In response to customer demand MARKS USA started offering a wider selection of custom levers, designing locksets from the inside out in 2006. The MARKS USA custom division has grown to include levers, knobs and escutcheons for interior and exterior doors.
Versatility is key, and that is part of being a smaller, independent company with engineering, tool making and test facilities all on site. As a result, Marks has the ability to deliver highly customized products in relatively short time frames that other manufacturers wouldn't consider.
“We take the time to do it, where many other companies can only offer a limited number of choices,” said William Sporre, VP, Global Sales and Marketing, Marks USA. “There’s nothing we’ll say ‘no’ to.”
The MARKS USA Custom Lockset Division manufactures mortise, cylindrical and tubular locks in a large variety of designs and functions. They also offer custom trim with engraving and conventional and high-security keying for residential and industrial systems. Locksets are manufactured from materials which satisfy LEED's requirements for "green" buildings and reduce environmental impacts from extracting and processing virgin materials. All are made in the USA.
Marks has 350 lever designs alone listed in their Custom Division Catalog, http://www.marksusa.com/media/pdfs/custom-lockset-division.pdf, with stainless steel and custom forged brass offerings. Customers can pick an existing style of levers and escutcheons and modify them, for example, by adding a logo or initial.
Much of the Marks custom business involves new construction, especially in the hotel and luxury condominium markets in New York City, Chicago and Las Vegas. The Trump Grande condominiums on Sunny Isles, Fla., used the Marks Crescent lever design throughout its entry and interior doors.
For the newly renovated Trump world Hotel and Condominiums in Chicago, with 472 condos and 286 hotel rooms, Marks provided custom locksets utilizing custom escutcheons engraved with the Trump World logos. Then, because of that positive experience with MARKS Custom Lockset Division, Trump turned to MARKS again on the recent Washington, DC, Old Post Office project. "We used Marks Custom trim and locksets for their design as well as exceptional long life construction – if I’m living on Pennsylvania Avenue, at least one of my two homes should have style and elegance. Thanks Marks," said President. Donald Trump.
When the famous Plaza Hotel in New York City was renovated, MARKS Custom Lockset Division was asked to duplicate the look of old trim featuring the “P” insignia. They copied the insignia and made brand new levers for the hotel’s front door and all the rooms, maintaining the look of the original design, but updated to modern hardware standards. MARKS also supplied all new levers and interior door locks for Las Vegas hotel Mandalay Bay’s recent renovation, as well as iQ electronic access control locksets for all areas requiring restricted access.
Other recent projects have included:
- The Visionaire at Battery Park, a 35-story luxury condominium tower in Manhattan, LEED certified as environmentally friendly
- The 192-condo unit Ritz Carleton Residences on Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, with custom stainless steel lever locksets throughout
- The newly renovated Gramercy Park Hotel, custom designed lock trim in a dark bronze finish
- For the Georgica Residential Towers located in Manhattan's Upper East Side, MARKS USA created forged brass levers, in a polished nickel finish, to compliment the distinctive "L" shape of this architectural majesty by imitating the abundance of corners and protrusions within the design of the building itself.
- The Getty Museum in Los Angles
- The White House and Senate office buildings in Washington DC
- The Stanhope and Barbizon Hotels in New York City
Typically, customers want from 300 to 1,000 custom locks at a time. The design may need to match an existing design or it may include a new logo or it may borrow elements from another company’s door hardware. The first step is to create a mold and a plastic prototype for customer approval. Once the customer signs off, the hardware is cast in metal.
Marks USA Custom Lockset Division product is manufactured with the quality engineered mechanical locksets that carry the company’s Lifetime Mechanical Warranty. Due to the large array of both designs and finishes, they do require longer lead times and minimum order quantities. Standard mortise and tubular lock trim are usually stocked and are available in normal lead times.
Also from MARKS USA, ArchiTech™ Series Networx Locks are an ideal access control solution; elegantly blending advanced wireless access control convenience within any décor, in an attractive, infinitely customizable designer locking form factor, in choice of trims and finishes. Ideal for educational, commercial office or multi-dwelling residential settings, these stylish, durable locks, leveraging proven Networx access control technology, offer a choice of ID credential and multi-technology reader in several styles, plus a choice of over 300 lock trims and finishes. ArchiTech can be used to control access a door at a time; across a wireless network; or as an integral part of a new or existing enterprise security system—spanning a few, or thousands of doors, in one building, a campus or multiple sites around the world.
For more information, visit www.marksusa.com or call 1-800-526-0233.
