Company News • 22.01.2008

CCTV for transportation company Nagel

Business under watchful eyes

Last year the transport company Nagel GmbH & Co. KG built one of the largest handling centres for refrigerated food. Located in the inter-communal commercial area of Versmold-Borgholzhausen, next to the slip road to the A33 motorway, there are a total of 139 loading bays where goods are loaded and dispatched. High-quality Dallmeier recorders and cameras provide the necessary safety and security.

Transport company Nagel was founded in 1935 by Kurt Nagel senior in the Westphalian town of Versmold. From early on, the company focused on the transport of temperature controlled food. Today 8,400 employees and some 65 logistics sites across Europe make the Nagel Group one of the most significant international distributors of refrigerated food. More than 3,700 refrigerated trucks cater for an extensive, trans-European supply. The array of services comprises stock keeping and commissioning of the products - which, upon request, are also finished, packed and labelled - as well as further, individual logistics services.

Naturally, where so many goods are moved each day, appropriate measures for safety and security need to be provided. For many years, the Nagel Group has thereby been relying on Dallmeier products with the DLS 24 S21 Wavelet Recorder, a hard-disk Recorder with up to 24 camera inputs, being used at many sites. In constructing the new handling centre the company has again opted for the new ‘Leonardo’ Dallmeier technology.
In collaboration with partner firm CCD Weber, a modern and growing craft and services enterprise, a complex but highly user-friendly video surveillance system has been installed.

High-quality pictures despite backlighting
The centrepiece of the 137,000sqm area is - apart from office, social and technical buildings - the handling centre at 28,450sqm. Since operations began in early 2007, security of the site has been provided by 90 high-resolution outdoor cameras and a total of 130 interior cameras. Once more, Dallmeier technology was the solution of choice. The picture quality of the Cam_inPIX® cameras was a convincing argument. All important details are rendered naturally in spite of difficult lighting conditions originating at the opened gates of the warehouse. Meanwhile, the Dallmeier day/night outdoor cameras have been retrofitted since picture rendering is of considerably higher quality compared to originally planned CCD cameras. Even at night and with backlighting caused by truck or car headlights, highly-detailed pictures can be achieved – even the number plates of cars are clearly legible.

The cameras are not only used for surveillance but also for coordinating and optimising organisational processes such as an immediate clarification as to whether the commissioned goods are already loaded.

“Leonardo” monitors terrain and workflow
Recording is carried out by eleven DMS 240 "In Memory of Leonardo" digital recorders each with 24 camera inputs. The DMS 240 is a real-time recorder based on the state-of-the-art H.264 compression technology and offers real-time split and real-time audio for all channels and at all frame rates. An advanced hardware concept and technical refinements which far exceed normal market standards provide for optimal ease of use and highest reliability.
Live pictures are displayed at various networked workstations via the PView software, either in single- or multi-split. Depending on the access rights granted, operators can use extensive search functions. In fact, the simultaneous and synchronous picture playback of one or more cameras in split-view is possible.

Alarm reports can be transmitted via email or SMS. By default, the DMS 240 features SEDOR, a software for intelligent event and automatic camera sabotage detection.

RAID-5 safeguards against loss of data
According to customer requirements, recorded data need to be safely stored for approximately four weeks. Therefore, Dallmeier DAS-300 external storage systems were connected to the recorders. Redundant storage (RAID-5 level) protects from loss of data. The integral hot plug function ensures that in the event of a defect hard disk drives can be replaced without problem whilst the system continues to operate. In addition a hard disk drive can be configured as the hot spare so that it automatically takes over the function of a defective drive if it suffers a failure. The end-user does not have to intervene. Redundant power supply units and additional fans, also with a hot plug function, ensure that operation can continue perfectly and smoothly. The safety of stored data is guaranteed at all times.

Perfect integration
The complete video system, including building services, is being operated using the Leanfactory management system by the company Brüggemann GmbH & Co. KG. Owing to the flexible and opens system architecture of the Dallmeier system, an integration into the overriding management system was easily possible.

Works council
Naturally, the alignment of the cameras was made in keeping with the works council’s rights of co-determination with regard to inspection of the footage. It is guaranteed for instance that only authorised people are entitled to view the recorded pictures.