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A port in a security storm

When you leave your house in the morning, grab a banana for the road, get in your car, and navigate to work using your smartphone, have you ever stopped to think about how those goods wound up in your hands? What kind of journey did they go on to get from the plantation or the factory to your supermarket or retail store? For most, bananas have found their way to your local supermarket by some form of global trade.

Over the years, South African consumers were accustomed to locally grown bananas. However, due to a severe drought, supermarkets have had to rely on imported bananas to keep up with local demand, resulting in an 867% increase over the last 3 years. The considerable uptick in banana consumption is worldwide. Bananas attributed to 15.3 billion USD of global purchases in 2017 and were one of the most traded goods by weight. It’s mode of transportation? Containers via sea transportation.

Since the late 1960s, container shipping has become one of the most common methods of transporting goods and products between countries and could even stake claim to establishing the first truly global industry. Container shipping forges connections between countries, markets, businesses, and people through global trade.

As the world’s population continues to grow, so does global trade, which puts a need on countries, organisations, and seaports to focus on improving efficiencies and maintaining appropriate levels of security to minimise risk.

Surveillance cameras is one tactic often used to help streamline operations through the leveraging of existing technologies. This approach delivers greater capability and enhanced ROI through the early detection of threats and operational inefficiencies.

When considering a security solutions partner, look to companies who have worked with a variety of ports throughout the world to deliver valuable tools and platforms. Their capabilities should include video surveillance, advanced video analytics, 360-panoramic technology and advanced video monitoring systems; allowing end-users to build stronger security programmes through intelligent data collection.

Security leaders should also consider the capabilities a provider possesses when it comes to the custom integration of existing port management systems with other third-party applications. Open platforms that can easily integrate and support other systems outside of security (i.e. cargo recognition and building management) help to deliver an advanced ROI and add future value for any security investment made today.

The combination of feature-rich video imaging, intelligent analytics, and open video management platforms consolidates security solutions and procedures into an intuitive platform. In turn, this enables seaports to operate at maximum efficiency and security ensuring that consumers can continue to expect bananas at supermarkets.

For more information contact Yvette Venter, Pelco by Schneider Electric, +27 11 254 6400, yvette.venter@schneider-electric.com, www.schneider-electric.co.za

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