About Shortridge Laundry
Shortridge Laundry provides high quality bed, bathroom and table linen laundry and hire services to hotels, B&Bs, restaurants, spas and self-catering accommodation owners. They also hire and launder workwear for a variety of industries. The company serves local independent businesses in Scotland and North England from their three sites in Workington, Darlington and Dumfries.
The Story in Brief:
- An outdated analogue CCTV system at Shortridge Laundry’s Workington site had several blind spots, poor quality images and was only really of use for retrospective viewing.
- Securitas (whose mobile division had recently started providing alarm response and keyholding services at the site) was approached for help to upgrade the system.
- We introduced more cameras, a CCTV platform with video verification, and our fire and intruder alarm monitoring services. Now, if an alarm activate, officers at Securitas Operations Centre (SOC) can assess the situation in real time and alert emergency services.
- Our integrated solutions approach enables us to meet all the client’s security needs, enabling them in turn to achieve their goal of moving from multiple security providers to work with a single trusted partner.
A Forward-Looking Business
When the business began – back in 1845 – laundry was collected and delivered using a horse-drawn cart. Today, a fleet of over 30 vehicles serves customers from Edinburgh to Leeds, and Stranraer to Middlesborough.
Shortridge Laundry continues to move with the times, for example using heat recovery and water recycling systems and reducing its use of single-use plastic by 90% in the past two years. However, when it came to the CCTV security system at the Workington site, General Manager Adam Keatinge, was concerned they were at risk of falling behind.
The existing analogue video system (installed and maintained by another provider) recorded activity but it was not monitored, making it only of use for retrospective viewing of footage for audit purposes. With valuable stock on site and industrial washing, drying and pressing equipment operating all day, Keatinge was rightly concerned that the existing cameras were not providing the coverage required to protect the site and the people working there.
Two years ago, Securitas’ mobile division was appointed to provide alarm response and keyholding services at the site. Pleased with the quality of our service, Keatinge now asked us to advise on updating the CCTV system.
Eliminating Blind Spots
Our comprehensive survey identified several blind spots around the site and also that the images captured were of very poor quality. We proposed the installation of a new IP CCTV system and that we take over the maintenance and monitoring of the existing fire and intruder systems on site.
The upgrade involved migrating 14 of the current cameras and the introduction of 31 new ones. Combined, these cameras have secured the perimeter of the entire site and eliminated the blind spots. Rather than having to pay up-front for the supply and installation of the additional cameras, the costs are spread across the three-year contract, helping Shortridge Laundry preserve precious capital for use elsewhere.
Having the fire and intruder alarm systems monitored by Securitas Operations Centre (SOC) has significantly reduced the client’s risk and increased their peace of mind. As Keatinge explains, “The fire service only attends a site if an actual fire is confirmed and since the old CCTV system didn’t give us a full view of the factory, if a fire alarm was activated, we relied on a keyholder getting the call, going to the site to identify whether it was a false alarm or an actual fire and, if so, alerting the emergency services. That process would take at least 25 minutes, in which time – being a linen factory ¬– huge damage could be done.” Now, thanks to the verification functionality provided by the new CCTV solution, if a fire or intruder activation occurs when the site is unoccupied, SOC officers can interrogate the on-site video recorder in real time to verify the alarm and, if necessary, alert the fire services immediately.
This step-change in site security has also helped Keatinge achieve another of his objectives, which was to migrate from working with several security providers to just one trusted partner. “Previously, I had three or four different suppliers all doing what I viewed as the same job”, he says, “but now it’s all now rolled into one contract with Securitas. This cuts down on administration and gives me a single point of contact for security needs, which is exactly what I wanted.”
“Previously, I had three or four different suppliers all doing what I viewed as the same job, but now it’s all now rolled into one contract with Securitas. Adam Keatinge, General Manager, Shortridge Laundry, Workington.
