Buyer guide · Multi-site operators
Buying locks for multi-site self storage
A multi-site operator is not buying locks. They are buying a specification that has to survive every site, every new hire and every future re-order.
Who this guide is for
What changes when this is the way you buy.
What changes when you operate more than one site
A single facility can buy locks the way it buys light bulbs — whatever is available, whenever it runs out. That stops working at the second or third site.
Three things break first:
- Specification drift. Sites built in different years end up with different cylinders, finishes and keys.
- Key confusion. Nobody can say with confidence which key opens which unit, or how many manager keys exist.
- Replacement failure. A cylinder ordered three years later arrives in a size that no longer matches the doors it was meant for.
None of these are product problems. They are documentation problems, and they get expensive quietly.
Your first decision is a measurement, not a product
The specification begins with the door. For each site — or each build phase, if the site grew over time — record the cylinder bore size and the door type.
Phase-built sites are the usual trap. Units added later often use a different cylinder, and a single site can carry two or three sizes. Measure a sample from each phase rather than assuming the first door speaks for the whole property.
What buyers like you ask us most
The questions that decide whether an order goes smoothly.
How do we standardise locks across sites built in different years?
Measure a sample of doors from each build phase and treat them as separate specifications until proven identical. In practice most groups end up with two or three cylinder sizes across the portfolio. Once those are written down, a single re-order rule covers every site.
Can you keep our specification so a re-order matches years later?
Yes. We hold the specification against your account — lock, cylinder, keying, branding and packing — so a replacement order matches the original even if the original product code has changed since. Quote the specification reference when re-ordering so we check it before producing.
How many manager keys should a site hold?
There is no single number, but there is a rule: decide it before production, because keying cannot be changed afterwards. Most operators hold one manager key per site plus a small number at a central location, and keep a written record of how many exist. Lost manager keys are a security decision, not a locksmith decision.
Can you deliver per site rather than one bulk shipment?
Yes. Phased delivery is normal on multi-site programmes: goods are released in scheduled shipments against the same order, so each site receives what it needs when it needs it. It costs a little more in freight than one consignment, but it usually costs less than storing a year of hardware.
What happens when a new site opens mid-programme?
Send the door measurement from the new site before it is fitted out. If it matches the existing specification, the order is a straight re-order. If it does not, we will tell you what the difference is before you commit to a quantity — not after the goods arrive.
Where it usually goes wrong
The four mistakes we see most often in this kind of order — and the way around each.
Assuming every site is the same
Phase-built sites are the most common source of wrong-size orders. Two buildings four years apart can use different cylinders, and the difference is invisible in a product photo.
Fixing keying after production
Keyed-alike, keyed-different and master-key structures are set at manufacture. Changing them later means replacing cylinders, not reprogramming them.
Keeping the specification in someone's head
If the only record of the lock spec is a member of staff, it disappears when they leave. A specification needs to exist outside memory — with photographs and measurements.
Ordering one bulk consignment for a rolling programme
Hardware that arrives before the site is ready sits in storage, and sometimes on the wrong site. Phase the delivery to the programme rather than the purchase order.
How we work with you
What the first conversation looks like, and what we need from you.
We start with a sample and a measurement
Fit is confirmed on a physical sample before a quantity is committed. That is the control point that prevents a wrong-size order across ten sites.
We document the specification
Lock, cylinder, keying, branding and packing are written down and held against your account, so the next buyer inherits a specification rather than a guess.
We plan the programme with you
If you are fitting out more than one site, deliveries can be scheduled per site rather than shipped as one bulk consignment.
Send us the two things we always ask for
A photograph of the door, and the number of units you need to cover. That is enough for us to confirm the family, the cylinder size and what a first order would look like — before you commit to anything.
Related reading
Guides that go deeper on the points above, and the other buyer guides.
Working with Multi-Site Operators: One Spec, Every Site
Read the guide →
Standardising Locks Across Multiple Sites
Read the guide →
Master Key Hierarchy: Designing Multi-Site Access
Read the guide →
Planning a Storage Key System Before You Order Locks
Read the guide →
Single-Facility Owners
Buyer guide →
Distributors and Wholesalers
Buyer guide →