South African-made Trellidor gates – rated as the most secure in the world by a United Kingdom standards body – are being installed at London Underground stations.
The Durban-based company spent 18 months and just under R3 million to research, design and produce the first Trellidor Trojan 3 EMESC T3000 gate.
The gate was tested by an independent standards body in the UK, which used a variety of tools to physically assault the gate. In the end, it was rewarded the so-called BRE Standard LPS 1175: Issue 7 SR3 – the highest certification received by a sliding security grille in the world.
The Trellidor gates that are being installed at the London Underground are more than 3.6 metre high and weigh 50 kilograms per square metre. Despite the size of the gates, Trellidor says they are remarkably neat, and stack easily to the side when opened.
The gate has to be easy to use by a person in the 75th percentile, meaning someone below average in terms of strength.
It has a unique emergency escape locking system that is simple to operate while still meeting the test criteria on the attack face.
“This is particularly important in the panic that is inevitable in a crisis,” says Trellidor.
A Trellidor spokesperson tells Business Insider South Arica that the company has now exported twelve of these gates to other overseas markets. Destinations aren’t disclosed “due to their sensitive nature”. The Trellidor factory in Durban is currently producing more of these gates to fulfil export orders.
“With terrorism, bomb threats and violent crowds part of the modern day public space landscape, physical security barriers are sharply in focus for governments, transport hubs, sports stadia and the retail sector world-wide and this is the type of location where the initial international orders for Trellidor Trojan 3 EMESC T3000 originated,” said Peter Rawson, Trellidor Marketing and Sales Director.
Rawson says the gate was initially developed for the international market.
“But we are seeing increasing interest locally due to the high rate of violent robbery in the commercial arena as well as public spaces in South Africa.”
Trellidor was launched in 1976 as “L & L Metal Finishings” by entrepreneur Leon Pallas, and in 1980s designed a trellis-style security gate, which used old style lift cages as inspiration. Following the success of the Trellidor, the company was renamed and it now has more than 70 South Africa franchisees and 15 outside the country.
It was listed on the JSE in 2015. In its latest half-year financial results, Trellidor reported that its international sales grew by 9% in the six months to December.
This helped to offset a weaker performance in South Africa due to the weak consumer and property market.
Source – Business Insider
