It is becoming more apparent that business consumers are seeing the extended benefits of traditional security systems in their operations. The industrial and manufacturing sector is quickly realising that the use of surveillance equipment in their plants is able to add increased productivity, enhanced OHS and minimised downtime to the equation.
Hi-Tech Security Solutions spoke to Henry Pieters, protection security officer at Robert Bosch, about the company’s investment in access control and CCTV systems. Bosch has a high-tech manufacturing facility, based in Brits, North-West Province, producing automotive parts for the original equipment as well as aftermarket sectors. Products include alternators, starter motors, wiper systems, brake assemblies as well as electronic control units for both automotive and non-automotive use.
Pieters says that the company deploys an access control system, comprising Impro readers, which is used to monitor the influx of employees. The system also fulfils a time and attendance (T&A) role by working in conjunction with the company’s SAP system. In this way, overtime, sick leave and leave days are automatically calculated each time an employee places their finger on the biometric fingerprint reader. This allows for production planning to take place, based on employee workplace attendance.
At the company’s Brits facility Impro readers are positioned at the major entrance and exit points on both single and double turnstiles. In addition, there are readers positioned at the entrance to sensitive areas such as the IT room, to ensure that only authorised personnel are admitted.
While the company is not currently using biometrics to control access to specific machines on the production line, Pieters says it is something that has been considered should further machines be added in the future. He explains that presently, due to the way the line manufacturing is structured, it would be difficult to implement. Another consideration is the implementation of an RFID system, once the budget allows for this.
Quite naturally, the division uses IP and PTZ cameras acquired from sister company Bosch Security. Some of these cameras fulfil a dual role – for traditional security and for monitoring of the production line. In the latter instance, they are installed to provide feedback on specific segments of the production line and are used to improve productivity and ensure that no one section is non-operational. The cameras on the critical areas of the production line were installed a year ago and have already shown an ROI due to the large reduction in the number of line stoppages experienced.
Pieters says that choosing the right technology for a manufacturing plant is based on a number of factors, including the environment in which manufacturing takes place in terms of dust and temperature levels; the type of production line that is being monitored; and the level of sophistication of automation.
Once he had identified the critical areas within the plant, he undertook a site survey in conjunction with a team from Bosch Security. This allowed them to ascertain best practice solutions for each area under review. Test cameras were then deployed to site and a process of elimination followed until all parties were 100% happy with the results.
Pieters says that the surveillance system has also benefited the company from an OHS perspective. “There have been incidences where the cart used for the ‘milk run’ has become unhooked and we have been able to detect this before any damage to machines or employees could occur. We also used surveillance cameras in the loading areas where forklift trucks are in operation. Given the fact that forklift trucks are potentially hazardous from an OHS viewpoint, being able to monitor their operation is a great benefit to the company.”
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