IP To The Rescue

Mar 1, 2006 12:00 PM

COASTAL SUNBELT PRODUCE, a Savage, Md.-based distributor of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, has replaced its legacy CCTV security system with an IP-based system using Sony IPELA cameras.

The technological advance extends the company's capabilities from simply protecting the premises and minimizing theft to supervising food handling and preparation, which, says Coastal Sunbelt IT Administrator Rich Kreuzburg, yields considerable savings over traditional methods.

“The arrival of wireless IP-based security has transformed our facility,” Kreuzburg says. “The cameras are powerful tools whether used outside on patrol to help eliminate theft or inside to help cut the costs of food inspection without cutting corners.”

According to Kreuzburg, as the company grows, it experiences a greater exposure to theft. The need to upgrade the company's CCTV security system became clear with its inability to address produce inventory “shrinkage,” which cost thousands of dollars in losses every month.

As losses accelerated, Kreuzburg says management sought a cost-effective way to keep a close eye on the loading docks to track all vehicles entering and exiting. According to a site analysis, the best vantage points were light posts looking back at the main building.

According to Kreuzburg, traditional wired cameras would require thousands of dollars in added installation costs and business disruptions to dig up the parking lot to bury cables. Instead, positioning three pan/tilt/zoom (PTZ) cameras on posts connected by wireless links was inexpensive and non-disruptive. Soon after installing the cameras, the distributor says any doubts about the missing inventory were quickly resolved.

“The Sony cameras allow us to capture license plates from as far as 200 yards,” Kreuzburg says. “It's amazing to see such high-resolution images over wireless connections.”

In addition to the external wireless cameras, Kreuzburg says Sony network PTZ cameras have also been deployed in the food processing areas to improve quality and process control. In the past, according to the company, mandatory U.S. Department of Agriculture site visits would reveal occasional issues, but did little to pin down the causes or to suggest ways to prevent them. Tracking problems down to their sources to refine best practices proved to be time-consuming and inefficient.

The power of IP-based surveillance has changed that by adopting a methodology akin to robotic cameras observing manufacturing processes to ensure quality. When there is an issue, Kreuzburg says managers are able to search through the video archives to determine specific causes and to improve practices accordingly. Kreuzburg says this eliminates guesswork and allows for speedy, effective resolution. Overall, quality and food safety have improved because of the new system, and it has instilled a heightened sense of accountability.

Finding such opportunities is at the heart of IP-based security, according to Dr. Henry Tyrangiel, president of Baltimore-based Computerized Management Systems, the information technology firm that designed, installed and integrated Coastal Sunbelt's system.

“IP security opens up a wide range of novel applications, providing tremendous value for companies,” Tyrangiel says. “Sony's IPELA network cameras give us the ability to open opportunities that were unimaginable with CCTV.”

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