In 1919, Ernst Stackmann opened his department store in Langen Street in the town of Buxtehude, Germany, where he sold textiles and ready-to-wear clothing. Today, this store still serves as the headquarters for the family business that has, in the course of time, become a traditional part of the historic centre of Buxtehude. The company management, which is now in the third generation, already knows how important it is to keep up with the constantly changing requirements for retail stores.
Today, over 300 employees live by the company philosophy: "Offer the customers a broad, high-quality selection in a competent and friendly shopping environment!" Traditional business virtues and the feel for the spirit of the times go hand in hand, and shoppers can feel that the minute they enter the store: The departments are structured according to the product groups, employees are discreet and respectful and the store provides a child care facility so that parents can be sure that their children are in good hands while they go shopping.
To round things off, the department store provides customers with an informative website complete with current offers and a virtual fashion journal. Perhaps the hare and the hedgehog pictured in the cast metal plaque on the wall of the department store bearing the Stackmann name are inspired by the Buxtehude fairy tale of the same name in which the clever hedgehog always tries to stay one step ahead of the "big rabbits" in the industry.
Cost factor: store theft
Strict cost control measures must be observed in all areas for a retail store to remain competitive in today's market. One of the largest cost factors for a store is theft. If a business is not able to handle this widespread phenomenon, it will be forced to include the cost of the stolen goods in its general price level, which will lead to higher prices for customers and cause the business to lose its competitive edge.
There are many different ways to prevent theft. In addition to making sure that goods are clearly presented and using electronic product labels, video recording has proven to be a particularly successful method. But this is not accomplished merely by relentlessly recording and storing masses of camera footage. Without the use of electronic video analysis, this flood of video footage would be far too complex to analyse and would not produce the desired result.
Stackmann went to the loss prevention expert of the police for more information and was advised to invest in an intelligent camera system with the possibility of tracking the perpetrators. This is a particularly good weapon against gangs stealing.
In their search for the right system provider, the company’s management and IT Director Harald Uhlendorf had a look around CeBIT 2006. At the MOBOTIX stand, they quickly confirmed their initial impression that this company offered the solution to their problem.
After this visit to the trade fair, Matthias Klindworth from the Hamburg branch of MOBOTIX partner ADS Networks contacted Stackmann and, after conducting a comprehensive analysis of their requirements on location, provided the company with a varied selection of solutions.
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| The perpetrator can be identified by evaluating the recorded video material with a time delay |
MOBOTIX HiRes IP cameras for protecting goods
Qualified consulting played a major role in closing this contract and numerous technological considerations made a great case for the MOBOTIX solution: brilliant, high-resolution image quality, minimum data load thanks to numerous options for data pre-processing, event detection in the camera and compression of the data streams, integration of the camera into the existing IP data network, use of standard PCs as video servers, license-free MxControlCenter control room software, expansions and modifications to be made easily, even by the customer and the low power consumption of the system are just a small fraction of the different features offered by this system.
The discreet housing of the MOBOTIX type D12 cameras (most of which are installed as half-dome ceiling cameras) also contains a passive infrared motion detector as well as an integrated microphone and speaker, making the MOBOTIX system concept even more attractive.
ADS Networks assisted in the planning, initial installation, pre-configuration and initial operation of the camera system. Thanks to the extremely reliable system, ADS Networks technician Matthias Klindworth only needs to provide support when required, thus eliminating the need for a maintenance contract. If software problems should arise, it is not necessary to make a visit to the site. The administrator simply accesses the system remotely. This contributes to the low total cost of the investment (Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), which includes purchasing, installation and operating costs.
Prevention instead of punishment
A total of 63 cameras monitor the sales areas. The company places particular emphasis on ensuring that they are installed as inconspicuously as possible. It is much more important to draw the customers’ attention to the signs informing them about camera monitoring as they enter the store. Because at the end of the day, the primary goal is not to catch the thief, but to prevent the theft. If, in spite of these warnings, a crime is committed, the criminal doesn't stand much of a chance.
Even if the criminal is not caught "red-handed", the perpetrator can be identified by evaluating the recorded video material with a time delay. Police officers already identify most thieves after the fact by analysing video recordings. The megapixel resolution of the cameras has proven to be particularly beneficial. This enables the entire image to be recorded at all times while allowing the operator to use the virtual pan, tilt and zoom functions with the high-resolution image material. This results in a higher recognition rate for thieves with fewer cameras in comparison with conventional camera surveillance systems.
A rise in interest
The extremely positive experiences with MOBOTIX IP camera technology led to a number of additional ideas. For example, the Intersport department store, located near the main building, was connected to the central monitoring server at a very low cost using fibre optic cables.
The illumination will be integrated into the security concept to a greater extent in the future and the security concept itself will be expanded to include the in-house parking garage.
In addition, the play area of the store’s child day care facility will also be secured using MOBOTIX HiRes IP cameras – this way, parents can relax and enjoy their shopping experience in this friendly department store.
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