A case study of a multi-purpose, video over IP installation for a Midlands distribution centre.
Thanks to high definition megapixel cameras and the ability to control them over an IP network, distribution centres can get much more from their CCTV system. As an example, APC Overnight’s new national sortation centre in Cannock, Staffordshire. Samsung products, not only a tool to minimise theft, are assisting operational personnel with tracking the movement every month of 1.5 million parcels, as well as ensuring compliance with the company’s health and safety procedures.
APC Overnight has some 115 depots. The company has spent £16.5m on its new 138,000 sq.ft hub in Cannock.
The construction of the new sortation centre provided APC Overnight with an opportunity to take full advantage of the superb images that can be captured by the latest generation of high definition megapixel cameras by deploying them in locations where evidence grade images might be required or where there was a need, such as at conveyor belts and loading bay areas, to be able to zoom in to observe close up detail of any activity.
Colin Dicken, APC Overnight’s Security Manager, said: “One of the key benefits of a video over IP system is that it provides the option to control and monitor cameras from anywhere on the network. This means that our on-site security personnel are not restricted to watching live images or reviewing recorded video from a central control room, whilst my operational colleagues can also simultaneously access the system from their PCs or laptops and if they are off site, even monitor activity from their tablets or smartphones.”
APC Overnight places much stress on being able to track individual packages that are processed at the Cannock hub. Colin Dicken said: “We take great care to ensure that our customers’ property arrives in good condition as well as on time. It is important therefore that we can identify every package as it passes though the sortation centre so that any complaints of lost or damaged parcels can be properly investigated. The high definition Samsung cameras play a key role in helping us achieve this by providing a visual record of how we carefully and accurately handle our customers’ parcels from the moment they arrive in Cannock. This is achieved by tying in the video surveillance system with our bar code booking system.”
A total of 124 Samsung cameras have been installed by Cannock-based Securitec Systems Ltd who were awarded the contract to install and commission CCTV that would ensure there were no blind spots, in the distribution centre and its surrounds.
Martin Kadir of Securitec Systems who are a certified Samsung Smart Partner, says: “As is usual with a project of this kind, the research and design stages are very important. We spent considerable time deciding on what type of cameras to recommend. We had of course to take into account what the objective was at each specified camera location, as well as the likely environmental and lighting conditions, as some of the cameras would be deployed to monitor external areas.”
Some 61 of the specified cameras are from the Samsung LiteNet ‘affordable’ network camera series. 36 of these are SND-7061 3 megapixel Full HD network dome cameras and 25 are SND-5061 1.3 megapixel network domes. Both models comed with 3~8mm varifocal lens. Features include four programmable Motion Detection zones, and 12 programmable Privacy Zones and PoE (Power over Ethernet). The new models also have a day-night feature which automatically configures the camera to capture colour or B/W images depending on the prevailing lighting, and incorporate a scene change tampering feature which creates an alert if, for example, paint is sprayed on a camera lens or if there is unauthorised movement of a camera away from its usual field of view. These ONVIF compliant models also support H.264 and MJPEG compression methods, providing the option to simultaneously transmit images to multiple locations at various frame rates.
The remainder of the 124 cameras are a mixture of fixed cameras and PTZ domes, each selected for the location they are installed at, so that the vCCTV meets APC Overnight’s expectations. The images captured by all the cameras are recorded onto Samsung network video recorders with operators able to view live and recorded video with the help of Samsung Security Manager license-free video surveillance management software.
For further information – visit www.samsungsecurity.com
