Established in France in 1898, Michelin, the international giants of tyre manufacturing, hold forefront positions in every tyre market as well as in travel-related services. They are now one of the two largest tyre manufacturers in the world. With 72 production facilities in 19 countries, their Dundee factory has been operating for nearly 40 years. Michelin protect this site with a networked access control system from UK market leaders, Paxton.
As the only tyre factory in Scotland, and one of two main Michelin factories in the UK, Michelin in Dundee has developed a rapid production rate, producing between six and seven million car tyres each year.
Mike Donald, senior risk manager, is responsible for the prevention of risk to the Michelin environment at the Dundee factory.
He says: “Security is very important to Michelin. We need to manage the flow of staff and visitors to our factory as well as secure Michelin information. Over the years we have successfully invented and launched the radial tyre, among other breakthroughs. These secret recipes are something unique to our company. Michelin’s know-how is the sort of technology worth protecting.”
The Michelin factory at Dundee is a large scale site with over 800 employees working a 24 hour industrial shift pattern, across 22 different buildings. Donald wanted a security system to control access to the main gates and other core buildings. He called in Richard McCredie from Midlands Electrical Fire and Security who specified Net2, Paxton’s electronic access control system.
McCredie said: “Michelin wanted to secure their main gates and areas they didn’t want the public to gain access to. This included their factory, Michelin training school, main IT room and private offices. Once Net2 was installed and they saw how simple it was to use, the decision was made to extend the system to more doors around the site.”
He fitted Paxton’s Metal readers to the main turnstile gates at the entrance of the Michelin site. Now, when visitors arrive at the manned reception desk they are given a smart ID/access card in one, branded with the Michelin logo. Michelin use the Card Designer program in the Net2 software to design different cards for staff and guests alike.
Additionally, some visitors require regular vehicle access to deliver supplies and material for making the Michelin tyres. These visitors simply keep their ID/access cards in their vehicles and present them to the Metal readers on the main gates as they approach the entrance for access. Michelin have a security team, a permanent presence at the main gates who manage access rights in the Net2 software for staff and visitors.
Donald said: “The security team had no problems learning Net2. The software is very intuitive and they picked it up really easily. It’s a great solution for us as now we are able to use the reports to monitor staff and guest access around the site.”
Michelin are very happy with the Net2 system. Using a cost-effective system like Net2 has meant that Michelin can start out by securing access to the core areas of their business and expand accordingly, as budget becomes available. All Net2 access control units are designed to control one door. This one door philosophy also works well for Michelin as it means doors can be added to the system quickly and easily when needed.
Donald said: “We have a lot of risks to control with the budget given, but Net2 allows us to do this efficiently. It helps us to protect our people and our brand. As the Michelin know-how is globally of interest to competitors, the Net2 system helps us protect our brand and what we do here. It’s a great solution for Michelin.”
For more information, contact Paxton Access, +27 (0)21 427 6691, www.paxtonaccess.co.za
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