Why the Smartest Hardware Distributors Are Expanding Into Electrified Products Right Now

The short answer: Commercial door hardware distributors are expanding into electrified products because their customers (contractors, architects, and facility managers) are increasingly requiring access-control-ready openings that mechanical hardware alone cannot fulfill. Electric strikes, electrified locksets, wireless locks, and power-transfer accessories are now standard requirements on projects across healthcare, education, government, and commercial applications. Distributors who stock and sell these products confidently are winning projects that hardware-only competitors cannot bid on.

Why Are Architects and Contractors Specifying Electrified Hardware?

A decade ago, access control was the security integrator’s domain. Hardware distributors supplied mechanical locks, and the two rarely intersected. That separation has been removed. Architects writing Division 08 specifications now routinely include “electrified hardware coordination” requirements, meaning the hardware package must be compatible with the owner’s access control platform before the project breaks ground.

Three forces are driving this shift:

1. Updated building codes. Certain applications may have codes that now require electrified hardware for stairwell re-entry, delayed egress, and security vestibule applications (IBC 2021 §§1010.2.7, 1010.2.13; NFPA 101-2021 §7.2.1.6). These are not optional upgrades; they are code-minimum requirements on many project types.
2. Vertical market security standards. CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) is a security planning framework used by architects and facility planners that calls for controlled entry points and layered access control at key thresholds. As CPTED principles have become standard on K–12 and municipal projects, electrified hardware has followed. In healthcare, The Joint Commission (the primary accreditation body for U.S. hospitals and health systems) requires facilities to conduct security risk assessments and implement controlled access to patient care areas and pharmacies, requirements that mechanical hardware alone cannot satisfy.
3. Owner demand for operational control. Facility managers want to audit access, revoke credentials remotely, and integrate door hardware with building management systems.

What Electrified Hardware Products Are Distributors Stocking?

PDQ’s electrified hardware category breaks down into five product types. However, there are many more electrified hardware categories than this that PDQ doesn’t offer.

How Does the Knowledge Gap Become a Competitive Advantage?

Some hardware distributors are not yet positioned to sell electrified hardware confidently. The product knowledge required is meaningfully different from mechanical hardware: low-voltage electrical concepts, wiring diagrams, fail-safe vs. fail-secure configurations, and the ability to speak credibly with access control integrators.

That gap is the opportunity.

When a contractor receives a spec with electrified hardware and doesn’t know where to start, they call whoever can actually help them. The distributors building electrified expertise right now are winning jobs they may never never have seen two years ago, not by undercutting on price, but by solving a problem no one else in the channel was solving.

Building this capability doesn’t require a complete operational overhaul. It starts with three moves: training inside sales staff on electrified fundamentals, adding electrified SKUs from your primary line partners in the most common configurations, and developing a handful of “complete opening” packages (hardware, power supply, REX, and door position switch) that contractors can order without having to source pieces separately.

How Should Distributors Prioritize Their Electrified Product Expansion?

The right starting point depends on your market and customer mix. These four steps are the most efficient path for distributors new to the category:

1. Lead with retrofit-friendly products. Electric strikes and wireless locksets solve problems on existing buildings without requiring structural changes. They have the shortest sales cycles and the fastest path to stocking turns.
2. Validate compatibility with common access control platforms. Find out which panels and credential readers your contractor customers use most. Compatibility issues are the primary source of project friction, and knowing your hardware works with their systems is a real selling point.
3. Build integrator relationships proactively. Security integrators frequently drive hardware specifications upstream on new construction and renovation projects. Getting in front of them as a knowledgeable hardware resource positions you in the spec process before the project contract is issued.
4. Use manufacturer training and support. PDQ and other major manufacturers offer product training, application engineering support, and joint sales call resources. Distributors actively growing their electrified business should be leveraging all of it.

Frequently Asked Questions: Electrified Hardware for Distributors

What’s the difference between fail-safe and fail-secure electrified hardware?

Fail-safe hardware unlocks when power is removed, meaning the door opens during a power failure or fire alarm. Fail-secure hardware remains locked when power is removed. Building codes and life-safety requirements govern which configuration is allowed on a given opening (IBC 2021 §1010.2.13; NFPA 101-2021 §7.2.1.6); egress doors generally require fail-safe, while high-security interior openings may allow fail-secure. Distributors should confirm the required configuration with the specifier before quoting.

Do electric strikes require an electrician to install?

Electric strikes operate on low voltage (typically 12V or 24V DC) and are generally installed by the door hardware contractor, not a licensed electrician. However, the power supply and wiring back to the access control panel may require coordination with the electrical or low-voltage contractor, depending on local code and project scope. Distributors should clarify the installation scope on a project-by-project basis.

Which PDQ electrified products are best for a distributor new to the category?

The best starting point is the electric strike line, starting with the 85001 for cylindrical lock applications and the 85003 for mortise applications cover the majority of retrofit scenarios. For exit device applications, the 9910 rim exit device electric strike is the purpose-built solution. These are the most frequently requested electrified products, have straightforward installation, and offer a clear upgrade path to electrified locksets and accessories as your team’s knowledge deepens.

How do I know if an electric strike is compatible with an access control system?

Compatibility depends on voltage (12V or 24V), current draw, and whether the strike supports the signal type the access control panel outputs (normally open vs. normally closed). PDQ’s electric strikes include full electrical specifications. When in doubt, contact PDQ’s customer support team or the access control manufacturer’s technical support line.

What is an electrified hinge, and when is one required?

An electrified hinge (also called a power-transfer hinge) carries low-voltage wiring through the hinge barrel from the door frame to the door leaf. One is required whenever an electrified device (such as strike, lockset, REX sensor, or credential reader) is mounted on the door itself and must receive power from the frame side. PDQ offers the EL4 (4-wire) and EL8 (8-wire) models to cover standard and high-wire-count applications. They’re also the preferred solution when a clean aesthetic is required: because the wiring runs concealed through the hinge barrel, there’s no visible conduit, surface-mounted wire, or electrified power transfer (EPT) device on the door or frame.

The Market Window Is Open, But It Won’t Stay That Way

The distributors who built deep commercial hollow metal relationships in the 1980s, who got serious about exit device stocking in the 1990s, who became the go-to resource for door control in the 2000s. They all moved before the market crowded. The same dynamic is playing out now with electrified hardware.

As the category matures, more distributors will add electrified lines, more reps will get trained, and today’s competitive advantage becomes tomorrow’s table stakes. The distributors who act now, investing in product knowledge, stock depth, and integrator relationships before the market fully arrives, are the ones who will own it when it does.

The shift to electrified hardware isn’t a disruption to the commercial door hardware business. It’s an expansion of it. And for distributors who are paying attention, it’s one of the clearest growth opportunities in the market today.

To learn more about electrified products contact PDQ directly or reach out to a sales rep in your area.