Turnstar
Turnstar is a Johannesburg-based provider of integrated physical access control and time-and-attendance solutions, serving commercial and industrial facilities in South Africa. Founded in 1990 by Sidney Sacks, the company supplies hardware-software systems for security, credentialing, and workforce management.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1990
- HeadquartersJohannesburg, South Africa
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Turnstar does
Turnstar is a Johannesburg-headquartered, privately-held provider of physical access control and time-and-attendance solutions, founded in 1990 by Sidney Sacks, who remains its managing director. The company positions itself as a "total solution" supplier for these two adjacent security-and-workforce-management use cases, implying an integrated offering that combines physical hardware (turnstiles, readers, barriers, biometric terminals) with software for credential management, access logging, and workforce clocking.
The underlying product surface appears to combine electromechanical access-control hardware with a software layer for identity, credential issuance, and time-and-attendance reporting; however, the company's own website (turnstar.co.za) returned only a verification/loading page at the time of data collection, so specific product names, architecture details, integration endpoints, and certifications were not retrievable. The single extracted technology signal explicitly noted no API or SDK exists, suggesting a closed, on-premises-leaning product posture rather than a platform/API play.
Commercially, Turnstar operates as a for-profit private company with 101-250 employees and an unstated revenue base, headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa. No pricing models, customer segments, distribution channels, marketing channels, or named customers were disclosed in the input data, and the firm's export footprint beyond South Africa is not documented. The 35-year operating history and continued founder leadership point to an established, relationship-driven regional business, but the absence of disclosed financials, growth signals, or strategic transactions limits visibility into its current commercial trajectory.
Turnstar firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Turnstar
- Website
- https://turnstar.co.za
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1990
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Turnstar is a Johannesburg-based provider of integrated physical access control and time-and-attendance solutions, serving commercial and industrial facilities in South Africa. Founded in 1990 by Sidney Sacks, the company supplies hardware-software systems for security, credentialing, and workforce management.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Turnstar is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Johannesburg
- HQ country
- South Africa
- HQ region
- Africa
Markets served
Turnstar business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales
Turnstar product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Turnstar provides a total solution for all physical access control and time and attendance applications. The company designs, manufactures, and supplies physical turnstile hardware and related pedestrian access control equipment to organisations that need to manage entry into buildings, sites, or restricted areas, as well as time and attendance recording solutions for workforce management.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use Turnstar
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
Turnstar technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Turnstar partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves1 record
Turnstar competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Gunnebo: Gunnebo offers entrance security solutions including full-height and tripod turnstiles, speed gates, and access control products, closely overlapping with Turnstar's portfolio of physical access hardware.
- Automatic Systems: Automatic Systems designs and manufactures turnstiles, speed gates, and pedestrian security barriers for buildings, transit, and critical infrastructure — a direct product-line peer to Turnstar in physical access control.
- Alvarado (dormakaba): Alvarado, now part of dormakaba, manufactures optical turnstiles, full-height turnstiles, and gate solutions for physical access control — a direct peer to Turnstar with overlapping product categories and customer segments.
- ZKTeco: ZKTeco manufactures biometric and RFID-based access control devices plus time and attendance terminals — a directly comparable peer covering both pillars of Turnstar's stated offering (access control + T&A).
- Boon Edam: Boon Edam is a global manufacturer of turnstiles, speed gates, and security entrance solutions — directly comparable to Turnstar in product category (physical access control hardware) and target customer base (commercial and institutional facilities).
- Magnetic Autocontrol: Magnetic Autocontrol produces vehicle barriers, pedestrian gates, and turnstiles for access control at parking facilities, airports, and commercial sites — directly comparable in physical access hardware to Turnstar.
- Hayward Turnstiles: Hayward Turnstiles manufactures full-height and waist-height turnstiles as well as optical turnstiles for access control — a focused direct competitor in the same physical-security product niche as Turnstar.
Broad incumbents
- ASSA ABLOY: ASSA ABLOY is the global leader in access solutions, with brands covering mechanical and electronic access control, entrance automation, and identification technology — overlapping with Turnstar's market from a much broader portfolio perspective.
- dormakaba: dormakaba is a global incumbent offering a broad portfolio including electronic access solutions, turnstiles (via Alvarado), and entrance systems — competing with Turnstar from a wider product portfolio across commercial real estate and institutional customers.
Regional players
- Centaman Systems: Centaman provides access control, ticketing, and time & attendance solutions primarily across the Australian and Asia-Pacific markets — comparable to Turnstar in product scope (access control + T&A) but operating in a different regional footprint.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Turnstar social profiles
Digital presenceTurnstar financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Turnstar leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Turnstar funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Turnstar M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Turnstar
What does Turnstar do?
Turnstar provides a total solution for all physical access control and time and attendance applications. The company designs, manufactures, and supplies physical turnstile hardware and related pedestrian access control equipment to organisations that need to manage entry into buildings, sites, or restricted areas, as well as time and attendance recording solutions for workforce management.
When was Turnstar founded?
Turnstar was founded in 1990. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Turnstar based?
Turnstar is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, in the Africa region.
Who are Turnstar's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Gunnebo, Automatic Systems, Alvarado (dormakaba), ZKTeco, Boon Edam, Magnetic Autocontrol and Hayward Turnstiles. Broad incumbents are ASSA ABLOY and dormakaba. Centaman Systems is listed as a regional player.
Does Turnstar have an API?
No public API is recorded for Turnstar.