Quick facts
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Industry: Manufacturing
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Product: FUYL Smart Locker
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Towers in use: 11
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Devices managed: 132
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Length of collaboration: 3.5 years
ThermTech, a 24/7 commercial heat-treating manufacturer, relies on company-issued work phones for communication, tracking work orders, and logging production data. Employees use these devices daily, with some assigned individually and others shared between shifts based on operational needs.
With 132 employees relying on these devices, ThermTech needed a secure and trackable way to store, charge, and manage work phones while ensuring compliance with CMMC and ITAR regulations.
Before LocknCharge, ThermTech didn’t have a structured device management system. Work phones were introduced alongside the lockers to prevent theft, damage, and compliance risks from day one:
"We had a huge issue with phones getting broken or lost early on. Some employees thought they could store them in their personal lockers or take them home, which for their particular positions was not an accurate statement. LocknCharge has helped reduce the loss and device replacement needs that were initially expected."
The company considered basic storage solutions like power strips or traditional lockers, but these lacked security, tracking, and automation. ThermTech needed a solution that would not only secure devices but also ensure they were always charged and trackable for compliance and budgeting purposes.
Before selecting LocknCharge, ThermTech evaluated three different vendors:
"We looked at a couple different solutions. One was incredibly expensive. The other one didn’t have the same security tracking, and one was based in China, and we didn’t feel comfortable with that for security reasons. LocknCharge gave us the best balance of features, security, and cost."
Beyond features and pricing, LocknCharge stood out as the only vendor with a local presence in the Madison area, ensuring seamless technical setup and reliable on-site support — something other vendors couldn’t provide.
The solution
To create a self-service device management system, ThermTech deployed 11 LocknCharge FUYL Tower smart lockers across its six buildings. These lockers provide a secure, dedicated space for employees to store and charge their work phones.
Instead of relying on manual checkouts or key-based storage, employees now:
- Retrieve their assigned or shared phone from a secure locker bay at the start of their shift.
- Use it throughout the day for job-related tasks.
- Return it at the end of their shift, ensuring it’s accounted for and charged for the next user.
This system ensures there’s no need for IT involvement in daily device checkouts while allowing 24/7 device availability:
"For the most part, it’s been a very reliable system. The IT team doesn’t have to constantly monitor devices, and employees know exactly where to go when they need a work phone."
The results
After 3.5 years with LocknCharge, ThermTech has fully integrated smart lockers into its daily operations, making device management seamless and secure.
Since deploying LocknCharge FUYL Towers, ThermTech has completely eliminated lost or misplaced devices, ensuring employees always have access to their work phones when needed.
Another key improvement has been the onboarding process, as LocknCharge lockers have become an essential part of assigning and reclaiming devices:
"LocknCharge lockers are now an integral part of our onboarding process. New employees get assigned a locker with their phone, and when they leave, we immediately reclaim and reassign it."
Beyond security and compliance, LocknCharge has reduced IT workload by automating checkouts and eliminating manual tracking. Employees no longer waste time searching for lost devices, and IT staff don’t have to investigate missing phones:
"At this point, lockers are just part of how we do business. Employees use them every day, and they’ve made managing devices so much easier."
The future
With FUYL Towers now a standard part of ThermTech’s operations, the company is exploring ways to expand and refine its device management workflows:
“We have one locker that isn’t currently online, and we’re planning to move it to our corporate office to improve onboarding and help employees get familiar with the system. We're also looking into RFID tags for faster device checkouts.”
RFID integration would allow employees to check out or return a phone with a simple badge scan instead of a PIN entry. This further automates the process, making it even faster and more user-friendly.
As ThermTech scales, LocknCharge remains a key partner in ensuring security, accountability, and efficiency in managing company-issued devices.
Looking to improve device security and management in your manufacturing facility?