Sika Leeds CCTV System

Sika Leeds has commissioned AIS Security to implement a state-of-the-art CCTV system at their 430,000 sq. ft factory and warehouse complex in Leeds (formerly Everbuild Building Products).

AIS has a wealth of experience designing, installing, and maintaining bespoke factory and warehouse CCTV systems that address the specific needs and challenges of extensive, multi building facilities.

Sika Leeds CCTV System Requirements

After an initial consultation with the key personnel at the site, we established a list of key objectives that the new system needed to include: 

Production / Logistics Monitoring – this is a large facility with operations spread out over multiple buildings. The office building stands apart from the manufacturing/warehousing area, causing a disconnect between logistics and administration.   A CCTV system was required to give the management team a clear oversight of logistical and production operations in all buildings and key external areas. 

Improvements to Quality Control – the new system needed to provide a visual record of the time, date and condition of goods leaving your facility.

Improve site safety – CCTV was required to ensure adherence to health and safety policies by all people on-site and help to identify potential accident blackspots.  This is a busy site, with 1000’s of pallet movements taking place monthly and 100’s of lorries entering/leaving the area.

Equipment / Process Monitoring – the ability to allow the monitoring of ATEX & hazardous areas with ATEX CCTV cameras.

Monitoring Goods In / Out – due to previous issues with incorrect/damaged deliveries, there was a requirement to closely monitor all goods in/out of the site.  

Improve external security – the new system was required to provide evidential quality footage of key exterior areas in all lighting conditions.

Improve theft deterrent – whilst not a significant problem at the site; the management team wanted to ensure that any potential theft is deterred (especially in areas where smaller, higher value items are stored).

Installation of Security Control Room – a full specification security control room needed to be designed and installed, allowing the site’s 24/7 security team to monitor and control all activity on the site.

Automatic Number Plate Recognition – the new CCTV system needed to record all number plates of vehicles entering/leaving the site. 

CCTV System Specification

Working closely with the team at Sika Leeds, AIS carried out a detailed survey during which we identified a comprehensive list of their requirements.  We identified areas of the site of particular interest and identified the best locations for the cameras, switches, etc.  We then determined the best CCTV cameras for each position to ensure the best possible result.    

The resulting system design comprised of the following equipment:

3 x 32 channel Network Video Recorders
84 x 8MP cameras
7 x Pan Tilt Zoom Cameras
3 x ATEX explosion-proof cameras
2 x ANPR cameras
1 x 8ch 4K video decoder
1 x Touch Screen Network Keyboard
8 x POE switches
1 x Fibre optic network

The installed system allows up to 96 cameras to be recorded simultaneously (the system will record 28+ days before overwriting).  All AIS installed systems are network-enabled, enabling key staff with appropriate password permissions to access footage from any location with a network connection. The CCTV system was configured with multiple monitoring stations, allowing key personnel to have a customised view of the camera feeds relevant to them.

The system allows for all aspects of the facility to be monitored off-site.

The static cameras in this installation utilise the very latest 4K image quality (8 Megapixels).  They have a wide dynamic range, providing excellent image quality across various lighting conditions. The cameras have inbuilt IR and can see in the dark up to 40M.  The external cameras can record at 4K in full colour at night.  

In addition to the excellent image quality, the cameras have built-in intruder analytics with face capture, line crossing detection, intrusion detection, region entrance detection, and region exiting detection.  This ensures that the system can be used to notify a monitoring company of any potential intruders outside of regular business hours.

The PTZ cameras utilise the latest 8MP (4K) image quality and have an incredible 32 x optical zoom. The camera can see in the dark at distances up to 150M. The camera comes with a host of built-in intruder analytics, including face detection & tracking, vehicle detection and license plate recognition etc.  Once detection has occurred, the camera can be set to track the target automatically. 

In addition to the standard cameras, we were commissioned to supply/install cameras in several ATEX areas at the site.  This installation has 3 x 4MP Explosion-Proof ATEX cameras constructed from 316L stainless steel.  They have an ATEX rating of:

II 2 G Ex db IIC T6 Gb

II 2D Ex tb IIIC T80°C Db IP68

The cameras were connected using galvanised steel wire braid ethernet cable with a polyurethane sheath, suitable for the petrochemical industry (tested to BS EN13617-1:2004). 

We designed and installed a control room with the focal point being a video wall allowing all camera feeds to display simultaneously and for scenes of interest to display on a primary viewing screen at the touch of a button. 

The ANPR system is designed to view/record number plates in various lighting conditions (standard cameras can struggle to read number plates at night).  The cameras will record license plates and vehicle activity allowing number plate searches to be carried out.  The system can be set up with white / blacklists, and trigger events can be set up to send alerts when specified number plates are detected. The camera contains an alarm out which can be connected to a relay, enabling the automated operation of barriers etc.

Installation

Before the commencement of the installation, AIS carried out a RAMS and submitted all relevant documentation (insurance, IPAF, Enhanced DBS certificates etc.). Every member of our installation team has up to date Enhanced DBS background checks.

In addition to installing the core CCTV system, AIS made improvements to the site’s fibre optic network infrastructure, allowing the system to run across multiple buildings.

In this instance, AIS provide the client with an ongoing support and maintenance contract that includes: 2 x annual service visits, on-site emergency support and remote support via Zoho Assist.

Immediate Tangible Results

The system had an immediate positive impact enabling the monitoring of operations both on and off-site.  The 4K image quality has been used to check goods entering and leaving the facility retrospectively.

The feedback from all interested parties at the site has been overwhelmingly positive.