Year: 2021

Since e-commerce has steadily been on the rise globally in recent years, many people prefer not to visit physical stores as usual, leading to a major boom in online shopping and home parcel delivery. This means there are unprecedented opportunities for e-commerce and logistics companies to expand their businesses and grow their revenues. However, success depends on increasing performance and throughput, while also tracking and securing thousands of parcels a day as they head towards end-customers’ addresses. Why manual processes make parcel tracking harder For many logistics companies, the sheer volume of goods passing through distribution and fulfillment centers creates major challenges for tracking and securing parcels effectively. This is especially the case during manual steps in the parcel delivery process such as opening boxes to conduct quality control checks, and packing parcels for delivery to customers’ addresses. This is because manual processes inevitably introduce an element of risk into the parcel delivery process. Errors can occur, for example, leading to lost or mis-directed parcels. Additionally, manual interventions in the supply chain may increase the risk of lost inventory, especially where effective monitoring systems and processes are absent. The question for logistics providers processing thousands – or even tens of thousands – of parcels a day, is how to minimize the risk of errors and loss of goods across the entire, end-to-end delivery process. Track each and every one of the parcels with digital technology Using a combination of digital technologies, it’s now possible to monitor goods as they flow through the facility in real time. In particular, smart video cameras can be connected to barcode scanners, allowing users to understand exactly where goods and parcels are located, and how they are moving through their facility. By cross referencing data from cameras and scanners, one can quickly access footage of incidents such as goods that are dropped or damaged. In the same way, he can identify goods that were damaged before they reached him, proving that his teams were not responsible for breakages. The value of an end-to-end audit trail By creating an end-to-end audit trail for every parcel, this kind of solution allows the user to monitor his performance on an ongoing basis, and to make operational improvements that increase his productivity and throughput. Equally importantly, he can also find out exactly what happened to goods that are lost or stolen from the supply chain and take immediate action if required. If goods are lost, for example, he can quickly cross reference time and date information from barcode scanners with video footage recorded by security cameras. He can then see exactly what happened, giving him clear evidence for later use. Many times, of course, mistakes and issues are innocent such as parcels stuck in joins between conveyer belts. However, with digital, end-to-end parcel tracking, these kinds of events are also fast and easy to spot, ensuring that one can meet your delivery SLAs.  

Bosch Building Technologies has installed a comprehensive intrusion alarm system at one of China’s most visited cultural sites – the Mausoleum of Qin Shihuangdi in the city of Xi’an. The UNESCO World Heritage Site is home to a 2,000-year-old army of clay statues, the world-famous Terracotta Warriors, guarding the tomb of China’s first emperor. Several hundred TriTech motion detectors are deployed to protect the 16,300 square feet museum against theft and damage. These detectors prevent costly and time-consuming false alarms under challenging environmental conditions, while providing detection reliability of real alarms. Because of the highly efficient intrusion detection system, which detects and reports any unauthorized intrusion into the security areas to security personnel in less than two seconds, the museum can dispense entirely with physical protective barriers such as glass walls, allowing visitors to directly experience their clay heroes. “The cooperation with Bosch is an excellent showcase of modern high-tech protection of historic buildings. Bosch intrusion alarm systems help upgrade the security level of these unique historic sites,” said Ren Xuxin, Project Manager of Xi’an Terracotta Warriors and Horses Pit Security Upgrade Project. Millennia-old warriors under the protection of cutting-edge technology As wall detectors, the TriTech motion detectors protect the pits where the terracotta warriors are located. Because these pits collect large amounts of dust that could cause false alarms, the intelligent sensor data fusion algorithm in each of the rugged detectors checks potential alarms with PIR sensor and microwave Doppler radar for a consistent result. The area to be protected is thereby also secured from above by ceiling-mounted TriTech motion detectors. These detectors are located 4.8 meters above the museum floor, yet operate accurately and reliably. They thus exceed the range of standard ceiling detectors by more than two meters. In the event of an actual security breach, the Bosch G-Series system controller sends an alert, including the location of the triggered detector, in less than two seconds to the security team in the control room, which uses live images from a video system to verify the alarm. In most cases, tourists trigger an alarm when they cross a threshold to retrieve their cameras or smartphones that have accidentally fallen into the pit. In doing so, there is a risk of damage to the priceless terracotta warriors. But even if real criminals should ever get into the act, the system is ready. The TriTech motion detectors provide round-the-clock protection for the museum, which is visited by thousands of culture enthusiasts every day. Thanks to their discreet design, the detectors are unobtrusive and thus do not interfere with the museum experience. In accordance with the museum operator’s list of requirements, the intrusion detection system protects not only the museum, including the perimeter, as well as the visitor areas of the mausoleum, but additionally the cultural treasures currently stored in the unmanned warehouse.  

