CEO Philipp Spangenberg added, „akii has successfully taken intelligent access control to the construction industry, which was much in need of such a solution. With the intelligent key ring offered by akii, all demands for locking scenarios within a building project can be conveniently managed – and backed up by BlueID’s state of art cloud-based access control solution. Together, we bring much needed simplicity to a highly complex environment.“
Results:
// Key handling time saved: 20 minutes of key management saved per lock per month on a construction site
// Key handling costs saved: up to 100€ for each lost key
// Development resources saved and time-to-market reduced: no need for akii to develop own access control solution to tackle a potential of 100.000 locks across construction sites