Month: September 2021

Rekor Systems, Inc., a provider of real-time roadway, customer and public safety intelligence to enable AI-driven decisions, recently announced that Wisconsin’s Waukesha County has selected the Rekor One™ vehicle recognition system for implementation at eight of its public park entrances. The solution was selected after a competitive bid process in early 2021, to help maintain the security of each location and to ensure entrance fee compliance. Waukesha County Parks utilizes a fee-based system to offset the cost of maintaining their 9,000 acres of parkland and greenway. Rekor’s software and hardware solutions will replace a time-consuming parking enforcement process and support the integration of various entrance fee payment options into one online payment method, better serving both the public and the county. Rekor One™ is a holistic, real-time view of the roadway along with aggregated AI powered data solutions that can help improve the lives, safety, and well-being of people. Results are visible via an online dashboard making it ideal for a dispersed team environment like that of the Waukesha County Parks system. “We’re proud of our efforts to not only increase the safety and security of park facilities across the U.S. but also modernize parking compliance, saving municipalities – and their citizens – time and money,” said Robert A. Berman, CEO of Rekor Systems. North Dakota’s Parks and Recreation Department (NDPRD) also recently purchased Rekor’s solution in hopes of better understanding their parks’ usage patterns and to plan for future needs. By utilizing Rekor’s solution, NDPRD transitioned from an antiquated manual data collection system to a web-based interface for hosting captured, anonymized data. The NDPRD originally planned to pilot three locations, but following early success, contracted with Rekor to install systems at 11 park locations across the state. Rekor One™ is expected to be fully installed in all of the Waukesha Parks locations in the near future.  

When faced with the overwhelming cost of screening employee temperatures during the COVID-19 pandemic, PPG – a leading global manufacturer of paint and other specialty chemicals – needed a solution that could accurately measure temperature while staying within budget. When the COVID-19 outbreak took hold in the United States in March of 2020, PPG took swift action by hiring additional security professionals to screen employee temperatures before entering their chemical plant. PPG hired multiple professionals to accommodate the thousands of employees that enter and exit this plant every day, costing PPG up to US$40,000 monthly just to manually screen employee temperatures before they gained access via a card-based turnstile system. Management at PPG saw a clear need – integrating automated temperature screening with their access control system would save them hundreds of thousands year over year. Automated temperature screening protects staff and stays under budget PPG reached out to Louisiana Radio Communications (LRC Wireless), a system integrator in the Southeast United States with expertise in chemical plant security. As the plant was already using OnGuard® by LenelS2 for access control, integration of temperature screening with the access control system was a key quality-of-life feature management wanted. Enter Invixium – a premier manufacturer of healthy access solutions and an OAAP partner of LenelS2. LRC Wireless proposed IXM TITAN with Enhancement Kit to PPG for its automated functionality, integration with LenelS2 for access control and because rapid automation keeps shift changes fast while saving nearly US$500,000 in staffing costs compared to manual temperature screening solutions. PPG’s benefits of automating their temperature screening with IXM TITAN with Enhancement Kit include: Budget savings: Automating security solutions creates budget savings that can bere-allocated to other department or business needs. Faster shift changes: Automation also keeps shift changes moving faster than they would with manual temperature measurement. A shift change that might take an hour now takes minutes. Healthy access audit trail: Temperature screening integrated with access control software like OnGuard allows managers to keep a record of screening events so they know when someone screens with an elevated body temperature and can then take appropriate preventive actions. “Businesses must accept that the need for healthy access is here to stay,” said Shiraz Kapadia, CEO & President at Invixium, “Leaders like PPG know it is their responsibility to assure staff that everyone around them is healthy and they are not at risk of illness. Our solution achieves this in a way that is fast and accurate while also minimizing security costs by automating the entire process. The results of this installation and cost savings are proof that automated health screening is the future of healthy access.” “Invixium offers a portfolio of really impressive products. These are exciting, relevant solutions that LRC is proud to offer customers like PPG who need a modern solution to a problem we couldn’t even imagine having two years ago. Working with Invixium, LenelS2 and PPG’s in-house team, we were able to create a system that met every need PPG had,” said Jacob Brown, Sales Executive at LRC Wireless.  

