Security expert Abloy UK has supplied the Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea with all of the display case locks for its new exhibition ‘Love the Words’, which opened on the centenary of Thomas’ birth.
Interactive displays tell the story of the work, life and cultural context of Thomas, and the exhibition includes a learning space, activities for children, and a temporary exhibition area.
The installation was undertaken by Neners Master Locksmiths, Abloy’s local authorised dealer in Swansea. In addition, further locks were supplied to Swansea City Council who utilised cabinets manufactured by Click Netherfield to complete the project.
One of the biggest challenges was the incredibly short timeframe that the installation had to be completed in, as the opening date - the centenary of Dylan Thomas’ birth - could not be adjusted.
The centre was informed that it had been successful in receiving Heritage Lottery and local authority funding in April 2014, and the new exhibition had to be ready to open its doors to the public on 27 October 2014. Because of this, Abloy Sentry and Protec systems were combined to offer the most effective solution available within the tight timescale.
Abloy Sentry is a patented cylinder system ideal for applications such as this, and consists of cam locks, cabinet locks, or padlocks. Locks can be keyed into the same master-key system, meaning one key can open up all padlocks, camlocks and cabinet locks within the application.
Keys are easy to use and strong to handle, with minimal effect of wear to the cylinder mechanism. There are a vast number of key combinations to optimise security, and duplication of keys is strictly controlled, with patents protected worldwide until 2027.
The Protec system features a full range of high security door cylinders, industrial locks, cabinet locks, cam locks and padlocks, and one key fits all when the system is keyed into the same master-key system.
Protec boasts 1,97 billion different combinations per keyway, and offers various levels of key control to satisfy individual security requirements. Keys are made using a dedicated key-cutting machine and duplication of keys is always strictly controlled, with patents protected worldwide until 2019.
Jo Furber, Swansea Council Literature Officer and curator of the exhibition, said: “To celebrate the centenary, we wanted to redesign the exhibition, display more objects from our Dylan Thomas collection and make it more accessible for all the different visitors, especially those from overseas. Abloy helped us secure the new exhibition and displays so we could be confident that these valuable objects were protected.”
Roy Buckingham, Specification and Development Manager for Abloy UK, added: “We had to make sure the solution was delivered on time for the opening day, but to do this we had to clearly define the requirements and work closely with the project partners to identify the functionality of the locking, and how it was to be suited.
“Both Sentry and Protec systems were required to provide a high security solution, and key control was of paramount importance so only authorised keys could be produced.”