Precast Inc. - May/June 2008 - (Page 30) low-voltage equipment to a power source. The precaster who uses 16 cameras with a DVR can expect to pay as little as $2,500 for the system, with more complex, completely installed systems costing upwards of $10,000. Filling them in In return for the investment, manufacturers can expect not only to receive almost instant peace of mind (particularly if the firm didn’t previously have a monitoring system) and possible price breaks on its property and liability insurance coverage, but also a new workplace training and monitoring tool. “Just be sure to let employees know well in advance that they’re going to be monitored,” says Eric Barger, president at Kingston, Tenn.-based precast manufacturing firm C.R. Barger and Sons Inc. He quickly found out that his employees weren’t happy about the idea of being recorded. “When we installed our new security system in the plant a few years ago, everyone was mad,” recalls Barger, who has apprehended would-be robbers with the system and also used it for safety training. “We learned a valuable lesson on that one, namely to tell them what you’re doing before you put the cameras up.” Barger also suggests checking with your state officials to make sure you follow the rules. Some states require that you place a notification in plain sight for your employees. Burkhart says his employees were apprehensive at first about the new system, but adds that all were reminded that in most establishments today – be it a gas station, grocery store or drugstore – monitoring devices are in place. He even went so far as to show employees where they could essentially “hide” out of sight of the cameras, when necessary. “We just wanted to be realistic with them,” he says, laughing, “but today I don’t think any of our workers even give a second thought to the fact that they’re on camera.” On the level The good news is that most security systems today are fairly straightforward and flexible, allowing precasters to make the most use of them without too much extra work or training. “Most of them utilize Windows applications, which makes them very consistent with the work you’re doing on the computer every day (with programs like Outlook, for example),” says Thomas Keller, vice president at security consultancy TEECOM Design Group in Oakland, Calif. The systems are also integrated, says Keller. In other words, your intrusion alerts, motion detectors and regular day-to-day monitoring can be viewed through a single platform with the click of the computer mouse, rather than having to access various programs to get the necessary information. To precasters looking to install a new – or upgrade an existing – security system, Burkhart says “now is the time to do it.” After all, he points out, manufacturers in nearly all other industries are taking the steps necessary to protect their assets, operations and employees while reaping some of the added benefits (insurance savings, safety tools, etc.) in the process – and usually for an affordable investment that pays off quickly. “Look around at other industries and you’ll see that most companies are using camera-based, monitored systems on all of their production lines and in their operations,” says Burkhart. “It’s definitely time for the precast industry to step up and do the same.” BOOTH 1251 Bridget McCrea is a freelance writer who covers manufacturing, industry and technology. She is the winner of the 2007 Florida Magazine Association's Gold Award for best trade/technical feature statewide. 30 MAY/JUNE 2008 | PRECAST INC.
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