Milestone XProtect Enterprise IP video surveillance software in combination with Mobotix network video cameras inside and out is helping maintain demanding industry specifications and quality in factory practices.
"The underlying reason for the surveillance is to enhance security, but what's coming out strongly as a bigger benefit is the improved quality in our practices because people are being supervised better. I think it will pay for itself even more in that way," says Tony Carlisle, IT Manager at Fairfax Meadow.
The new system is easily scalable for adding or moving cameras to improve surveillance coverage. Searching for evidence is now easy and fast. Video images have greater clarity. The management has also discovered that the system is a new tool for improving quality practices to uphold demanding industry standards.
"The main reason we have surveillance is to reduce and deter the amount of internal theft we get. Once meat is taken and removed from our packaging, it's not traceable. Depending on the cuts of meat, it can be very high value. The biggest advantage, however, and one not initially considered by the management, is that the surveillance is used more for monitoring the working practices, checking that people are doing what they're meant to be doing in the right way to follow proper hygiene procedures," says Tony Carlisle.
Fairfax Meadow is British Retail Consortium (BRC) accredited and embraces the highest standards for running its business. The BRC Technical Standard for Companies Supplying Retailer Branded Food Products was developed by UK supermarket retailers in 1998 to provide a common standard for companies supplying retailer branded food products and assist them in their fulfilment of legal obligations and protection of the consumer.
The procedures for handling the meat properly at Fairfax Meadow include everything from wearing special uniforms when inside the facilities to hand washing, use of metal detectors, labelling packages correctly, and more. The new cameras have been set up inside the working areas of the factory as well as outside, so these activities can be picked up in the video images for archiving and easy review.
Factories at Fairfax Meadow are big, and there are about 380 employees and four locations, with the largest in Derby and North London, followed by Canterbury and Newcastle. They process and package meat at each site. All of the locations are planned for further implementation of the Milestone IP video surveillance system.