John Squire, CEO, Squire discusses the company’s 245-year heritage and its continued innovation, balancing precision engineering with modern lock-making.

Can you tell us more about the role certifications and accreditations play in your product development and how they set Squire apart in the security industry?

Ensuring our padlocks meet and exceed security certifications is of the highest importance to us at Squire.

Our commitment is to our customers and we want to provide them confidence in what they’re buying.

We’re pleased to hold the highest LPCB (Loss Prevention Certification Board) certification with the introduction of our SS100CS LEV5, which meets their Level 5 rating and no other padlock on the market has ever achieved that.

For our inigma smart access control system, we achieved a Level 3 BSI Kitemark for Secure Digital Applications, again being the only system to have ever achieved this.

We’re constantly innovating to push the boundaries in terms of what’s possible for padlocks, to only offer our customers the highest performing padlocks.

Can you guide me through the evolution of your products – from the very first model to your most recent – and explain how that development has unfolded over time?

We’re proud to be the oldest and most experienced lock-makers in the UK as we celebrate 245 years of innovation and excellence.

From the 1780s, we have always made padlocks, but our main focus was on cabinet padlocks, in which we gained a number of patents.

In the early 20^th century, the need for cabinet locks dropped off, so we shifted our focus towards padlocks and it was at this time we honed our precision engineering skills through the award of government contracts.

We continued to innovate our product offering and in the 1950s we introduced the Old English padlock and the Stronglock laminated padlock ranges.

In the 1960s, we brought bicycle locks to the market and developed our leading Stronghold high security range from the 1990s, which offers padlocks that meet some of the highest security standards in the industry.

Fast forward to today and we have introduced the pinnacle of high-level security in our SS100CS LEV5 padlock.

The SS100CS LEV5 is the only padlock in the world to have achieved its LPCB SR5 certification, proving its strength against a range of attack methods, including angle grinders and drills.

It also holds CEN 6, again the highest European standard for padlocks, and is accredited by Secured by Design.

By pushing our padlocks to meet these rigorous standards, we’re proving exactly what we’re capable of at Squire – which is developing high-quality, high-performance security for the toughest and most security-critical environments.

We also developed our inigma smart access wireless control system in-house.

inigma uses Bluetooth to control access to compatible padlocks through a programmed smart key and is particularly beneficial for critical national infrastructure where those companies might have multiple remote sites they need to secure.

The administrator of the system can give and revoke access and view full audit trails through the dedicated app on their phone or desktop, with all personal and private information end-to-end encrypted for complete peace of mind for all users.

We’re proud that our inigma system achieved the highest BSI Kitemark for Secure Digital Applications, again proving how capable we are at developing high-security solutions for our customers which meet the most current security standards.

All design and engineering is done in-house in the UK by our highly talented and experienced team, who really understand both the market and what our customers need from a padlock.

Their needs drive our innovation and help us in shaping the range offering.

Your company is known for its long-standing reputation for innovation and craftsmanship. How have you maintained these qualities over more than two centuries?

Squire is a family business passed down through eight generations and we take immense pride in what we do.

A lot of our employees have been with the business for many years, some over 30+ and their vast knowledge is passed down to the next generation of employees.

Over the last 100 years we have developed our precision engineering through the contracts we have gained and the demand for our product increasing.

Today, we combine traditional craftsmanship with modern product offerings and engineering techniques, ensuring that we maintain the high quality we are known for while remaining forward-thinking and adaptable to the modern market.

How has the company evolved its innovation strategy to stay true to its foundational values while adapting to contemporary trends and technologies?

Our product developments are based on what the market needs – we have a very experienced team with good customer contacts, who are able to feed back to us on what their customers are looking for.

We align our strength and skills where they fit the market and where we can be most successful, both in the UK and internationally.

At our core is a business which provides high-quality security solutions at a range of price points for every type of customer – whether it’s a homeowner securing their shed or a utility company securing a remote site.

Of course, the market has shifted a lot since our beginnings, most recently towards smart access control and in response to that we developed our cutting-edge inigma smart lock operating system without any external investment.

We recognise the changes in the market and our market intelligence allows us to stay on top of these changes to ensure we’re always ahead of the curve.

How will you continue to innovate your products while embodying your original principles?

We have a very experienced compact in-house team across all departments, which enables us to act on decisions much quicker than our competitors and react to changes in the market much faster.

We embrace technologies such as CAD and 3D printing to help us visualise a product in all stages of its development.

By using these technologies, we’re able to speed up the prototyping process, and any improvements to the product can be made much quicker than if we were creating machined prototypes.

You recently participated in the Great Escape charity bike ride. In what ways do the goals of this event align with Squire’s values and mission?

We support many different charitable initiatives, including XO Bikes, who I participated in the Great Escape bike ride to raise money for.

We don’t support these charities for commercial gain, but to help young people, regardless of their background, access opportunities to unlock their potential, expand their knowledge and develop their personal skills.

We do this by backing charities such as LIFEbeat, which teaches young people the skills they need to navigate the challenges they may face in their lives through the arts and also by investing in grassroots sports initiatives like RB Coaching in the West Midlands and Warwickshire and our sponsorship of the Bilbrook Juniors Football Club.

Supporting the people in our community is very important to us at Squire and to me personally.

Squire has called the West Midlands home for 245 years, so we’re proud to give back and help to build communities as strong as our padlocks.

This article was originally published in the October edition of Security Journal UK. To read your FREE digital edition, click here.