AI algorithms secure industrial sites handling flammable pulp and paper materials with fire detection within seconds, even in low-light conditions Bosch Building Technologies has installed an innovative fire detection system at a key manufacturing site for corrugated cardboard in Ecuador. At the factory operated by Industria Cartonera Palmar (IncarPalm), the video-based fire detection system Aviotec provides around-the-clock fire safety amid challenging conditions thanks to innovative AI algorithms. IncarPalm is a key supplier of shipping materials for Ecuadorian export goods such as bananas, seafood and flowers. Typical for pulp and paper manufacturing, the factory deals with large concentrations of dust that lead to high flammability and low visibility. IncarPalm relied on Bosch partner Adeatel to install a system that complies with legal guidelines for high-risk manufacturing sites while exceeding the performance of conventional fire detectors and reducing false alarms. Integrated on the Bosch Video Management System (BVMS), the intelligent video sensors rely on machine learning algorithms to detect fires at their source within seconds, thereby ensuring safety and business continuity at the site in Machala, capital of Ecuador’s banana industry. “Designing and implementing a fire detection system including video analytics has been a very satisfactory achievement. Being able to count on different technologies that generate high added value for our client reinforces us as certified installers and encourages us to promote these alternatives to the local market,” said Alberto Serrano, Project Engineer at Adeatel S.A. Aviotec fire and smoke detection cameras from Bosch protect large cardboard packaging factory in city of Machala, the capital of the country’s banana export industry. Powered by AI algorithms, the video-based fire detection solution senses smouldering fires within seconds; faster than conventional point-type detectors. Integrated solution is customized toward client requirements and challenging environmental conditions inside factory. Around-the-clock fire safety under challenging conditions Before choosing the video-based solution from Bosch, IncarPalm was looking to comply with local legal requirements for the pulp and paper industry, which had been updated in collaboration with fire protection services. What’s more, the paperboard factory houses large amounts of industrial machinery while the paper-based raw materials generate a dry, dusty, and highly flammable environment. Plus, heat from machinery such as IR dryers and conveyor belts poses additional fire hazards to raw pulp paper sheets and finished cardboard products. As IncarPalm learned, conventional point-type detectors fall short of providing fire safety under these conditions. That’s because these devices rely on detecting smoke particles in the air, which can take several minutes to rise – especially when detectors are mounted on high warehouse and factory ceilings. But in that short time span, fire can already spread and potentially harm employees, while an entire business could literally go up in smoke. Responding to IncarPalm’s specific requirements, the experts performed a thorough site assessment and conceptualized an integrated system based on a new generation of intelligent fire detection. It relies on light signals that travel much faster than smoke particles to spot smoke and fire even in the smouldering stages. Built-in machine learning algorithms, programmed to sound alarms for colour changes and visual patterns associated with fires, can detect fires within seconds. The Aviotec IP Starlight 8000 devices deployed at the warehouse are VDS certified and highly resistant against false alarms; they can also operate in the dusty and low visibility environment that is typical for cardboard manufacturing. Additional challenges included vibrations from the machinery and pipes, solved by adjusting the position and sensitivity settings of Aviotec devices on the premises. As live tests confirm, the solution can now sense active flames within seconds. The installation of the video-based fire safety solution is the first of its kind in all of Ecuador, but not the last. IncarPalm is currently expanding Aviotec coverage across its compound including new infrastructure for cardboard manufacturing and storage. Meanwhile, other businesses in the region are noticing the added safety, and supply chain integrity afforded by the intelligent system.  

