A company yard on an industrial estate in Kassel, with a wide, open access in front of it: during the day, other people's vehicles parked on the site because it was convenient and free – and then the company's own employees and suppliers could not find a space. At night, the problem was a different and much more serious one. Company vehicles, materials and tools stood openly in the yard, and anyone who could drive a van onto the site briefly could be gone again within a few minutes. There were burglaries, and there were smash-and-grab raids where it was all about speed: in, load up, gone.
The business owner wanted to solve both in one step – the parking during the day and the risk at night. And the solution had to suit the business: customers and suppliers should still get into the yard without fuss, the property should keep its well-kept appearance, and nobody should have to unlock a gate in the morning.
Why not a gate or a barrier arm?
With a wide access, a gate quickly turns into a construction project: a sliding gate needs a long track and room to open, a swing gate swings into the yard and obstructs manoeuvring traffic. Both take up space, which is scarce on an industrial estate. A barrier arm would have been cheaper but does not stop exactly what mattered at night: a barrier boom gets broken through, pushed up or simply driven under. And a chain soon ends up lying permanently on the ground because it is in someone's way every morning.
Three security bollards close the wide entrance
Three retractable security bollards made of V4A stainless steel (1.4571) were installed, evenly spaced across the access. The spacing is chosen so that no vehicle can pass between the raised bollards – not even a narrow van. When lowered, only the stainless steel lids lie flush in the paving, and the access is as wide as before: lorries, deliveries and manoeuvring traffic have a clear run.
Raised and illuminated at night: the LED ring in the bollard head shows from the street that the access is closed.
The lighting here is more than just looks. Raised bollards without light are hard to see in the dark; anyone driving into the yard at speed notices them too late. The LED ring makes the barrier visible from every direction, and in the evening the bollards look like a clear boundary – this is as far as you go. The colour can be chosen; many customers choose green or white, others switch depending on the status.
Open and closed at the push of a button
In the morning the three bollards lower at the push of a button, and in the evening they rise again. Authorised users operate the system with a radio transmitter; in addition, the barrier can be switched from inside the building. If desired, a timer can be added so that the bollards rise automatically at closing time, or number plate recognition for regular suppliers. The control unit sits dry inside the building and can be extended at any time.
What happens during a smash-and-grab raid?
For this business, one question was decisive: what if someone tampers with the system at night? Our security bollards are built for this. When raised, the bollard engages mechanically via a locking bolt and can then no longer be pushed down – neither by hand nor with a vehicle. If the pneumatic lines are cut, the compressed air escapes, but the bolt holds: the bollard stays up and the access stays closed. The system can also be set so that the bollards stay raised during a power failure. This is exactly what distinguishes a security bollard from a barrier arm: there is no state in which the barrier opens by itself.
Why compressed air in a commercial yard?
Our bollards work pneumatically. The bollard itself contains only a stainless steel cylinder; the compressor and valves stand in the building. There are no electronics and no motor in the ground that could be affected by rain, road salt, frost or the weight of a lorry. The bollards are sealed to IP69, the seals are designed for temperatures down to −35 °C, and the system needs neither a heater nor a drain.
A commercial yard is opened and closed several times every day, for years. The system is designed for several hundred thousand cycles and is very low-maintenance. Should a valve or the compressor need replacing at some point, this is done indoors – every component sits on quick-release couplings, and the paving outside remains untouched. The bollards are manufactured at our site in Seevetal near Hamburg.
The result
The installation of the three bollards with all components was completed quickly. Since then there have been no more arguments with unauthorised parkers – in the morning the area is free for those who work there. And at night the yard is closed: no van gets onto the site any more, and no vehicle gets off it. Burglaries and vehicle theft in the yard have been a thing of the past ever since.
Securing a commercial yard, warehouse or vehicle fleet?
We know the pattern from many businesses: a wide access, open during the day, unprotected at night, and at some point the first break-in. How to secure your access against unauthorised parking and ramming attacks is explained in the guide Ramming and burglary protection for businesses; which control system suits which business is covered in the guide Access management for businesses. We show a similar system at a company entrance here: Security bollards to close off the entrance.
Send us a photo of your access via WhatsApp to +49 172 4544485 or call us on +49 40 226390411. We will tell you how many bollards you need, where they should stand and which control system fits. You will find all models and prices in the overview retractable bollards made of stainless steel V4A; answers to common questions can be found in our FAQ on retractable bollards and in the comparison of bollard drives.
