Through a decades-long partnership with Boon Edam Inc., Unum Group has standardised its approach to building entrance security for its multiple locations across the United States.
Unum is a leading provider of financial protection benefits for employees, including disability, life, accident and critical illness insurance that it markets under the Unum and Colonial Life brands. Security is of primary importance to its business, not only in the form of information security, but also the protection and well-being of its nearly 9,000 employees in the U.S.
“We needed a cost-effective solution for our entrances that also provided security at the same level as human monitoring,” said Ron Demers, Unum Corporate Security Manager. “We needed a solution that would fit our specific building needs and allow for comfortable flow of employees in and out of the offices.”
After a full evaluation of options, Unum installed its first security revolving door – a Boon Edam TourLock 180+90 – at their Portland, Maine, location in 2003. The selling points were quite compelling for Demers, “It gave us the same security as a security officer. And, depending on the entrance and the installation costs, we were looking at an ROI of only two to three years.”
To date, Unum has installed 21 Boon Edam TourLocks at their buildings in Portland, ME; Chattanooga, TN; Columbia, SC; and Worcester, MA.
With up to 8,000 entries and exits per week at its busiest doors, Demers has been surprised at the large amount of usage and the durability of the product. “If an employee experiences any mechanical issue with the door, we hear about it right away,” Demers said. “Over all of these years, we’ve only had minor maintenance given the usage of the doors.”
“Security revolving doors are now a standard part of our construction package, and we have a real partnership with Boon Edam,” Demers continued. “From the initial sales presentation 12 years ago with now-CEO Mark Borto to today, it’s been great. Mark still considers us his account and when we call into Technical Services, they know exactly who we are. We’re not a huge account, we know, but we’re treated like we are.”
Looking forward, Demers and the security team are starting to evaluate all of their building lobbies, and they are considering moving toward a containment area strategy, to augment their higher level security at each building entrance.
