Project 13 of 36
Geared Deadbolt
- Company
- C.R. Laurence
- Role
- Product manager, stage-gate lead
- Year
- 2025
- Discipline
- Door hardware
- Status
- Concept, Gate 0
A replacement for CRL's declining deadbolt line. The existing design had three problems: the T-turn's orientation let thieves reach it through the door gap, the force needed to lock and unlock grew too high on tall ladder pulls, and it supported only two-point locking.
The concept uses a geared mechanism, building on what CRL learned from a recent three-point locking project, to cut operating force, remove the vulnerable T-turn orientation and support entrances with three or more locking points. It cleared Gate 0 in early 2025.
- Glass door lock market
- >$1.5B
- Locking points, up from 2
- 3+
- Concept approved
- Gate 0
Overview
- Problem
The T-turn could be reached through the door gap; operating force was too high on long ladder pulls; only two-point locking was supported.
- Solution
A geared deadbolt that replaces the current mechanism, reduces operating force and expands CRL's multi-point locking category.
- Customers
Architects and Division 8 construction: hotels, government buildings, retail, hospitals, offices, banks, schools and libraries.
- Value
A ladder-pull locking option that is more theft resistant yet still easy to operate at longer pull lengths.
- Competition
FHC, Assa Abloy, PRL.
My role
I co-led the geared deadbolt concept with the senior product manager through Gate 0: defining the field problems with sales and engineering, framing the market, and setting the requirements for an in-house design.
Stakeholders I coordinated
- Internal teams
- New product development · Product testing · Marketing · Sales and service centers · Sourcing and purchasing · Demand planning · Master data
- Gate committee
- VP Engineering · VP Product Design & Development · VP Sales · VP Marketing · Head of Product & Innovation
Stage-gate progress
- G0 Concept Mar 2025
- G1 Define Planned
- G2 Develop Planned
- G3 Validate Planned
- G4 Launch Planned
- G5 Post-launch Planned
Plan to win back the deadbolt line
- 01
Fix the security flaw
Reorient the turn so it can't be reached through the door gap.
- 02
Make tall pulls easy to lock
A geared mechanism cuts the force needed on long ladder pulls.
- 03
Move into multi-point locking
Support three or more locking points, building on what CRL learned from a recent three-point locking project.
Research
Current deadbolt vs geared concept
The three customer problems the concept is designed to solve.
| Attribute | Current deadbolt | Geared concept |
|---|---|---|
| Locking points | Up to 2 | 3 or more |
| Thumb-turn | T-turn reachable through the door gap | Re-oriented to remove that path |
| Operating force on long pulls | High | Reduced by gearing |
| Market position | Declining sales | Re-establish and grow share |
