Unipart, one of Europe's leading logistics businesses, with a £1bn turnover, has a portfolio of customers as diverse as Jaguar, Homebase, Halfords and Vodafone. What these blue chip companies value about Unipart is not just its first-class performance, but its commercial agility. Unipart has recently benefited from installing a Siemens access control system at its Oxford headquarters.
Siemens access control system, Granta, is a PC-based security management system that allows users to integrate intruder alarm, CCTV and access control. Unipart allows its ten thousand-plus employees the ease and convenience to go about their work in a secure, controlled environment. Granta has the facility to negotiate 2,000 doors equally as well as four doors, and due to its modular design can grow and expand as required. As well as providing security through technology of the highest calibre, Granta also supports IP network connections, enabling any alterations to be immediately effected.
Background
Unipart and their customers demand excellence, dedication and accuracy, such that they offer a delivery service of goods to anywhere in the UK within an hour.
This commitment has been recognised by large, established companies such as Kwikfit, for whom Unipart has an extended contract to supply catalytic converters as well as exhausts and brake components; and Vodafone, who have allowed Unipart to move into new areas of expertise, with the management of its handset repair business, in addition to its handset end-to-end logistics network.
A key differentiator and driver of success throughout the diverse sectors that Unipart serves has been the enthusiastic participation of all 10,000 staff in the Unipart Way, the company's proprietary business system, which aims to deliver continuous improvements to clients. Unipart Way consultancy services have advised Airbus, Securitas and First Group.
Meanwhile, Unipart's logistics consultants launched a £500,000 advanced logistics model at its Oxford HQ. The 10,000 sq ft facility allows clients to model changes in software and business processes without risk as well as to trial new technologies.
The challenge
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| Granta security system can also be integrated by using Internet protocols |
Unipart's reputation for superior service and precision is maintained through hard work and intelligent partnering. As their responsibility flourished, Unipart sought principal candidates in the industry to aid in their pursuit of excellence.
With this in mind, Vision Secure turned to Siemens, and its highly successful Granta access control and security management system, to fulfil Unipart's demanding criteria.
The Granta system is an established system first introduced in the early nineties, a system that is easy to install, use and maintain. Once installed, Granta can change and grow as requirements dictate, allowing hardware and software to be added as needed.
Whether investing in a small system or a full network, Granta provides security of the highest calibre and peace of mind, as the system will never be obsolete. To date over 50,000 Granta controllers secure more than 250,000 doors worldwide.
Other aspects of the Granta control system also impress. Less sophisticated controllers simply read tags and unlock access points. The Siemens access control system provides an integrated powerful INPUT/OUTPUT system called CLIC (Configurable Logical I/O Control). This allows Inputs and Outputs to be controlled individually, or in groups, and offers the opportunity for intelligent monitoring and control of security and other systems.
Agility matched by freedom
A major feature is the obvious benefit provided by hands free reading provided by the Cotag® technology based on RFID (radio frequency identification). Unipart employees enjoy freedom of movement, where authorised, in the Oxford headquarters and the nine warehouses in the U.K. One card can be used to access all available points, and all sites are centrally controlled from the Oxford headquarters.
Staff are issued with a credit card sized tag (which can also be used as an ID badge when enhanced with a photograph) that activates the lock mechanism to open doors from a distance of up to one metre. Effective through non-metallic materials, the tag can be worn about the person, in pockets or handbags, etc. Such technology is beneficial for disabled access and other applications where doors cannot be opened manually.
All this is controlled by the nerve centre of operations, Unipart's Security Solutions Control Centre, at Unipart's Oxford HQ. The impressive central control room, known as Hawkeye, is staffed by a minimum of two operators at all times, 24/7, around the clock. It manages all access systems, CCTV systems and remote monitoring - live, in real time - for all Unipart's sites, staff and operations.
"Siemens access control system brought a number of significant benefits to Unipart," says David Pugh, managing director of Vision Secure, which is based in Swindon. "Rather than have a number of stand-alone systems, it is centrally controlled from the control centre in Oxford, so that Unipart employees can migrate securely from site to site. And it is compatible with Cotag® smart card technology, with all the benefits that it brings."
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| Granta has the facility to negotiate 2,000 doors equally as well as four doors |
Flexibility and integration
In addition to Granta being a flexible security system, adapting and expanding as required, it can also be integrated by using Internet protocols. Whereas previously any changes had to be sanctioned from the Oxford control centre by a lengthy procedure, a programme introduced into the control centre allows changes, such as the remote programming of access points, to become immediately effective.
For example, in the event of an emergency in one of the nine warehouses, the Oxford control room can immediately access the CCTV coverage and the appropriate action can be taken. This has been implemented at Nuneaton, where Unipart conducts Vodafone's mobile phone business.
Lean and fast
"We like to think of ourselves as a lean, agile company that is up to speed with the latest and most sophisticated technology, and uses it to our customers' benefit," said Unipart's Head of Security, Jim Gannon. "Our reputation depends on the confidence our clients have in us. The flexibility and reliability of the Granta access security system and the freedom of Cotag® smart card technology are entirely in line with that culture of confidence and security.
"Not only are our systems integrated and flexible, but our staff managing the control room are essential in this process. We manage, monitor and measure not only activations but the performance of our customers' systems, using a set of tools and techniques - the Unipart Way - which embodies our philosophy of working to add value to our customer service by performing quicker, smarter and leaner."
