Earthing and lightning protection manufacturer ABB Furse has replaced its on-site manned guarding with STANLEY Security’s Remote Guard Service, resulting in a saving of £76k per annum without compromising on security levels. STANLEY Security has also been awarded the maintenance contract to cover the CCTV, fire & intruder alarm systems at both ABB Furse’s Nottingham sites.
ABB Furse’s manufacturing facilities in Nottingham are home to a number of high value items, making security a high priority. The two ABB Furse sites, located a short distance apart, are protected by a range of security systems, including an intruder alarm system and a 30 camera CCTV system covering the perimeter areas and entrances. It was felt by ABB Furse that the incumbent security provider was not delivering the level of service expected and the communication was poor.
As part of the overall security review process, ABB Furse also looked into the value of its on-site manned guarding and if there might be a more cost-effective alternative that would provide the same level of security.
STANLEY Security took part in the tender for the maintenance contract and was able to clearly demonstrate the benefits of its approach to system maintenance and client communication. It also introduced its Remote Guard service, which impressed ABB Furse as a suitable replacement for the costly on-site manned guarding.
Remote Guard uses a clever combination of CCTV, access control, intercoms and remote monitoring to take over the duties of security guards, all at a fraction of the cost. In the case of ABB Furse, manned guarding had been costing the company in excess of £110k per annum. By moving to STANLEY Security’s Remote Guard service, this expense had been reduced by an incredible £76k!
Whilst reducing overheads was clearly welcome, maintaining security was still the number one priority, as Simon Warburton, ELIP Maintenance Specialist Team Leader for ABB Furse explains: “as we have high value items on site, we needed the same level of security if not more. With remote guarding, we also get constant coverage instead of a perimeter walk around every hour.”
At the heart of Remote Guard is STANLEY Security’s Category 2 NSI Gold Standard BS5979 accredited monitoring centre, where highly trained professional operatives use electronic security systems on customers’ sites to remotely conduct security guard tasks. At ABB Furse, Remote Guard uses the existing on-site CCTV cameras to conduct three remote guard tours of the site out of shift hours. As a number of the cameras have two-way audio, if any suspicious activity is identified by the operative, Audio Talk Down is used to address the person to identify themselves and confirm if they should be on site. With Remote Guard, up to 80% savings can be made over the cost of an actual on-site manned patrol, plus it’s considerably safer than face to face confrontation.
If Remote Guard confirms an issue on site the keyholder is contacted.
Remote Guard’s flexibility has also proven useful during the COVID pandemic as new COVID workplace safety measures put in place has meant people working in bubbles, leading to changing work patterns. Remote Guard easily adapts by simply changing monitoring times.
Simon has praise for STANLEY Security’s overall approach to health and safety during the pandemic: “All engineers that have visited our site have followed our safety policies and procedures but most of all our COVID-19 Secure policy. Safety is our number one priority across ABB and it seems STANLEY Security’s engineers have the same level of commitment and respect for Health and Safety.”
For more information on STANLEY Security’s Remote Guard Service, go to www.stanleysecurity.co.uk/services/monitoring/remote-security-management
