Steve Blackler

People and vehicle access control specialist, Nortech is heading into the end of the year on a high with compliance with the latest ISO 9001 certification standard, a busy year at exhibitions and getting involved with a local teen pioneer being among the company main 2019 highlights. Nortech’s Managing Director Steve Blackler commented, “We are very pleased with how the company has progressed this year. We continue to grow and meet new standards and were also delighted to meet with Freddie Howells, a young inventor from nearby Usk over the summer to support him in his work to create a facial recognition door lock for an elderly relative with dementia.”   Door Pi Plus facial recognition home security system Freddie was approached by Nortech to help develop his award-nominated home monitoring system After appearing in the news earlier in the year, Freddie was approached by Nortech to help him further develop his award-nominated home monitoring system. Freddie was invited to Nortech to discuss his product with the team and also received a tour of the site as well as some training to help him to expand his access control knowledge. When Freddie heard his 88-year-old great aunt Pat who has dementia was struggling with potentially letting strangers into her home, he wanted to do something, so went on to invent something that would help her and others when home alone. Freddie developed a facial recognition, door entry and home monitoring system, the Door Pi Plus, where a motion sensor attached to the individual’s front door detects motion and it triggers the camera to take a picture of the visitor. ID tagging and two factor authentication The image is checked against a database of ‘known’ faces and if the person is recognized they are able to scan their ID tag for two factor authentication. If the face and ID match, the door is opened. If the face and ID are not recognized the visitor is prompted to call a number to gain access. Following his visit to Nortech, Freddie has been offered ongoing support by the team to assist him in finalizing his invention so it continues to help his great aunt and others in the future. Home monitoring system After taking on a number of apprentices in the last year, September has seen the intake progress into college programs while still gaining experience alongside the Nortech technical team. The company’s commitment to growth and the community has played a big part in its success and enabled it to expand in other areas. To further help its installers, Nortech is developing a tech support area for its current website To further help its installers, Nortech is developing a tech support area for its current website to ensure engineers can access the material they need easily when installing Nortech products. Work on the website has led to more traffic and takes on board the suggestions made by those who frequently work with Nortech, who are then likely to also look at other areas of the website. Nortech technology support Among the news items regularly posted on its website and social media are references to Nortech’s presence at several shows this year and its pride in making the shortlist for a number of industry awards. Alongside the roadshows the company frequently attends, Nortech has also attended Parkex, Elevate and the LEGIC conference over the last few months and is constantly further developing its existing product range to satisfy industry demands.   Nortech has supplied products and solutions to the security industry for over 25 years as an independent British company. The company uses extensive experience and expertise to create new security products to fit their clients’ needs and designs everything with the customer in mind. 

People and vehicle access control specialists Nortech is heading into the second half of 2018 on a high as the company has recently been recognized as complying with the latest ISO 9001 standard. Nortech’s Managing Director Steve Blackler is delighted with the company’s progress commenting, “I would like to express my thanks to our fantastic team and to our loyal customers. Nortech continues to thrive and it is our job to make sure we satisfy our customer expectations and that we are doing what we should so that we continue to grow.”                Effective Quality Management As one of the leaders in access controls systems, Nortech is proud of its approach to product engineering to ensure quality and reliability in both its products and services, and has recently achieved the ISO 9001:2015 standard. Receiving recertification shows that Nortech is prepared for any current and future challenges The updated 2015 version of the ISO 9001 standard recognises businesses for their effective quality management and requires them to demonstrate that they can meet the regulatory requirements and apply the system effectively to benefit their customers. Receiving recertification shows that Nortech is prepared for any current and future challenges. More Informal Setting Nortech has also recently started an apprenticeship scheme, under which it has just welcomed its first new addition to its technical production team where he is already proving to be a valuable asset. With Nortech continuing to prioritise staff wellbeing, one of its most recent projects is the renovation of the company’s staff room. The new breakout area has been fitted with sofas and a TV so that employees have somewhere to go to wind down in a more informal setting. A dining table, new kitchen and outdoor area also make the room more comfortable for holding monthly meetings and enjoying some fresh air in fine weather. Extensive Experience And Expertise New LED lights have recently been installed throughout the premises to create a brighter atmosphere New LED lights have recently been installed throughout the premises to create a brighter atmosphere and to make the building more environmentally friendly. The company also decided to sponsor a hospitality box at Chepstow Racecourse earlier this year to give its staff some time together out of the office in a more informal environment.  Nortech has supplied products and solutions to the security industry for over 25 years as an independent British company. The company uses extensive experience and expertise to create new security products to fit their clients’ needs and designs everything with the customer in mind. 

Following several years of strong growth, there continues to be much expansion and development underway at access controls specialists, Nortech. Nortech’s Managing Director Steve Blackler is delighted with the company’s progress commenting, “At the end of last year we won some significant projects around the country. To accommodate the increasing demand for Nortech’s systems, we have just made four new appointments, three in technical sales and support and one in R&D, and all of these will strengthen our team in these key areas.” Expanding Technical And Commercial Teams In addition to these appointments, Nortech also intends to employ two apprentices for the technical and commercial sides of the company in the first quarter of 2018. As an ‘Investor in People’ company, Nortech very much sees the value of apprenticeships that are great for developing skills in new people matched to the future needs of the business. As one of the leaders in access controls systems, Nortech is proud of its approach to product engineering to ensure quality and reliability in both its products and services. It values its ISO 9001:2008 quality standard and is now comprehensively working towards the ISO 9001:2015 standard for mid-2018, having already flown through the external audit process. Nortech has found that all their training courses are well attended and received Specialized Training Courses As a company, Nortech has always believed in providing training courses for installers, distributors and system integrators. These can be held either locally or at Nortech’s headquarters in Cwmbran where a purpose-built training room is set aside for these courses. For 2018, the product training program has been fully updated, and now offers no less than 14 different modules that cover various aspects on access control, long-range identification, vehicle detection and parking, and readers and ID devices. Nortech has found that all their training courses are well attended and received and offer delegates the opportunity to fully understand the products and the Nortech brand. Having strengthened its export distribution in the Middle East last year, Nortech also participated in the Intersec show in Dubai this January to cement its relationship with its distributors, Digital Factors, and to network with the many contacts that the company has at this international security and safety solutions exhibition, where over 1,300 companies exhibited this year.