Precast Inc. - May/June 2008 - (Page 26) BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT Let’s Get Physical! Precast manufacturers take extra measures in securing their facilities. By Bridget McCrea I t’s been four years since the physical security system was installed at Granby, Conn.-based Arrow Concrete Products Inc., and already the $70,000 investment has paid off handsomely. For starters, the 65-employee, threelocation precast manufacturer has saved man-hours that would have been spent manually monitoring its facilities and yard. The company has also caught and apprehended at least one burglar with the system, used it for training on the shop floor, and received an insurance discount as a result of the investment. “The benefits extend beyond the fact that our facilities are more secure as a result of our monitoring system,” says Kurt Burkhart, company president. The system was installed in the firm’s Granby plant in 2004 as a way to stop break-ins and pilfering while also boosting production and establishing a chain of evidence for possible workers’ compensation claims and accidents. “We looked at what manufacturers outside of the precast industry were using and picked a local supplier who we were comfortable with,” says Burkhart. The system, which includes a complex network of cameras that pan the firm’s yard and plant, was installed and set up by the vendor. It can be monitored from any computer on the company’s premises or off site through the Internet and a password-protected Web site. “I can be traveling out in California,” says Burkhart, “and see what’s going on in the plant.” Filling a need Bulky, heavy precast concrete structures aren’t typically considered the type of products that need a lot of layers of security to protect, but what goes on behind the scenes at the typical manufacturing plant – the design, 26 MAY/JUNE 2008 | PRECAST INC. istock.com operations and administration – can be vulnerable when proper security techniques aren’t employed. Add in the fact that accidents and work mishaps can be thwarted through effective monitoring and training, and the case for a solid security system at a precast plant becomes even more compelling. “It’s not only about catching the ‘bad guy,’” says Jeff Shotlander, North American account manager for SWANN Security, a Santa Fe Springs, Calif.-based manufacturer of security solutions. “Manufacturers need to look at what their risks are and at protecting their overall business.” In other words, positioning cameras to watch for theft or vandalism – and then monitoring those recordings for any signs of wrongdoing – is one approach to security. But remember that you should also be keeping an eye on any liability issues that could surface. Let’s say an employee goes into the plant and begins working without the required hard hat or lacking the right type of http://istock.com
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