Installing conventional video equipment inside a building roughly the size of 10 football pitches is always expensive.
Installing conventional video equipment inside a building roughly the size of 10 football pitches is always expensive.
At Sainsbury's 700,000-square-feet Hams Hall Distribution Center, a Sentry Technology SmartTrack mobile robotic surveillance system is proving to be cost-effective. Two Sentry SmartTracks, each 114 meters in length, have been installed by Intrepid Security at the Sainsbury's Hams Hall facility in Coleshill, Birmingham, U.K.
The SmartTrack systems are equipped with concealed PTZ cameras, which glide along tracks at speeds of up to 13 feet per second. They enable an operator to swiftly position the camera over any activity or incident.
“The main reason for installing the SmartTrack systems is for health and safety compliance,” said Anthony Hooper, Regional Loss Prevention Manager for Sainsbury's Supply Chain Security. “We are determined that all 750 of our staff who work at Hams Hall can do so in a safe environment. The SmartTrack systems have certainly helped us to be effective in this respect and at the same time they have offered us the additional bonus of being able to closely monitor operations in our loading bays.”
There have already been a number of incidents where SmartTrack has assisted in identifying individuals who have broken safety rules. “It may be a disciplinary matter or just a case or retraining, the important factor is to ensure that the individuals concerned are adhering to best practice,” Hooper said.
The two SmartTracks have been suspended from the building's 22-meter high ceiling structure to an operating height of six meters. They allow operators clear views into all loading and unloading vehicles at the loading bays, as well as each of the distribution center's storage and picking aisles.
SmartTrack acts as a powerful deterrent as the cameras are hidden behind mirrored enclosures and are virtually silent running. As well as being operator controlled, the systems can be pre-programmed for up to six automatic tours, each of which can have up to 60 preset positions.
Iain Hay, National Loss Prevention Manager for Sainsbury's Supply Chain Security said: “To achieve the same benefit with more traditional dome and static cameras the quantities of cameras and associated equipment necessary would have been cost prohibitive. As a result of the coverage and cost savings achieved at Hams Hall, mobile robotic camera systems have been included in the specification for all new distribution centers and for sites requiring refurbishment.”