At large, busy logistics sites, just a few dock managers control the flow of hundreds of vehicles waiting to load and unload – often causing delays and impacting performance. With Hikvision’s Smart Dock feature, it becomes fast and simple to direct vehicles to available docks, speeding up loading and unloading, and maximizing throughput and efficiency. Common dock management challenges To meet rising consumer demands for parcel delivery – particularly for goods bought online – logistics companies need to manage their loading docks as effectively as possible. However, dock managers often lack the real-time information they need to make fast, accurate decisions. They may not be able to see, for example, which docks are available, which are in use, and which will soon be free. Without these vital insights, vehicles often wait unnecessarily when they could be loading or unloading, causing delays and negatively impacting productivity and the throughput of goods through the facility. As an additional challenge, managers are often unable to see which truck parking areas are available. This means drivers often simply park where they can, blocking important areas of the site, or slowing down other vehicles trying to reach their allocated docks. Dock management with intelligent video To address the challenges of ineffective and manual dock management, Hikvision has built Smart Dock Management features into its logistics solution portfolio. Using an intelligent dock camera at every loading and unloading bay, the solution provides real-time information that enables dock managers to make accurate, timely decisions across many more docks than would otherwise be possible. The Smart Dock Management feature incorporates several key capabilities that help automate and optimize dock management operations. Key capabilities of the solution include: Dock occupation detection: The Hikvision cameras can detect, in real time, if trucks are loading or unloading at docks, or whether they are unoccupied. The solution also recognizes the truck’s number plates to identify the vehicle that is occupying the dock. This information is relayed to an interactive map, giving managers instant visibility of load and unload operations and docks that are available, 24 hours-a-day. Based on these real-time insights, drivers can be dispatched to available docks quickly and efficiently via a mobile app. Parking optimization: Information from dock cameras and other site cameras also provide a real-time view of available parking spaces across the site. This allows managers to dispatch trucks to available parking spaces where they can wait without blocking key corridors and routes on the site. Monitoring for truck loading and unloading: Using cameras positioned inside and outside loading bays, the Hikvision solution creates a record for later reference. This is essential for determining responsibility and liability in the event of goods going missing, or if an accident occurs such as fragile goods falling from a truck or pallet. Security checks: To maximize security, information for barcode scanners is cross-referenced with video records. This enhances goods tracking and provides an audit trail to ensure goods never ‘leak’ from the supply chain. Automation of inbound and outbound processes: The Hikvision solution eliminates the need to calculate transport costs for parcels manually based on their weight and size. Instead, it uses product information from barcode scanners to automate the process, reducing operating costs and maximizing throughput. Efficient dock management with a digital dashboard interface: The solution provides a digital dashboard which displays all docks, showing if they are available or occupied. The dashboard also displays historical performance data, allowing staff to optimize operational efficiency, optimize scheduling and staffing decisions, and speed up the time between vehicles arriving and leaving. Together, these benefits serve to improve the overall operating efficiency of the logistics park. Using an intelligent dock camera at every loading and unloading bay, the solution provides real-time information that enables dock managers to make accurate, timely decisions across many more docks than would otherwise be possible. Key benefits of Smart Dock Management With Hikvision’s Smart Dock solution, logistics operations can improve their throughput and performance, while also providing far better experiences for dock managers and truck drivers. Top benefits include: Increased operational performance and efficiency: With features that help managers dispatch drivers to available docks more quickly, Hikvision Smart Dock helps to maximize dock utilization. This allows logistics operations to increase their overall throughput, and to drive revenues as a result. In addition to this benefit, throughput is increased with features that automate a range of key processes, including goods tracking, security checks, sizing, and weighing. This all helps improve operating efficiency, delivering significant cost savings for logistics operators. End-to-end goods monitoring and security: By monitoring and recording the entire goods loading and unloading process, the Hikvision solution creates an audit trail for every product passing through the site. This helps improve the security of goods and to prevent loss of inventory, while also helping to determine responsibility where goods are lost or damaged. Information from barcode scanners can be cross-referenced with video footage to track goods and to detect and view incidents quickly and easily. Excellent experiences for dock managers and drivers: Using the Hikvision solution, dock managers can handle their workloads much more easily and make the best decisions across a large number of vehicles and allocated docks. Additionally, drivers get clear instructions on where to park and where to wait, and are able to load or unload much more quickly than would otherwise be possible. This gives them a far better experience and allows them to meet their demanding schedules.