Background
When DHL relocated its Ground Handling operations from Terminal 1 to the new Terminal 2 at Manchester Airport, they needed a smarter way to manage staff lockers across both airside and landside locker rooms.
Given the need to manage costs carefully, replacing all existing lockers with an entirely new digital system simply wasn’t practical. However, while investigating Lowe & Fletcher digital combination locks, DHL were introduced to ECHO.
ECHO locks provided a simple and cost-effective retrofit path from keyed camlocks to a complete access control solution without the cost of a full digital replacement. What’s more, while ECHO kept costs down, there was no compromise on functionality – with an administrator web-based portal providing full management and locker usage analytics.
Challenges in brief
Traditional key management:
Managing physical keys across a busy airport operation created unnecessary admin and ongoing inconvenience for management and staff.
Limited available budget:
DHL needed a cost-effective solution that could be easily applied and fast
Work with existing lockers:
Any new system had to integrate with the current locker infrastructure without requiring major refurbishment, rewiring or replacement.
No visibility of locker use:
The existing locker system offered no audit trail or insight into how lockers were being used, making management and support more difficult.
Future-proofing the workplace:
DHL wanted a smarter, more scalable locker access control solution capable of supporting long-term operational flexibility.
Opportunity
What stood out immediately for DHL was ECHO lock’s ability to retrofit directly onto existing lockers to transform traditional keyed storage into a fully managed smart locker system.
However, the benefits didn’t end there. Unlike the majority of smart locking solutions, ECHO requires:
• No wiring
• No Wi-Fi infrastructure
• No batteries
• No large-scale adaptions
• Low maintenance
Instead of replacing existing lockers, DHL could upgrade them quickly, cost-effectively and sustainably.
The ECHO Pro Administrator portal also introduced a new level of visibility and control, giving administrators access to locker usage analytics, audit trails and multi-user management through one secure web-based platform.
Solution
To help DHL evaluate ECHO for themselves, Lowe & Fletcher supplied and fitted two ECHO locks with our Pro Administration portal onto existing lockers for a two-week trial.
Thanks to that trial’s success, DHL were happy to purchase and deploy 150 ECHO locks throughout their staff locker rooms at Manchester Airport’s Terminal 2.
The locks were installed and adopted into the ECHO administrator app and set for controlled access. This ensured only approved DHL staff could use any available lockers. Staff simply downloaded the free ECHO mobile app onto their iOS or Android phone – instantly turning their phones into secure digital locker keys.
To help further secure the success of the transition to ECHO, Lowe & Fletcher provided onsite training and support to ensure administrators could confidently manage its 250 registered users.
Benefits in brief
Lower-cost locker upgrade:
ECHO allowed DHL to modernise its employee storage infrastructure without replacing existing lockers, significantly reducing project costs and installation disruption.
Sustainable retrofit solution:
By reusing existing locker furniture and eliminating battery waste, DHL achieved a far more sustainable upgrade path.
Reduced administration:
The removal of physical key management simplified day-to-day operations for administrators and staff alike.
Improved visibility, availability and control:
The ECHO Pro portal introduced full locker usage visibility and audit trails, helping administrators manage their locker availability far more effectively.
Minimal maintenance:
Because ECHO is battery free, there are no batteries to purchase, replace or dispose of over time.
Future scalability:
The success of the Manchester Airport installation has already led DHL to begin additional ECHO trials at Bristol, Liverpool and Luton airports.
Conclusion
By combining retrofit simplicity with the latest technology, ECHO has provided DHL with a future-ready solution that improves operational efficiency and supports a more sustainable workplace design.
Thanks to the success of ECHO locks at Terminal 2, DHL have also started local ECHO trials at Bristol, Liverpool and Luton airports.
Sometimes, the smartest upgrade isn’t fully replacing what you have, it’s unlocking even more from what you already hold.
