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Cable theft thwarted by surveillance

Tropical Cables & Conductors deploys Axis network cameras to monitor production plant.

A solution to the financially crippling cable theft and stock shrinkage problems of Tropical Cables and Conductors, a wholly Ghanaian-owned company, was hastily sought after the devastating fatality of an employee during an armed robbery. Dataforce, a software engineering and networking consultancy, was approached to deploy a quality surveillance system.

Kobina Beecham Jr, MD of Dataforce, selected Axis network cameras for this particular installation due to their reliability and flexibility. AXIS Camera Station, the video management software designed to support Axis network cameras and video encoders, was chosen for video monitoring and recording. The software has multiple search functions and automatic camera discovery, making setup and installation extremely straightforward.

Dataforce has delivered a surveillance system that has completely eradicated stock theft and prevented any further armed robberies. Beecham is delighted that most administration of the system can be carried out over the Internet, decreasing the inconvenience of regular site visits.

Productivity has increased on the factory floor as employees are no longer able to neglect their tasks undetected. Managers and supervisors are being held accountable for events that are recorded and documented.

Monitoring from every angle

Five AXIS 211 network cameras, enclosed in weatherproof housings, were installed to monitor the loading bay, access gate and perimeter of the plant. The AXIS 211 is a cost-effective network camera featuring built-in video motion detection, simultaneous Motion JPEG and MPEG-4, allowing for optimisation in image quality and bandwidth, and a varifocal DC-iris lens ideal for outdoor light conditions. The camera also contains support for PoE (Power over Ethernet) that enables power to be supplied through a network cable, enabling operation during a power failure.

The production line is observed via three AXIS 212 PTZ network cameras. The one-click pan/tilt/zoom camera contains no moving parts, drastically reducing wear and tear and allowing the camera to instantly change the field of view without a delay for mechanical movement. The AXIS 212 PTZ is ideal for indoor surveillance of areas of up to 150 square metres and contains a two-way audio facility making it the perfect fit for the Tropical Cable and Conductors factory floor. A wide-angle lens combined with a 3 megapixel sensor ensures that the entire area can be surveyed with crystal-clear resolution.

The surveillance is completed by an AXIS 207MW network camera that monitors the relatively large car park from a nearby window. The AXIS 207MW is the smallest wireless megapixel network camera in the world. It offers spectacular image quality (up to 12 frames per second in 1,3 megapixel resolution) even in low lighting conditions, which assist with the effortless identification of vehicle occupants and licence plates.

Saving time and money

Another positive consequence of the installation is the monitoring of loading of cables onto trucks. The footage can be drawn on to resolve disputes over quantity which could only previously be determined by a time-consuming unload and recount. The cause of an industrial accident can now also be ascertained with little investigation.

“The Axis cameras are reliable, drastically reducing callouts and downtime and the loading and unloading processes have become streamlined,” remarks Beecham.

Dataforce intends to further beef-up security at Tropical Cables and Conductors by deploying additional higher resolution Axis cameras in critical areas. A sister factory of Tropical Cables and Conductors has been identified for a similar installation once Internet connectivity is available.

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