Have you ever lost a key? Then you might know about the hassle that follows! Lost keys and waiting in front of closed doors is not a rare thing on many construction sites. The challenge is: How to handle that problem?
akii-app opens doors at MBN construction site
With the akii-app, Zeppelin created a digital solution that opens doors at construction sites and that makes conventional keys redundant. At the same time, it offers a decentralized access administration which works without any central resources.
How it works
akii is an intelligent, digital locking system for building containers and temporary construction doors. The original idea popped up when Zeppelin employees experienced a common problem: more than once, the meeting room building container was locked when they arrived at the construction site and a “hunt” for the key started. Thus, the idea to develop an intelligent key management system evolved and was refined within only six months. Everyone has a smartphone nowadays: With the akii app, any authorized user can grant access to a defined number of people. All you need is an electronic lock which is also provided by akii. And it offers a decentralized access administration that works without any central resources.
Z Lab’s project partner MBN Bau AG
MBN Bau AG (a German construction company) ensured a big construction project in Berlin-Friedrichsfelde: building a new residential quarter named Dolgensee-Center. With such a challenging, large construction site, it is important to manage and restrict efficiently the access to building parts that are close to completion and handover, thus needing only finishing touches. The idea of a “lean” approach, e.g. the clear structuring of tasks and an efficient implementation (without any interruptions) was pursued eagerly. akii ensures the safe and individually managed access handling. In a first step, akii has provided their customer MBN Bau AG with locks and an access management system for 20 construction section admissions.
akii in use on the MBN construction site, Berlin 2020 © Zeppelin Group
Optimizing akii in use on the MBN construction site
“With the use of akii, we were able to replace the time-consuming and expensive management of physical keys. Our construction supervisors just granted access rights via the app to any other firm involved in the construction process, so that they can enter the rooms, without any key confusion”, explains Grigory Budnizkiy, who works as an innovation manager at MBN Bau AG. “Handing out keys, taking them back in as well as the administration and written documentation of the process is just redundant and saves our construction supervisors a lot of time and work”, Budnizkiy goes on.
akii in the future
The use of akii is already planned for further MBN construction sites. Moreover, akii continues to optimize the app and already plans new functionalities that are developed in close cooperation with the users. As for all Zeppelin ventures, for the time being, akii’s introduction is planned for the German (-speaking) market. In a later phase, we also consider going international, at least in the EU single market, which requires some legal procedures etc. beforehand. However, from a technical point of view, all Z Lab products come in a multilingual setting right from the start.
Further information: