PDQ Manufacturing

An exit device might be built for life safety first, but it's also one of the most naturally accessible ways to open a door.

ADA guidelines require hardware that doesn't need tight grasping, pinching, or twisting of the wrist, and a push-pad or panic bar exit device meets that standard by design, operable with a closed fist, a forearm, even a shoulder, not just fingers.

PDQ exit devices are built to meet both code-required egress and ADA accessibility at the same time, so the same door that gets everyone out safely in an emergency is also easy for everyone to get through on an ordinary day.

Accessibility and life safety aren't separate boxes to check, they're the same door doing both jobs.

Great hardware starts with a great team.

That was the scene at this month's company meeting: SoBol catered lunch, and everyone walked away with this quarter's PDQ swag: matching picnic blankets.

Good food, a packed line, and the whole team together for a few minutes outside the daily grind.

It's easy to focus on the big wins, but it's also the little moments that remind us how lucky we are to have such a great team here at PDQ.

Every piece of hardware we make eventually ends up in the hands of a tradesperson.

From a locksmith fitting a new lockset, a contractor mounting a closer, an installer squaring up an exit device on a jobsite, National Tradesmen Day is a chance to recognize the skill and precision it takes to install hardware correctly the first time.

To every tradesperson who works with PDQ products in the field: we see the work you do, and we build for you.

PDQ wouldn't be what it is today without our very own, Steve Snyder.

Steve has been with the PDQ team for 35 years, and today we celebrated this incredible milestone. From his early days in the Keying Center to his current role of Senior Manager, Keying Center and Systems, Steve's wealth of experience and understanding of this industry have helped shape PDQ to what it is today.

Three and a half decades of being an excellent leader, solving problems, and mentoring the next generation of our team doesn't happen by accident.

Thank you, Steve, for everything you have done for PDQ.

Join us in congratulating Steve on this momentous achievement!

What's the biggest headache when it comes to door hardware on your building?

For some it's key control, who has a copy, who doesn't, and what happens when someone leaves.

For others it's staying on top of code compliance across dozens of doors, keeping up with maintenance before something fails at the worst time.

It could even be just making the budget stretch across every opening that needs attention.

At PDQ, we make the process of getting your hardware fast and easy, relieving you of that frustration. Whatever grinds your gears, let us know and we can help!

Keys get lost. Credentials shouldn't have to.

PDQ Spirit brings app-managed access control to our proven mechanical lock platforms with no wiring, no conduit, and no rewiring the opening, so a retrofit installs about as fast as a standard lock swap.

Spirit comes in two versions, so you can choose what fits the opening: a standard version with mechanical key override, or a fully-loaded version that adds an RFID card or fob, a smartphone over Bluetooth, and a PIN code, all running on four AA batteries for up to two years.

From the PDQ Spirit app, property managers can set access schedules, trigger lockdown mode, and pull audit history without ever touching a key.

It's AES 256 encrypted, UL fire-rated, ADA compliant, and assembled right here in the USA.

Is your building still running on metal keys alone?

Today, we remember the lives lost on September 11, 2001, and honor the first responders, service members, and everyday heroes who ran toward danger to help others.

This year marks 25 years since that day. We hold their memory and their sacrifice close. Never forget.

A packed gym, theater, or house of worship has different egress rules than a typical office or classroom.

The IBC requires panic hardware or fire exit hardware on every swinging door along the egress path once occupant load in an assembly space hits 50 people.

NFPA 101 sets that threshold at 100, though many adopted editions have shifted to 50 to fall in line with the IBC. When both codes apply to a project, the stricter number wins.

The doors along that egress path still have to meet the same basic principle: openable with one motion in a single direction, no key, tool, or special knowledge required, and on accessible doors, operable with one hand and no more than five pounds of force.

PDQ's exit devices are built to UL 305 and ANSI/BHMA A156.3 standards to meet that requirement.

Do you know the occupant load that triggers panic hardware in your building?

For more info, check this out: https://hubs.la/Q04tT7zK0

Managing keys across a multi-door commercial building shouldn't mean juggling a drawer full of unlabeled cuts.

PDQ's keying systems support master and grand-master keying, so facility managers can control exactly who has access to which doors, without rekeying the entire building every time a tenant or department changes.

Good key control isn't just a convenience, it's a security fundamental that gets overlooked until it becomes a problem.

How does your building currently manage key access?

Labor Day is a celebration of the people who build, install, and keep things running, and that includes every hand that puts PDQ hardware into buildings across the country.

To every tradesperson, manufacturing team member, and installer working today or enjoying a well-earned day off: thank you for the work you do.

Happy Labor Day from all of us at PDQ.