Protecting Merchandise in Warehouses and Distribution Centers can Strengthen the Bottom Line

A distribution center or warehouse can hold tens of thousands of products requiring security to be a top priority. Installing video surveillance and access control can help prevent loss, improve operations and create a safer working environment for employees, which translates to a better bottom line.

Employees or truck drivers, who feel underpaid and underappreciated by the company, may think they are entitled to take merchandise. Their thought may be, ‘they won’t miss one of these thousands of items’. We know as a security company the presence of video cameras can decrease this type of internal theft.

Video surveillance technology today can provide broad coverage of an area with the ability to zoom in, clearly identifying a person, object or vehicle. Once an image is highlighted, the advanced search technology has the ability to search large amounts of footage, giving administrators the ability to follow a person, vehicle or object, providing the path followed throughout the facility.

Cameras should not only be installed inside but outside with special attention to shipping and receiving areas. Make sure cameras can see parked trailers with merchandise still inside.

You may already have an access control system for entrances and overhead doors, but what about cages and rooms where expensive merchandise is located? In the event something is missing, an audit trail can quickly and easily be retrieved, ideally coinciding with video surveillance. Anyone could use another’s credentials to enter a secure area but when checked against video, a positive identification can be made.

The access control system administrator can disable credentials quickly and easily when an employee leaves or is let go. If a company is still using keys, access to certain areas cannot be stopped as quickly.

A few tips to keep in mind when securing a warehouse or distribution center:

• Receiving should be located away from the shipping area; it creates an easy access point for theft when they are located in close proximity.
• Employee parking should be located away from the shipping or receiving areas, again it creates an easy access point for theft.
• Create specific entrances and exits for employees that are not in the shipping or delivery areas.
• Do not allow unauthorized people to wander around the building, such as truck drivers looking for a bathroom.
• Do not leave unloaded merchandise unattended on the loading docks.

With multiple warehouses or distribution centers located at different places, security can be difficult to manage. With the use of a cloud based system access from anywhere can be done with ease.

Choosing the right security provider is a critical way to help eliminate risk, when there is a large volume of inbound and outbound traffic. Whether you have one or multiple warehouse locations we can create a security, access control, and video surveillance system just right for you. Call One Source Security today at 800-570-6478, for a free assessment.