Morse Watchmans KeyWatcher keeps keys safe, secure and available for broadcasting facility in Canada

Morse Watchmans software compiles information from the system on key usage and can run activity reports

Benoît Chaput has the job of overseeing the vehicles and technical gear used to operate SRC (Société Radio-Canada), the French language counterpart of the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corp.) with headquarters in Montreal, Quebec. The network produces more than 4,000 hours of programming a year, including radio, TV and Internet content. Mr. Chaput works in a huge warehouse that houses an array of broadcasting gear, from cameras to microphones to lighting fixtures and other technical gear needed for live TV broadcasts, news interviews and other activities of SRC. He also oversees the network's vehicle fleet, about 85 vehicles including 5-ton trucks used to transport technical gear, vans modified to enable live broadcasts and even rental cars used by SRC employees. 

Keeping it all safe, secure and available at a moment's notice is a challenge in the fast-paced world of broadcasting operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It's also a challenge that involves a lot of keys. In addition to vehicle keys, Mr. Chaput keeps track of office door keys, technical equipment locker keys and keys to maintenance tools, including a machine that provides high water pressure used to wash vehicles in the garage. There are currently 208 keys in all. 

At one time, the technical gear warehouse kept keys on a pegboard almost like an old-style hotel front desk. Keys could not be distributed or returned after regular business hours, and employees often had to find security personnel to open the warehouse. Although there was a written log kept during office hours, it was never the same clerk and signatures were hard to read. No one knew who had what keys or how many hours a car was being used or by whom. Mr. Chaput describes the situation as “chaos.” 

Every Key Has a Slot

Since 2009, technology has solved the problem of keeping up with keys at SRC. Doing the job is an integrated key control and management solution provided by Morse Watchmans and sold by Morse Canada Systems Inc. Each key is attached by a stainless steel locking ring to a keyfob that incorporates an identification chip, which is inserted into a keyslot in the KeyWatcher electronic key cabinet. Users can only access keys with a proper user code. SRC uses three six-module, 96-key systems, providing a total of 288 keyslots. 

Reservations at SRC for vehicles or equipment are handled by email. Anyone needing access to equipment merely emails a generic accournt with their name and the date and hours they need the equipment. When he receives the email, a clerk answers back with the number of the cabinet slot where the requested key will be located. The key system is located in an open hallway and is accessible at any hour. Each key has a four-digit number, and some of the numbers match numbers assigned internally to identify vehicles and equipment. 

“We haven't lost a key since 2009,” said Mr. Chaput. “When we installed the KeyWatcher system, the first idea was to know who had each key and when they took it, which we didn't know before. When we got the system, we immediately saw many other good attributes.” 

For example, installed software from Morse Watchmans compiles information from the system on key usage and can run activity reports and sort data based on various criteria. Practical management reports can trace key movements by time, date and user code. An audit trail report indicates the time and date of every key accessed by a user for a given time parameter. At SRC, the information can be used to identify who left personal effects in a vehicle or who didn't take the time to fill up the gasoline tank. Now it's clear who was driving a vehicle, for example, when it was caught running a traffic light by an automated camera or who received a speeding ticket. 

Keeping Everyone Accountable

Employers in Canada must ensure each employee operating a vehicle has a valid driver's license, and now this can be required to be verified before access to the key system is granted. Employees access the cabinet using the same proximity card they are assigned to open the doors when they access the building. The ability to register users and provide access using a proximity card (instead of requiring a keypad PIN number) was one of the reasons SRC chose KeyWatcher over competitive products, said Mr. Chaput. 

Another benefit of the system is availability of the software and supporting materials in French, which was not offered by competitors, who also didn't have an outlet in Canada for support and service after the sale. 

Of the 3,000 or so employees at the SRC Montreal headquarters, some 1,078 are registered system users. They include television and maintenance technicians, technical directors, reporters, administration staff and television personalities. 

Using an electronic key control system has enabled SRC to maximise the use of its resources. For example, when previously a car might be used “all day,” now it is possible to schedule usage more precisely. If three hours is long enough, the car is then free for use later in the day by another employee. “We are able to do more with the same amount of resources,” said Mr. Chaput. “We now monitor much more closely how our resources are used.” 

Another example of added efficiency is the ability to separate camera usage from vehicle usage by assigning two different keys. “If the car goes to a garage for a repair or oil change, the camera is still available,” said Mr. Chaput. “Since we installed KeyWatcher, we can use our resources more efficiently and do the same work with less equipment.” 

'All the Hassles Are Just Gone'

The system has been used in Montreal since 2009. Based on interest Mr. Chaput has heard expressed from other parts of SRC and CBC, which includes radio and television stations throughout Canada, it is likely to be used in the near future in multiple larger locations of Canadian media outlets. For example, a production director in Halifax, Nova Scotia, sent someone to look at the system, and someone from Ottawa is looking to use it, he said. Sasckatchawan offices also are looking at it. 

The purchase price of the system included availability of a Morse Watchmans technician to guide the end-user through the programming process and how to use the system, said Mr. Chaput. “After that, we could call them as much as needed by phone, and they would help us. It took about a month for me to put in the data and beta-test it with a small group. When I was confident enough in using the system, we deployed it throughout the field.” The system has proven it’s self to be rigorous and efficient. 

Expanding when necessary with additional key cabinets has been quick and easy. “They call often to see how it works and if everything is OK,” said Mr. Chaput. “I have no problems with delays, and Dion Green, Morse Canada's national sales manager, stops by each time he is in Montreal.” 

Mr. Chaput says he would eagerly urge any colleague to buy a similar system. “All the hassles are just gone,” he said. At SRC, the system saves the corporation time and money, and allows staff to take care of issues among themselves. It also makes employees more accountable for their actions.