Manufacturing plants are large in nature and have a lot of expensive specialist machinery, not to mention any stock that gets produced. The cost to the business would be huge if opportunists were able to steal anything; far more than what a good security system would be.
Your security solution needs to make it a huge risk to thieves to try and enter which means protecting the perimeter, putting in surveillance, intruder detection and being able to restrict movement through access control. Also, whilst securing it from thieves, you can protect your staff too with ensuring there is an appropriate fire detection system.
Your manufacturing plant’s security system should:
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CCTV in Manufacturing Plants
CCTV is key in Manufacturing plants as they tend to be vast sites with staff and assets to protect. CCTV goes a long way to help ensure the feeling of safety because with the right features, CCTV can identify incidents as they are happening and send notifications to security staff. These incidents could be intrusions or even health and safety incidents.
There are a wide-range of useful features for your CCTV system. These are the most popular features for Manufacturing Plants:
- Panoramic view (no blind spots)
- Tamper detection
- Weather protection
- Night-vision
- Intrusion detection
- Auto-tracking
- Infra-red
- Line crossing (if someone intrudes on a boundary such as a fence)
- Object removal detection
- Facial detection
- Self-learning video analytics
The IP CCTV systems we install all have the following;
- Mobile app –You are able to view your CCTV footage live or in playback mode. All of the systems we install have a mobile app in which you are able to view, live what is occurring on your site(s).
- Analytics / Notifications – You will be able to analyse things such as how many visitors you have to your site.
- Smart Search – You are able to “draw a line” around a certain area and watch the activity for that specific area. It enables quick searching for any incidents; health and safety issues, break-ins, criminal damage or even bullying. For instance, if you have a break-in and you identify the entry point, you can then select the area on the camera where the door/window is, select a time-frame and it will highlight ‘events’ which will show you when that entry point was accessed. You will then have the evidence needed to send on to the police and it takes roughly 15 minutes.
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Intruder Alarms in Manufacturing
Your manufacturing plant needs an Intruder Alarm because you will likely have expensive equipment on site and possibly, staff working during all hours whom you need to protect. You need to be able to prevent unauthorised entry as much as you are able.
There are three main types of intruder alarms:
- Bells only Intruder Alarm - The Bells-only intruder alarm will go off and it will make a lot of noise but it will not notify you. You are relying on sound to deter the burglar from acting any further.
- Dialler Intruder Alarm - This Dialler intruder alarm, when activated will automatically call a pre-specified phone number. You can choose anyone; perhaps an out-of-hours point of contact or you directly.
- Smart Intruder Alarm - Like the Dialler intruder alarm, the Smart intruder alarm it will contact you, or other specified contacts via your app.
Which Intruder Alarm is best for a Manufacturing Plant?
Manufacturing plants tend to be large sites and in a rural location so a bells-only intruder alarm wouldn’t suffice because if it went off in the middle of the night, no-one will be close enough to hear it.
We recommend a Dialler intruder alarm or a Smart Intruder alarm so that you can easily have someone notified of the intrusion. It promotes quicker responses and you can assign an out-of-hours contact with both. This could be a keyholder, police or security team.
We also recommend that you have an intruder alarm with the following features:
- Motion detectors – detect movement within the area it can monitor
- Shock sensors – for any entry via windows
- Alarm – which alerts through sound and lights
- Panic buttons – for staff that are working within the building and notice a break-in, then you can act on it
- App – this is ideal for keyholders and managers within the businesses who want to keep an eye on the site when they are not there.
Access Control in Manufacturing
Manufacturing Plants have assets like specialist machinery, staff and property that needs to be protected. Access control reduces the risk of opportunists by controlling people's access to certain areas.
Access control offers a secure, convenient, flexible and cost-effective way of controlling who has access to your building, when that access is allowed and where. It provides an extra level of security and peace of mind that locks and keys just can’t.
Access Control systems for Manufacturing Plants
Pin Code
A device is attached which is programmed with a PIN code which your staff memorise and it will only allow them to areas where they are permitted entry. For instance, you can assign a member of staff who is based in the factory to only have access to enter the production floor, not the support offices. A device could be programmed so each individual has their own PIN code rather than a universal code.
It’s more cost-effective than the pass or fob but it does rely on people’s memory.
Access Pass or Fob
Similar to the PIN Code access control, except the device associated with it is programmed to accept a pass or fob. The physical pass can be standardised across the whole business so that everyone looks the same.
Access passes are used continuously so they can be subject to wear and tear and they can be cloned, lost, stolen or shared. An access fob negates a few of these flaws.
Intercom
The voice intercom enables for your staff to visually and verbally identify a visitor before allowing them to enter. This is usually put in place on key entrances with control given to reception staff.
