Protecting Audi’s premium car brand with Talon vehicle barriers
Audi is one of the main three German brands playing in the premium car segment space in South Africa. In 2012 premium car sales accounted for about 18% of total passenger car sales, with only Audi outpacing sales growth (11.3%) for the total passenger segment with growth in sales of 15.22%.
The company’s well-known ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ branding, roughly translated to mean: ‘Advancement through technology’, is synonymous with the high quality levels of these prestige vehicles. This is synonymous with Turnstar’s production philosophy.
PROBLEM
Audi’s Rivonia headquarters and showroom are the biggest of their kind in Africa. With vehicles on the floor valued in the tens of millions of Rands, the company was concerned about theft and vandalism of vehicles.
Unfortunately car theft syndicates are wise to many of the traditional anti-theft devices employed in motor vehicles. Tracking devices can in fact be stripped and removed in a matter of seconds. In order to protect these valuable assets, the company required a security measure that would prevent the removal of the vehicles from the shopfloor.
SOLUTION
Turnstar – Africa’s largest manufacturer of physical access control products –solved the problem with its Talon Tyre-Spike automatic vehicle barrier.
To alleviate reliance on in situ anti-theft and anti-hijacking motor vehicle devices, Turnstar chose two Talon 2 x 4.5 metre Talon Tyre-Spike automatic vehicle barrier devices. These vehicle barriers were installed at the main guard entrance.
Relying on a security guard to deactivate or activate the spike vehicle barrier is not a wise option. Reasons for non-activation of the vehicle barrier include human error, being distracted and being held under duress. The Talon Tyre-Spike automatic vehicle barrier, on the other hand, has a combined logic and loop detector as well as an electronic interlock which safely lowers the spikes first and only then raises the barrier arm.
The barrier arm and the spikes on the Talon Tyre-Spike automatic vehicle barrier are driven by two separate motors. This removes the need for long linkages which are prone to failure. The three-stage interlinked opening and closing procedure prevents mishaps that can occur when a vehicle drives underneath the barrier arm before the barrier arm is in the raised position and before the spikes have been fully lowered.
The opening procedure is that the spikes on the vehicle barrier are lowered, then the barrier arm is raised and the traffic light then changes to green. During the closing procedure, the traffic light changes to red, the barrier arm descends and the spikes are raised.
The extreme reliability of the Talon Tyre-Spike automatic vehicle barrier make it an attractive option for branded car dealerships where vehicles are required to enter and leave the premises on a daily basis. In addition to its functionality, the security appeal of the Talon is that it acts as a visual deterrent to potential thieves.
Available with recessed or surface mount design, the patented double sided spikes of the Talon Tyre-Spike automatic vehicle barrier offer protection for traffic in any direction.
Completed installation. Entry and exit lanes.