Commercial real estate

Cutting-edge kitting center is watched over by high-resolution cameras.

Organization: DIS Service & Support Co., Ltd. Kanto Kitting Center

Location: Yoshimi-machi, Japan

Customer need: Operational efficiency

Yoshimi-machi, Japan, 2019

32 network cameras allow work in progress to be checked, supporting both IT equipment security and providing added value.

Mission

The DIS Service & Support Co., Ltd. Kanto Kitting Center was one of the first providers to offer a kitting service whereby the company builds servers, PCs and optional equipment on behalf of customers, as well as installing software and performing other configuration work before shipment. To be able to respond to increasing and diverse customer demands the company relocated in 2018, and expanded the kitting facility by merging it with the Central Kanto Center logistics base, while simultaneously rolling out a full-blown security system.

Solution

With the help from 21 high-resolution mini dome IP cameras it was possible to check individual operations and work in progress. The required viewing angle was calculated considering the height of the installations within the Center and the size and number of the workstations that needed to be covered, and optimal equipment was then selected accordingly. Despite the complex layout of the Center, only six HDTV 1080p fixed-box cameras were necessary to cover entrances and corridors without blind spots. The cameras are managed centrally using two monitors within the Center, enabling checks to be conducted as soon as a problem occurs.

Result

The new cameras have made it possible to gain an accurate and detailed picture of the work being performed. The possibility to discover mistakes and check if procedures has been followed has helped to improve operational efficiency and facilitate procedural reviews. No incidents have yet arisen that required camera verification but the fact that the staff have been notified that cameras have been installed seems to have had a positive effect.

Previously, recording things with cameras was the objective. Now it’s working as a deterrent, allowing us to check operating procedures, and also playing a role in contributing to work-style reforms. Those are the kinds of changes in the solution that we have seen over the past three years. That we have been able to realize this is also arguably due entirely to the improved camera performance.

Keiichi Kirihata

Center manager, DIS Service & Support Co., Ltd., Service Headquarters, Services Sales Division, Kanto Kitting Center

A proactive approach to using cuttingedge technology

DIS Service & Support Co., Ltd.’s Kitting Center plays an important role in logistics services for the warehousing of products handled by Daiwabo Information Systems. The company has always taken a proactive approach to the adoption of cutting-edge technology, having been an early adopter of storage systems utilizing robots in its distribution warehouses, and of related security initiatives. Axis cameras were first deployed in 2016. Due to the nature of the IT equipment that is handled, clients have increasingly been requesting that the kitting should be conducted in an environment in which security can be guaranteed, which led to the decision to strengthen the network that was in operation at the time, and to deploy surveillance cameras.

To cover every detail

In 2018, the kitting service function was moved into the company’s distribution warehouse in Saitama, the Central Kanto Center. Work began to expand into the new Kanto Kitting Center, with a floor area of 1,360 m2. Taking the opportunity provided by this relocation and expansion, the Center additionally deployed 21 units of the fixed-dome AXIS M3046-V Network Camera, enabling monitoring of work in progress. The adoption of this equipment was determined by three factors: the high resolution, the wide viewing angle and the balance of price and performance. Because it was important that the video covered every detail of the work in progress, meticulous calculations were performed to determine the angles required to cover the individual work areas from the height of the installations.

Of the two AXIS M3046-V models, the version with the wide-angle focal length of 1.8 mm was selected. Including other models, such as AXIS M3026, a total of 32 cameras have been installed throughout the Center. Footage is sent to two PCs on which AXIS Companion video management software has been installed, enabling the situation to be checked in real time, and a dedicated NAS holds a month’s worth of recorded video.

During the deployment of the system at the time of the relocation and expansion, the Axis Authorized Partner DIS Service & Support Co., Ltd. was responsible for everything from equipment selection to setup and installation. “This is after all our main business,” explains Keiichi Kirihata, Kanto Kitting Center Manager, “and because the Axis settings and tools have been designed to be user-friendly, we encountered no particular problems. The deployment went smoothly.”

Full traceability facilitates a qualitative and secure work flow

Today, approximately one year after the deployment, the results show themselves in various ways. For example:

> When a box is damaged, the exact point in time at which the damage occurred can be established, which makes it easy to trace the cause of the event.

> At the end of daily business, if one of the more than 2,000 tools or fixtures is discovered to be missing, recorded footage can be checked to track where it disappeared.

> If an error occurs during kitting operations, it is also possible to work out in which specific operation the mistake took place, and the system enables checks on whether kitting procedures are being followed, which helps improve operational efficiency.

> Motion detection tools that make visible anybody who has remained behind after working hours are extremely useful in providing alerts to management.

Showcasing operational reliability

The Kanto Kitting Center is currently used as a venue for site visits by dealerships, and a range of initiatives aimed at maintaining operational quality and security are explained to approximately 100 visitors every month.

Warehouse station with warehouse workers

It is within this facility, systematically equipped with staticelectricity countermeasures, cameras and other cuttingedge features, that visitors can watch operations being carried out with speed and precision before their very eyes. This is an important factor in persuading them that they can safely delegate their work to the Center and it provides evidence for the reliability of the kitting services requested by customers. The part played by security cameras has also evolved dramatically over the past few years, and has now entered what might be called its second phase.

“Previously, recording things with cameras was the objective,” says Keiichi Kirihata. “Now it’s working as a deterrent, allowing us to check operating procedures, and also playing a role in contributing to work-style reforms. Those are the kinds of changes in the solution that we have seen over the past three years. That we have been able to realize this is also arguably due entirely to the improved camera performance.”

As the requirements of manufacturers of ICT equipment continue to diversify, the Kanto Kitting Center is expected to utilize increasingly advanced technology going forward to provide even more added value to customers. Because the system as deployed can also be used to perform motion detection, the setup makes it possible to see at a glance whether any people have remained behind in the Center after working hours. This initiative also has positive implications for work-style reforms.