MC Assembly Prevents Theft with Fully Integrated Security System
Contract
manufacturer MC Assembly takes protecting its staff and its assets seriously
both for the benefit of the company and for its customers. Based in Palm Bay,
Florida, MC Assembly provides testing and contract manufacturing services that
enable original equipment manufacturers to reduce costs, increase quality,
and maintain product availability. The company currently employs a staff of
1,200 at its manufacturing facility in the U.S. and 250 employees at its facility
in Zacatecas, Mexico. To ensure employee safety and protect customers’ intellectual
property, MC Assembly set out to upgrade its entire security system.
The company has taken full advantage of the integration capabilities of Tyco
Fire & Security’s wide range of security solutions. They chose American
Dynamics surveillance cameras and digital video management systems, which are
centrally managed through Kantech access control software, providing strong
connectivity between the video and access control alarms.
The full scale upgrade involved installing cameras to monitor more than a
quarter million square feet of space, and upgrading from a tape-based system
to a digital video environment. Previously, the company had a VCR system that
involved changing tapes every two days. “It was a pain when we needed
to review a tape,” said Charlie Wienckoski, chief of security. “Sometimes
the tape would break and it was difficult to find exactly what we needed in
reviewing scratchy footage.”
MC Assembly turned to security integrator ADT to create a security command
post that consisted of American Dynamics branded surveillance solutions, including:
- An Intellex® digital video management system
- A wall of 43 flat screen monitors
- More than 50 dome and fixed surveillance cameras indoors
- Six SpeedDome® Ultra VII Enhanced Day/Night dome cameras placed outdoors
All of this equipment is centrally managed using the Kantech EntraPass™ Corporate
Edition access control software. Using the software’s Smartlink™ feature,
security personnel can simultaneously monitor surveillance footage from anywhere
on the premises.
“We liked the way that the products were designed to seamlessly integrate
with one another,” said Bob Fontaine, commercial account executive of
ADT. “Our guys really appreciate the intuitive nature of Kantech and
American Dynamics products,” said Peter James, senior account executive
of ADT. “They’re easy to work with, easy to install, and the support
is terrific."
The nature and scope of the project was considerable. Some cameras had to
be installed a few hundred feet away from any power source. The fitness center,
for example, required a fiber optic connection to obtain quality images from
a remote distance. In addition, ADT had to install equipment in several pre-existing
facilities, working around MC Assembly staff to get the job done. “ADT
bent over backwards for us,” Wienckoski said. “They were fantastic.”
ADT also installed 16 Kantech KT300 door controllers and 32 proximity card
readers to further control access to the facility. Employees simply present
their ID card to the card reader at each door to be authorized for entry.
Integrating the security components through the Kantech access control software
provides MC Assembly’s security personnel with real-time alerts so they
can prevent unwanted activities. “If there’s a door open for too
long, our system will send a text message to my phone and tell me what door
there is an issue with and what time this occurred,” Wienckoski said. “I
can go online anywhere there is an Internet connection and quickly find out
who it was and call police or a supervisor immediately.”
The sharpness of the images presented by the American Dynamics cameras was
also a great draw. “The images are crystal clear and the SpeedDome cameras
are easy to program. I can select a language, set passwords, configure devices,
and manage alarm actions. If I encounter a problem, all I have to do is push
a button and it repeats a desired pattern of surveillance. We can even pan,
zoom, or tilt to get a better view of what’s going on,” Wienckoski
said.
This came in handy recently when the catering company that manages MC Assembly’s
cafeteria reported suspicious activity during the night shift. The surveillance
system caught a cafeteria employee falsifying his time card—and trying
to pilfer cash from the register. The visual evidence gave the company the
grounds to terminate the employee. And since the new system is digital, they
were able to quickly burn a CD, maintain authenticity of the evidence, and
share the digital footage with local police, who are now investigating the
crime.
“We’ve invited the Palm Bay police here to see the command center,” Wienckoski
said. “They’re really quite impressed and because of our outside
cameras said they would keep us in mind if they needed to view film for any
investigation.
“A lot of companies have trouble getting management to spend money
on security. Ours understands this need one hundred percent. This gives our
customers and our employees greater peace of mind.”
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