Fingerprint Scanners
Fingerprints are truly unique as no two fingerprints are the same. A fingerprint scanner is a small device with a finger shaped indent where you place your finger to be scanned before being permitted entry.
They are used in manufacturing plants in place of standard access control measures and to add a little bit more security since a fingerprint scanner is designed to be unique to the individual whereas other measures can easily be stolen, forgotten or cloned.
Fire Alarms and Detection in Manufacturing Plants
Most Manufacturing plants will need fire alarms in place because many store high-risk substances and are generally larger than a single-storey site so a shout of ‘fire!’ would not be easily heard by everyone.
There are three types of Fire Alarm systems:
- Conventional Fire Alarms work on zones, so it divides your business area into different areas. When a fire happens, the fire alarm panel will show you the zone but not the exact location.
- Addressable Fire Alarms tell you exactly where the fire is, whether there is smoke, heat or even if there is a fault. Each device has its own unique electronic address which then displays on the fire alarm panel. These Fire Alarms can be integrated to activate a selection of fire safety features such as shutting down equipment or deactivating elevators.
- Wireless Fire Alarms operate like the addressable fire alarm system, just without the wires. It uses a wireless link between the fire alarm control panel and its sensors. Wireless Fire Alarms are the more expensive option however they are quicker to install and provide just as much protection as wired fire alarm systems.
Which Fire Alarm is best for Manufacturing Plants?
A Manufacturing plant would need an Addressable Fire Alarm so that each device can be addressed with a location so you can go straight to the area where there is an issue. With such a large site with specialised areas for production and distribution, this is the best option.
A Wireless Fire Alarm is a suitable option for a manufacturing plant but it’s mainly if you don’t want a lot of cabling used.
Security Barriers in Manufacturing Plants
There is no hard and fast rule to security gates for manufacturing plants as it tends to depend on the size of the site and the entrance points. Manufacturing plants tend to be larger sites with a fair amount of assets that need protection so they need more security measures than smaller sites. Below are the typical security gates and barriers used for manufacturing plants.
Drop Arm Barrier
A Drop arm barrier is typically found at entrances to the Manufacturing Plant, typically at the car park or delivery entrances, and usually integrated with access control and intercom features. The barrier arm is down until access is granted and then it is automatically raised.
Traffic Control Spikes
Traffic spikes control traffic by only allowing entrance via one direction. Should someone drive the wrong way across the traffic spikes, the spikes will pierce and deflate the tyres. When driving the correct direction, the traffic spikes simply retract. Traffic spikes are for direction control and anti-theft control, rather than final denial access.
On the larger Manufacturing plant sites, these are mainly used in the car park areas or distribution areas.
Palisade Fencing
Palisade fencing protects the boundaries of your manufacturing plant whilst maintaining a view of whether access is being attempted. Manufacturing Plants aren’t always a regular shaped area and with palisade fencing it doesn’t matter if it’s regular in shape or not.
Palisade fencing acts naturally as a deterrent because of the height, lack of footholds to climb and the points at the top. It is easy to maintain and extremely durable; long life span and can be protected from rusting.
Palisade fencing can also be used in conjunction with other technology such as an intruder alarm and line beam detection technology.
Bollards
Bollards are useful for traffic management, pedestrian safety and preventing accidental and intentional damage to a building. On manufacturing sites, they are mainly useful throughout the site to keep visitors safe but particularly, at entrances to lorry deliveries / collections.
There are a variety of different types from collapsible, fixed and temporary bollards yet they all offer protection from low- and high-speed crashes. They can also be automated to sink into the ground or rise, depending on the need. The best bollards are constructed from stainless steel for long lasting protection against harsh impacts, even from multiple crashes.
Pedestrian Gates
Pedestrian Gates is an extra layer of security where you can ensure that those are not permitted aren’t allowed in whilst keeping authorised visitors, safe.
There are a variety of sizes and types of pedestrian gates but they can be integrated with access control and/or automated.
Factors to consider when choosing a Security Barrier for your Manufacturing Plant
There are a few factors to consider when you are thinking about the type of security barrier you need for your site as they might dictate the ones you can actually use.
Size and Space - You need to think about how a barrier will be fitted. How much space do you have? Is it a walk way or a drive through entrance? Will it need to be supported by a wall?
Activity level - The level of activity will dictate the type of gate you get and any associated security measures. It defeats the object of having a barrier if you are going to leave it open when it is busy.
Integration - When you choose a security barrier, you may want to think about adding an extra layer of security by integrating it with other security solutions. For instance, you may distribute fob access control to staff, each one is registered to an individual with a picture against the file. When they swipe the fob, ANPR CCTV Camera can be used to recognise if it is that individual, if it is them, they can enter. If it isn’t, it triggers an alarm to a designated person to check.
Think about how secure you need the entrance to be or if it a perimeter fence, how you will know if someone has penetrated it.