Finnish Metal Group Upgrades and Cuts Cost With Axis

Mission
Finnish company Ruukki Metals, a part of Ruukki Group, produces, processes and supplies metal-based solutions to the construction and engineering industries. Ruukki Group has 11,700 employees and operates in 27 countries. The company's headquarters are in Helsinki, and the net sales amount to approximately EUR 2,400 million. The production processes and the planned area are monitored from several control rooms by cameras. The older analog surveillance systems had reached their maximum capacity and needed to be modernized. There was also the need for better picture quality and the possibility of intelligent features in the cameras.

Solution
The analog systems had been upgraded to their absolute limit; but replacing all of the cameras at the same time was not an alternative. Both due to cost reasons and because surveillance must be kept operating around the clock, seven days a week. The solution Ruukki Metals chose was to install video encoders and decoders during the transition phase to be able to modernize the systems and to achieve the benefits an IP-based solution provides; a scalable system, cost efficient with possibilities to add intelligent functions. The solution can be compared to a virtual video matrix that has a simple user interface and the advantage offered by an IP system of being able to grow indefinitely. The video encoder converts the camera's analog signals to digital. The video decoder makes it possible for the monitor or the TV screen to display the images.

Result
In 2010, Axis partner Noatek began with the installation of Axis video encoders and decoders. The project is expected to last for ten years and eventually, all analog cameras will be replaced by network cameras and the entire surveillance system will be IP-based. Calculations show that Ruukki will save 50% of the cost by replacing the analog matrix systems in favor of video encoders instead of installing additional analog matrix systems to cover its needs.