Where did my tires go? And who stole them?
The challenge
Where did my tires go? And who stole them? These were the questions going through management’s head back in 2015, when this tire distribution company lost almost $2 million in tire inventory. During one incident alone, a former employee, who still had the burglar alarm code and was given a copy of the entrance key, walked into the building and stole $30,000 worth of tires in just seconds. How did he do that? Simple. The tire distribution company used a simple, yet not very secure method for safeguarding the hundreds of locations they have - lock and key. Worse, they had no management controls as to who had keys to which facilities at any given time. The challenge with lock and key was exasperated by the high turnover rate and the lack of standards.
Given the big losses, the company decided to hire a Security Manager to focus on securing its buildings and reducing theft.
The solution
After renewing a variety of different access control systems, the Security Manager landed on
Brivo Onair due to its ease of use and reasonable cost. Brivo Onair allows him to access and manage his security system from anywhere, at anytime, on any device, all through a single interface. He can now:
- Issue and manage credentials via one interface
- Unlock doors remotely
- Create customized security reports
- Schedule access
- Create access groups
The tire distribution company rolled out Brivo Onair with mobile credentials to all 68 of its distribution centers. The company plans to triple its distribution locations over the next 5 years, so scalability also played an important factor.
While the Security Manager manages the overall system, individual location managers also have access to the system. He conducts a training for his staff to ensure the technology is being used correctly, including onboarding of all new employees.
The results
Without Brivo Onair, the tire distribution company would have no controls or central management of their multi-site physical security. “If you can control access points to the building, you can manage it. If you can manage it centrally, you have more control, and that was the point of the cloud-based access control system. I have control, visibility, and a log to do event reporting. If I want to see who came into the facility at a certain time, I can look at reporting features. It’s a good way to double check things,” says the Security Manager.
Another benefit for him includes creating groups and creating special schedules, such as an “openers” group for those employees who are first to enter the facilities. Center managers can run event reports to ensure whereabouts of employees. This helps build trust and accountability within the organization.
The most meaningful result after the implementation of the Brivo security platform is the decrease in continued losses. Due to the controls and flexibility available, the Security Manager and his team were able to significantly reduce theft. Losses in 2016 versus 2015 amounted to only $200K-$300K, saving the company around $1.8M in a single year. That’s a big deal!
Added bonus
Making the Security Manager’s life way less stressful, the tire distribution company now has the capabilities to integrate with their HR, alarm, and video surveillance systems. This integration will allow the team to manage all 4 of these systems from a single interface, giving the Security Manager even more control over each building’s security, while eliminating any cyber security concerns as the system incorporates strict security measures.