Cube was founded by Marcus Pürner in 1993 in Waldershof, Bavaria. The company enjoyed rapid growth and now manufactures racing and trekking bikes, mountain bikes, and e-bikes as well as equipment and sports accessories.
Mission
Cube was founded by Marcus Pürner in 1993 in Waldershof, Bavaria. The company enjoyed rapid growth and now manufactures racing and trekking bikes, mountain bikes, and e-bikes as well as equipment and sports accessories. As the market leader in Germany, it now sells its products in 63 countries all over the world. Evidence of this growth is also reflected in the company’s headquarters. In order to meet the growing demand, company founder Marcus Pürner opened the new bicycle and logistics center (BLC) in Waldershof in 2014. The modern and impressive site brings together production, assembly, and warehouse facilities. Every day, deliveries of bike components arrive and shipments of new products head out. What was needed in this case was a professional video solution for monitoring the exterior.
Solution
For security cameras installed outdoors, ruggedness is a must. On the one hand, they must be able to withstand rain, wind, hail, or sun. On the other hand, they have to ensure uniform video image quality, regardless of how lighting conditions change throughout the day or year. And finally, there is also the potential for vandalism. Robin Fröhlich, division manager at ProComp, has been working with
Axis network cameras for many years and knows their technical capabilities. He opted to use AXIS
Q1615-E Network Camera on the outside and AXIS P1365 inside the BLC.
Result
There are currently about 100 cameras in the new bicycle and logistics center, which monitor everything that happens at the building entrances and in the loading area. Symphony video management software by Aimetis makes learning the new security system intuitive and quick. A particular recording can be retrieved quickly and easily. The monitoring system functions reliably and according to Matthias Schmidt, technical operations assistant at Cube, more expansions are already in the works.
The motto “Cube your Life” says it all: Cube stands for independent ideas and progress as well as full-fledged solutions, almost all of which were born at company headquarters in Waldershof. Currently, Cube has about 500 employees. After the bike manufacturer was established by Marcus Pürner in 1993, business took off quickly. Since then, Cube has become Germany’s market leader in the mid-level and high-end mountain bike and racing bike segment. The current product line is made up of more than 140 different mountain bikes, racing bikes, cross bikes, triathlon bikes, and trekking bikes that are sold in 63 countries around the world. The company rounds out its offerings with ergonomically adapted women’s and children’s bikes and extensive apparel and accessory collections. The portfolio has also expanded to include e-bikes, whose sales are climbing rapidly.
When Cube started importing bikes from China in 1993 at a 50m² store, no one imagined that by 2014, this would lead to the establishment of a modern 35,000 m² bicycle & logistics center not far from Waldershof. The imposing building, which is known as the BLC for short, boasts immense production floors and storage facilities; the assembly area extends over two floors. In two-shift operation, Cube can build up to 3,000 bikes a day during peak times. Assembly operations are supported by an inventory of 120,000 frames. Ten containers a day are delivered.
Cameras monitor all building entrances
The new BLC includes an ultra-modern warehouse facility and the production and assembly area. Large numbers of new product components are delivered to the warehouse every day while finished Cube products are shipped out. ProComp GmbH in Marktredwitz knows the company well and was very familiar with the special features that a security system needed to provide.
“At a company like Cube, which has an excellent reputation internationally, the entrances to the premises have to be well-secured. Even this sector is no stranger to industrial espionage. That’s why cameras are also installed inside, for example in order to protect the server room. Another important site to monitor was the warehouse. After all, numerous containers come in and out of it every day,” explains Robin Fröhlich, division manager at ProComp GmbH.
Axis Lightfinder technology ensures detailed images
In all, there are about 100 Axis cameras installed outside the new bicycle and logistics center in Waldershof and about 30 units are installed inside the headquarters in Waldershof. Outside, AXIS Q1615 provides security at the entrances. Image quality is important here. If an incident occurs at the warehouse, the detailed camera images help to achieve clarity. Many suppliers deliver material and accessories for the bikes at different times. The warehouse is a veritable hive of activity. It is important to have an overview of everything that happens. Cameras make it possible to keep track of when incorrect products have been delivered or a shortfall has been detected. The cameras also make it possible to monitor entry points for people and vehicles. Here, too, the recordings give a clear picture of everything that happens.
It is thus possible to take corresponding steps to avoid such incidents in future. The cameras also monitor all of the entrances to the individual buildings. Since it must capture images in the dark and in dim evening light, the camera has a wide dynamic range and is equipped with Axis Lightfinder technology. It is thus perfectly suitable for use even in challenging, rapidly changing lighting conditions, and automatically adapts to the respective scene.
They are able to simultaneously capture all details in both dark and light areas. The detailed recordings can even be used for vehicle license plate recognition.
AXIS Q1615-E also produces HDTV 1080p resolution, with 50/60 images per second. This is twice the normal frame rate and also enables the cameras to easily record videos when people or vehicles are moving quickly.
For interior applications, ProComp GmbH relies on fully equipped AXIS P1365 Network Cameras with WDR Forensic Capture and Axis Zipstream technology. Thanks to Zipstream, it is possible to reduce the bandwidth and the memory requirements by up to 50%. These cameras are used to monitor the server room and the battery warehouse.
For video management software, ProComp GmbH uses Symphony by Aimetis, software that is easy to set up and use.
Summary
As the leading bike manufacturer in Germany, Cube stands for quality and innovation. Not only in its products, but also in the new bicycle and logistics center, the company is betting on professional solutions. The security system installed by ProComp GmbH is meeting the manufacturer’s every need and can also be adapted and expanded as needed.