About Kawasaki Precision Machinery
Although the name Kawasaki is probably best known for motorbikes, at the vast Ernesettle manufacturing plant in Plymouth the company makes hydraulic pumps and motors used within the maritime, mobile and industrial sectors. Well-known clients include JCB, Caterpillar, John Deere and Volvo. The site has been operational for nearly 30 years and employs around 300 people.
The Story in Brief:
- In partnership with its customer Kawasaki, Securitas proposed a risk-based security approach, enabling the full Securitas portfolio of services to be discussed, implemented and ultimately benefit Kawasaki.
- We recommended a combination of our protective services, to include a new CCTV system with external IP cameras, access control, mobile patrols and on-site guarding.
- The CCTV system is remote monitored by the Securitas Operations Centre (SOC) from where officers can verify any intrusion and take appropriate action.
- To improve access control, we installed electronic bi-fold gates which uses ANPR to allow authorised vehicles to enter and leave.
Balancing Costs With Capabilities
Securitas UK has provided 24/7 on-site guarding at the Kawasaki Precision Machinery site for several years and we have a strong working relationship with the team there. As part of our regular review process, we approached them to discuss how other components from our portfolio of security services could be deployed to future-proof their investment. A key consideration was to explore a solution less reliant on on-site guarding, without losing the personal touch that a security officer provides. Having conducted a comprehensive survey and reviewed their current business processes, it was apparent that even with a 24/7 security officer presence, the size of the site, its limited access controls and outdated CCTV meant it was still vulnerable to intruders.
We proposed a solution-led approach to improve security across the entire site while also enabling significant savings. “Securitas worked with us very collaboratively to understand what we wanted and then came up with a really comprehensive proposal,” says Kim Worthington, Strategic Category Lead at Kawasaki Precision Machinery.
Achieving Comprehensive Coverage
Our recommendation was a new CCTV system using external IP cameras that pick up both radar and thermal images. This technology facilitated a reduction in on-site guarding hours by enabling a transition to fully remote monitoring of the camera feed by our officers at the Securitas Operations Centre (SOC). In the event of an intruder, the officers can interrogate the Video Management System (VMS) to verify the situation and, if required, issue an audio challenge on-site and despatch a mobile patrol to investigate further. “It’s a large area and there is a limit to what a security guard can see, especially when patrolling at night,” explains Wayne Dark, Compliance Manager at the site, “The introduction of radar and thermal camera capabilities and elimination of the blind spots of the previous system provide much better protection of the site and the people on it – including intruders who could be at risk of injuring themselves. Our insurers were initially concerned about there not being a security officer on-site 24/7,” he continues, “But Securitas provided all the information they needed to reassure them that security would not be compromised.
To further improve access control we installed electronic bi-fold gates at the site entrance. These use ANPR to allow authorised vehicles to enter and leave; motorbike riding employees have been issued with transmitters and staff who arrive on foot have an access control card or fob to enable them to gain access. To maintain the human touch a security officer is still present throughout the working week and mobile security patrols have been introduced to randomly patrol the site.
However, the all-seeing CCTV system has enabled the on-site guarding hours to be reduced by 64%, delivering substantial savings – and with the imminent 9.7% increase in the Living Wage, it’s a timely change in approach. We also gave Kawasaki the added advantage of spreading the cost of the new CCTV and access control technologies over five years. “The new arrangements are working well” confirms Kim, “and overall, we’ll achieve a 30% annual saving on our security spend for the next 10 years.”
“Securitas UK’s solution has future-proofed our onsite security and delivered significant long-term savings.” Kim Worthington, Strategic Category Lead, Kawasaki Precision Machinery.
