Situated about 22 miles west of Sydney, Blacktown City is a dynamic suburban area in New South Wales, Australia, home to 350,000 residents across 48 communities. As the second-largest city by population in NSW, Blacktown City is managed by the Blacktown City Council, which oversees the city's daily operations, project developments, and legislative duties.
The Council's key facilities include the Civic Center headquarters and the Main Works Depot in Rooty Hill, where council vehicles, machinery, and other assets are based. This Depot supports various city venues and development of industrial and commercial land.
Asset management system implementation
To enhance accountability and prevent the issue of lost or late vehicles, machinery, and building keys, the Main Works Depot has integrated a key control and asset management solution from Morse Watchmans. The KeyWatcher® Touch system securely stores physical keys in tamper-proof cabinets, granting access only to authorised personnel via verified codes, badges, or biometric scanning. The Depot's management maintains complete control over key access, with automated tracking ensuring full accountability at all times.
"We manage keys for at least 500 vehicles and machines here at the Depot, each having two to three sets of keys," explained Joe Haddad, Facility Manager at the Main Works Depot. "Without the KeyWatcher Touch automated system, keeping a precise track of these many keys would be nearly impossible."
Enhanced employee productivity
The system’s design significantly boosts employee productivity by enabling quicker access to keys
The system’s design significantly boosts employee productivity by enabling quicker access to keys, which can be returned to any available key cabinet on site. Biometric identification, large touchscreens, voice cues, and status bar guides streamline the process of accessing or returning keys. Moreover, a key reservation feature ensures that staff have guaranteed access to vehicles or machinery when required.
The KeyWatcher Touch system keeps track of every key, noting whether it is stored or has been removed and by whom. Managers can access live information via desktop or mobile devices to check the status of keys, including overdue alerts. Special alert notifications via email or SMS provide immediate information.
Seamless network integration
Integration of KeyWatcher Touch with the Depot's access control and video surveillance system adds further efficiency. Through the Inner Range’s Integriti access control system, user access programming such as adding or modifying cardholders is automatically synchronised. The TCP/IP connection facilitates seamless transmission of alarms and transactions to the Integriti system.
"The single platform for video surveillance, access, and key management streamlines operations, keeps costs down, and ensures that nothing is overlooked," Mr. Haddad added. "This state-of-the-art system has fully met our current needs and is expected to do so in the future."
Collaboration for success
The system was developed by Australian Security Technology (AST), with support from Ryalex Security, specialists in commercial security solutions.
"Blacktown City Council has been a long-standing client for us, and addressing their key control challenges efficiently and cost-effectively was crucial," noted David Ishak, General Manager at AST. "The KeyWatcher Touch achieved this, much to the satisfaction of both the Depot and ourselves."
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- Biometrics
- Shop security systems
- Mall security
- Commercial security
- Shopping centre security
- Security cameras
- Covert cameras
- Security camera systems
- Radio frequency Identification
- Store security
- Store surveillance
- Network cameras
- Covert Surveillance
- Key management
- Network Video Recorders
- Video surveillance