Elbit Systems Deutschland was selected by the procurement office of the German Federal Ministry of the Interior, after a competitive tender procedure, to supply XACT nv33 night vision goggles (NVGs) for the German Federal Police. The special forces and special operation Units of the Federal Police are facing new threats and complex scenarios from organized crime and international terrorism. The XACT nv33 NVG will supports the officers in the fight against crime across Germany, as they will be equipped with the ability to operate during the nights, which is an essential requirement. This decision by the German Federal Police follows another satisfied German customer – the German Armed Forces – that are already using the XACT nv33 NVG in various missions. The XACT product family have already been selected by a number of undisclosed NATO countries among them Germany and the Netherlands, as well as the Israeli and the Australian Armed Forces. Thomas Nützel, CEO of Elbit Systems Deutschland, commented, “After the establishment of our night vision systems with the German Armed Forces, we are very proud to serve the German Federal Police in the field of electro-optics. Our image intensifier goggles will expand the capabilities of the federal officers and support them in the fight against crime”. The XACT nv33 is a lightweight binocular image intensifier that can be mounted on a wide variety of helmets and can be used head-mounted or hand-held. Its compact dimensions and its lightweight and the capability to use the system to drive a vehicle in absolute darkness will further increase the operational capabilities for federal officers and better align their readiness for future security requirements.  

It’s a stressful moment for drivers when suddenly thick, black smoke billows up from the hood. But usually there’s no reason to panic. Car manufacturers have long ensured that a small fire, even one on the interior, doesn’t burst into a full-blow blaze. Typically it takes several minutes for an entire car to go up in flames. That’s generally enough time for driver and passengers to get out safely. All this is made possible by chemical flame retardants in materials, which inhibit or delay the combustion process. They can be found in plastics such as polyurethanes, that car manufacturers use for the seat upholstery, roof lining, rear window shelf and side trim panels. A reliable partner for such applications is LANXESS, in particular its Disflamoll® and Levagard® products. They ensure car manufactures can comply with the horizontal burning rate norm. The global standard for the interiors of cars and busses makes sure a fire spreads horizontally at a maximum rate of 102 millimeters per minute. So how does it work? In case of fire, the flame retardant forms a protective carbon layer on the material. This prevents oxygen and warmth from penetrating the lower layers of the material and keeps the flame from spreading. Ideally, the retardants ‘self-extinguish’ and the fire smothers itself, an effect that, if needed, can save lives. LANXESS is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 6.8 billion in 2019. The company currently has about 14,400 employees in 33 countries. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manufacturing and marketing of chemical intermediates, additives, specialty chemicals and plastics. LANXESS is listed in the leading sustainability indices Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI World and Europe) and FTSE4Good.  

