From humble beginnings TLJ security systems have come a long way in the 10 years since the business was incorporated, with the team having built a solid and diverse customer base across the construction industry. In excess of 1,000 builders, contractors, architectural practices, facilities managers, hotels, student accommodation and residential developers have specified TLJ for their access control needs. They install and service tens of thousands of electronic locks every year in the UK. A true British success story, TLJ has been family owned and run since the very beginning. From its base in East Yorkshire the company designs, manufactures, installs and services its own range of electronic locks and access control products. They’re especially proud of their service proposition, enhanced by keeping their installation and aftersales operations fully in-house. Things move quickly in the access control industry, and the past 10 years have seen many changes. This has been reflected in TLJ’s product range: less reliable biometric ‘fingerprint’ locks and older magnetic keycard technologies have been replaced by up-to-date contactless electronic locks and access control readers, all for security. Becoming increasingly popular is TLJ’s Mobile Keys system: replacing physical keys with the end user’s smartphone, opening locks via secure mobile app. This cutting-edge tech is especially popular in student accommodation developments where residents stay for the longer term. However, many leading hotels and ‘collective living’ projects are also adopting this technology as part of a ‘mobile first’ approach for their customers. Looking ahead, TLJ will be expanding their security range with design-led electronic locks tailored for high-end residential developments and, ingeniously, locks suitable for non-standard doors such as those often found in the leisure industry. “I sometimes have to pinch myself to believe that TLJ have been around for 10 years. From our very humble beginnings we’ve grown into a business that all of us here can be truly proud of. Sure, it’s been hard work but overall there have been many more hits than misses. The team has grown and continues to do so, but we’re in no rush to expand our numbers for the sake of it; I firmly believe in quality over quantity when it comes to employing really talented people,” said TLJ Managing Director, Luke Martin. “We’ve punched above our weight and continue to do so, and this is in no small part down to our ethos of managing every stage of the process, from product design to aftersales. We keep everything in-house at TLJ and know that service is king, something which is reflected in the frankly superb feedback we receive from clients. But we’re not resting on our laurels: we know the marketplace is changing and technology moves apace so we’re ‘future proofing’ our product and service offering to better meet our customers’ needs going forward. Here’s to the next 10 years!”