At ISC West 2025, Orion Entrance Control introduced a revolutionary approach to turnstile manufacturing that’s poised to redefine how architects, integrators, and facility managers think about physical access control. In a conversation between Tom Fontana and Jonathan Keeney of Orion Entrance Control, the spotlight was on a powerful combination: Made in America craftsmanship, modular design for integrators, and custom aesthetics for end users—all while reducing time and cost for everyone involved.
“We have 30 different models, all of which can be customized,” said Keeney. “But this unit allows greater flexibility.”
The new design enables field retrofitting, allowing facility managers to convert between barrier and non-barrier models by simply changing out the "skins"—without having to replace the full unit. “So let’s say somebody has a turnstile that’s 10 years old with high glass. If they decide they don’t want that extra security, they just have to replace the skins,” Keeney explained.
This approach reduces downtime, avoids the need for core drilling, and minimizes disruption in occupied facilities—a big win for healthcare, corporate, or government clients where uptime is critical.
From the integrator’s perspective, consistency across product lines is a major benefit. “The beauty of Orion is all our units—the motors, the boards, the beams—are all standard across all models,” said Keeney. “So if they know how to install one unit, they know how to install all of them.”
That means faster installs, fewer service calls, and reduced training for integrators—plus long-term peace of mind knowing that the same components and support are available years down the line.
“We never end-of-life solutions,” Keeney added. “Ten years from now, if something breaks, we’re not going to say we can’t fix it. It’s our technology, standard across all our lines.”
At the heart of Orion’s durability promise is a heavy-duty motor rated for 10 million cycles. “This motor has been in the field for 15 to 20 years, and very few ever need to be replaced,” said Keeney. “It’s robust—it can handle everything from high-glass to low-glass barriers.”
Orion also stocks parts in their New Hampshire facility and offers optional spare kits for mission-critical sites. “We have customers that can’t be down for a day,” said Keeney. “So we send spares, they replace the component, ship it back, and we send a new one. We make sure downtime is minimal.”
Orion turnstiles are fully open-platform, supporting everything from legacy card readers to modern biometric systems and elevator dispatch integrations. “We can work with any card type, as long as it fits our tops,” said Keeney. “But what we’re seeing more of now is wave biometrics, elevator dispatch—and we build that directly into the turnstile so everything’s clean and frictionless.”
And because the system operates on 24V low voltage, risks associated with power surges are minimized—further boosting reliability.
Customization is where Orion truly excels. Whether it's etching logos into glass, matching corporate brand colors with powder coating, or adjusting the size and footprint of the unit to replace aging systems without tearing up the floor, Orion has a solution.
“We had a customer who wanted to replace existing turnstiles without changing their footprint. Everyone else proposed a design that would have meant ripping up floors. Orion matched the conduit holes and footprint exactly—saving them hundreds of thousands in retrofit costs,” Fontana explained.
Keeney added, “We work closely with clients to understand their space. Whether they’re fitting into a tight space or need something extended to match legacy systems, we’ve got the flexibility to make it work.”
Manufactured entirely in Laconia, New Hampshire, Orion Entrance Control takes pride in maintaining full control over both hardware and software. This ensures every product is built to the highest standard—while maintaining the agility to respond to custom requests and tight project timelines.
“All our parts, pieces, widgets—we assemble everything in New Hampshire,” said Fontana. “You guys are able to turn things around much quicker.”
Whether you're an architect designing for aesthetics, an engineer trying to avoid costly retrofits, an integrator seeking consistency, or a facility manager who can’t afford downtime, Orion has built a product that adapts to you—not the other way around.
“Get in touch with Orion,” Fontana concluded. “They have a solution that you may not even be aware of that will reduce your cost, reduce the pain, and keep your installation simple—while making sure everyone is happy and secure.”
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