Bott Ltd is a UK manufacturer and supplier of workplace furniture solutions and is part of a global group of companies. Designed specifically for the manufacturing environment, the tool drawer cabinets are available in a wide variety of sizes in both static and mobile varieties, typically feature 6 or 7 slide-out drawers with a cupboard unit, and provide secure, safe and clean storage for tools and components.

One of Bott's customers is a leading aerospace manufacturer producing a modern family of airliners, ranging in capacity from 100 to more than 550 seats. Manufacturing is a trans-national process, structured around key manufacturing units at different sites in Europe, each of which is responsible for producing a complete section of the aircraft for delivery to the final assembly line. In the UK, fully complete and tested wings - equipped with all moving flying surfaces, electrical, hydraulic and fuel systems are manufactured ready for delivery for final assembly.

"Our tool drawer cabinets are used during the single isle stage one part of the manufacturing process - building spars and ribs for use in the wings. This process uses some highly specialised and extremely expensive calibrated tooling and it is not uncommon for one of our tool drawer cabinets, worth around £1000, to contain tools valued in excess of £200,000" says Mark Sinden, UK sales director of Bott Ltd.

"Calibration is an important issue in the aircraft industry as well as in other sectors. Bott wanted a mechanical lock but with a key based access control system. The answer was to supply an intelligent key working with our electronic lock and controller which is extremely rugged and not susceptible to strong magnetic fields or other environmental influences that can often incapacitate card based products - as Bott's customer had already discovered" says Bernard Morton, managing director of Intellikey Ltd.