Invixium, a lading global player in touchless biometric solutions, has been chosen as a biometric supplier by Manawa Networks, a Canadian managed IT services provider, to enhance security at the company’s headquarters. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Manawa sought to upgrade its current security system to include touchless temperature screening as a way to protect staff, visitors, customers, and the community from illness. As an essential service, Manawa and its staff need to continue working throughout various stages of lockdown and pandemic-response measures in Ontario. Manawa provides its clients with IT strategy, management, monitoring, and other critical infrastructure services 24/7. Many of their clients’ needs increased in complexity because of the pandemic, as businesses began to allow employees to work from home full- or part-time. The demand on IT service providers like Manawa remains high, so its management came to the realization that the company needed to invest in creative, intentional solutions to keep their staff healthy and office open. Prior to COVID-19, Manawa was already using fingerprint biometrics for access control at their office. Invixium’s launch of IXM TITAN with Enhancement Kit presented an opportunity for Manawa to upgrade from their existing fingerprint system to touchless facial recognition for access control with health screening measures. This selection was made with hygiene in mind to limit the number of surfaces touched as staff gains access to the office. Touchless temperature screening is the hallmark feature of this access control installation because it offers Manawa’s staff an increased sense of security when they need to be in the office. With the ability to work from home, it is now more important than ever for staff showing any symptoms of illness – including a fever – to stay home and not feel obligated to come to the office. If a person screens with an elevated body temperature, the door will remain locked, denying access and directing the person to return home until their fever subsides. Before installing TITAN, Manawa took staff temperatures using a temperature gun and logged results by hand in a logbook, which is a common strategy at small businesses like this one. However, this process left a large margin for human error, and management quickly realized that they needed something automated, contactless and highly accurate to track symptom data. The digitized temperature log kept by TITAN assures that every staff member’s temperature is screened. A transaction log that can be accessed at any time allows managers to use captured screening data for contact tracing when required. As an IT company, Manawa also utilized TITAN’s PoE and networking features to make installation easy, as well as RS485 connections to integrate with their existing AXIS door controller. Further, this installation required the ability to pull time and attendance data for any employee at any given time to calculate payroll. IXM WEB, Invixium’s software companion to its security solutions, solved this need with user-friendly records and web-based functionality. “We are an essential service whose job it is to keep other businesses working,” said Matthew Held, CEO at Manawa Networks, “If we have to go on-site to address our clients’ needs, we need to have the peace-of-mind that our visit is safe for our staff, customers and community. As a business owner, I aim to demonstrate that we are being forward-looking by doing our due diligence to ensure a healthy working environment. TITAN is well-suited to our needs because my staff knows that the door won’t open for them if they have a fever, so they can go home to rest or work safely.” “Invixium offers the most modern solution for healthy access right now,” said Shiraz Kapadia, CEO & President at Invixium, “Business owners take on a lot of risk and liability by keeping their doors open in these uncertain times. When a business is an essential service, they must do all they can to make their staff and customers feel confident that they are not spreading illness at their office and beyond. With solutions like ours that provide fast, accurate and traceable health screening, managers can achieve this in a very effective way.”  

Based in the coastal town of Ierapetra in Crete, the Robinson Club is designed around ‘neighbourhoods’ of hotel rooms across a 150 acre-site. This unique layout meant that the fire system specified needed to deliver seamless detection and notification of a potential fire to the hotel’s staff and guests, who could be located anywhere across the 340 rooms and suites, multiple restaurants, spa facilities and conference rooms. Responsible for the design, supply and installation of the fire detection, extinguishing system and firefighting equipment at the 5-star Robinson Club Ierapetra were Advanced partners, Zarifopoulos. In total, Zarifopoulos installed 14 of Advanced’s industry-leading Axis EN fire alarm control panels on a high-speed, fault-tolerant network alongside over 900 notification and detection devices including detectors, call points and sounders. Spilios Alexopoulos, Commercial Director at Zarifopoulos, referring to the state of the art system as well as the special attention that has been paid to the fire protection of the luxurious Robinson Club Ierapetra, commented, “Its widespread nature required a high-speed network of fire alarm control panels to ensure instant notification of a fire event. As a long-term partner of Advanced, we knew the company’s solutions offered the high levels of performance and reliability required, combined with ease of use and installation.” Axis EN is EN54 parts 2, 4 and 13 approved and its panels can be used in single-loop, single-panel format or easily configured into high-speed, multi-loop panels in 200 node networks covering huge areas. Advanced products’ ease of installation and configuration as well as the range of peripherals available make it customisable to almost any application. Vladimir Zrnic, Regional Sales Manager for Southern Europe, said, “In large-scale sites such as the Robinson Club, Ierapetra, it’s vital to ensure that the panels, when networked, will sustain adequate performance levels. As the number of panels and peripherals on a network increase, some systems can slow down dramatically, compromising safety and reliability. “Advanced’s fire panel networks are widely regarded as some of the most robust and resilient in fire situations. Axis EN panels can be configured into networks of up to 200 panels in standard or fault-tolerant configurations, while sophisticated cause and effect and intuitive, easy programming of rules make implementation effortless.” The Robinson Club Ierapetra resort opened in the summer of 2020 and is one of its German owner, TUI Group’s, largest investments in Greece. Designed with preservation of the natural environment in mind, the hotel offers a minimalist, high-end experience for its guests. Advanced, owned by FTSE 100 company Halma PLC, protects a wide range of prestigious and high-profile sites across Southern Europe – from Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia and the Romanian National Library to Serbia’s University of Belgrade. Halma is a global group of life-saving technology companies with a clear purpose to grow a safer, cleaner, healthier future for everyone, every day.