Doors and locks used to be thought of as somewhat stagnant, but that has been changing rapidly over the last decade and 2015 will be no exception.  It seems that the industry is constantly coming out with new and innovative products that are helping consumers increase product longevity and allowing them to accomplish more with their products.

Looking forward to 2015, we expect to see more new and exciting developments, particularly in the area of electrified locks.  We also anticipate an increase in integrating locks with smart phones.
 

Lock Trend #1: Electrified Locks

If the rapid growth of our Electromechanical Solutions department is a gauge of the industry’s level of interest in electrified hardware, then you can bet that we will continue to see growth in this sector skyrocket in 2015.

Electrified locks offer a host of capabilities you can’t get with mechanical hardware, such as lockdown features, the ability to use credentials other than traditional keys, and the ability to integrate an entire system together.  You see it everywhere – everything seems to becoming sleeker, more integrated, and more user-friendly.  Electrified locks are not new to the lock world, but several new developments in the field are helping them gain momentum.

One key area we expect to see in regards to new locks are school security locks.  There have already been quite a few developments in this area, but there is still room for expanded capabilities for these locks.

Lock Trend #2: Smart Locks

One unique solution we saw pop up starting around 2012 was the ability to integrate smart phones with locks.  This was primarily available for the residential market, but is now being rolled out into large commercial applications. There are a number of hotels that will soon allow you to use your smart phone as your room key.  Pretty fancy, huh?  It will be exciting to see what new developments they come out with.

Think The Physical Key Will Die? Think Again

Many people are predicting that the physical key will soon be a thing of the past, but, don’t throw away that key ring just yet.  There are numerous reasons that the physical key will continue to be around.  The biggest reason is that a key override is always good to have for safety purposes.  Yes, there will be many new locks that won’t require a physical key; however, we expect that a keyed option will always be available and preferred.

We’re sure there will be many other new developments and enhancements this year, but these are some of the big ones we anticipate seeing.  What other trends to you expect to see in 2015?  Anything on your wish list?