Protecting your wares

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Warehouse security breaches in the UAE have prompted the retail sector to fight back.

With a number of recent warehouse robberies across the region highlighting the need to tighten up warehouse security, the smart warehouse operators are turning to the security professionals for solutions to theft-proof their warehouses.

As technological developments in security and defence systems move at an accelerated rate, the security sector itself has been enjoying major growth in the Middle East region.

With the increase in trade and commerce in the UAE and Middle East, the issue of warehouse security has become very important," says Angela Schierholz, Intersec Middle East's senior show manager at Messe Frankfurt.

Schierholz believes that new technology can allow companies to closely monitor the goods stored in the warehouse as well as the perimeter of the warehouses.

Perhaps more importantly, having a security system which connects the warehouse directly to the local police services can help avoid warehouse robberies like those experienced by Dubai, by allowing prompt action even if the owner is away from the warehouse area.

"The spate of press reports on the arrests of the warehouse robbers would give the impression that inadequate security measures were in place in these warehouses," she says.

There were also reports of inadequate numbers of security posted at warehouses, which could be easily overpowered by determined robbers."

According to Schierholz, for these reasons, one of the major messages which came out of this year's Intersec event, was the need to give priority to setting up of a mechanism of cooperation between public and private sectors in order to achieve an adequate level of warehouse security.

Gilles Ortega, regional manager at Axis Communications agrees that warehouse security in the region holds a lot of room for improvement.

Like Schierholz, Ortega maintains that many of the traditional security methods cannot reach optimum efficiency unless complemented by a form of intrusion detection connected to a central alarm centre or directly to the police.

Focusing on video surveillance over IP systems, Axis Communications manufactures such solutions including software and hardware in order to provide the full benefits of network video.

Warehouse security is critical and can be achieved at a small cost when you compare it to the costs incurred when valuable material is stolen," says Ortega.

Of course, video surveillance systems also carry the benefit of capturing records of thefts taking place, useful for the quick resolution of both insurance and prosecution purposes.

Some remote monitoring operations provide more specific analysis such as low stock levels, unusual activity during off periods or suspicious motion detected in ‘sensitive goods' storage areas," Ortega adds.

Despite its usefulness in warehouse security, companies need to avoid falling into the ‘technology trap' by devoting their budgets to such devices alone.

One of the best and most effective solutions to warehouse security is ensuring an effective and well-trained staff team on hand, who understand the potential risks and threats to the warehouse. "Investing in new security technologies is important, but so is investment in human factors, i.e. recruiting the correct.

For logistics operator DHL Exel, the role that employees play in ensuring security through heightening awareness of the potential risks that exist in the security of its warehouses is paramount.

"Training, awareness and standardisation are vital to any security program. It would be pointless to have a lot of plans and detailed procedures if no one knew about them or were unable to utilise them at the time of an incident," says Ray Armstrong, compliance manager, DHL Exel Supply Chain.

With the focus of its security operations on protecting personnel, assets and stakeholders' material while maintaining business continuity, Armstrong maintains that, in the company's view, security accepts absolutely no compromises.

"Effective security operations use information to predict any imminent changes to the security environment so that an appropriate protective response may be applied. However, security threats may occur with little or no warning, so security arrangements must be flexible and able to respond rapidly to a sudden increase in the alert state of the business," he says.

Specifically security systems for DHL Exel operations are designed to integrate with normal operations, providing flexibility, a low profile presence and protective posture during normal operations as well as being capable of scaling up protective operations rapidly to meet any such periods of high activity and/or emergencies.

With so much at stake, it is not surprising that this global well-known brand in the logistics world would take the issue of security, including warehouse robbery, very seriously.

Looking at the issue of a warehouse robbery holistically, the impact on the business would be great in terms of customer confidence. Even if the cost of replacing an item stolen was small the loss of trust from our client would be considerable," Armstrong emphasises.

Maintaining high levels of customer confidence and trust is even more essential for warehouse operators such as self-storage companies, unto whose care clients entrust their valued possessions.

UAE based self-storage company, Big Yellow FZ LLC, for example, borrows much of its security measures from its UK-based parent company Big Yellow UK.

As the facility caters for 2500 customers entering and leaving the warehouse to access their property, security measures have to be comprehensive without limiting the accessibility.

As well as perimeter fencing and CCTV, the company uses security guards around the clock to complement the access control.

"Moving towards the building all the loading areas are only accessible via keypad entry. Each Big Yellow customer selects his own pin number," explains Riaan Buchner, UAE operations manager for Big Yellow FZ LLC.

The keys for the individual rooms are kept by the client and not by Big Yellow, with individual alarm monitoring for each room. All the access is monitored through software provided by PTI, and individual access reports can be generated if needed."

Buchner believes that security has become increasingly important, with many self-storage warehouses witnessing a shift from the usual storage of sentimental, low-monetary value goods towards more high value items being stored.

"This increases the warehouse owners risk to supply properly protected storage," he points out. "The extensive security and safety systems put in place to protect the goods in storage are our proactive way of ensuring our customer's goods are well protected against fire and theft.

Unfortunately not all warehouse operators seem to have taken aboard the good practice adopted by the likes of DHL Exel, Big Yellow and Transguard.

Although I have seen a lot of changes in the past six years from the lone watchman sitting at the gate to more qualified personal and the use of electronic security, a lot of companies are still ignorant and expect the police to look after their property," admits Buchner.

"Unfortunately it's not their duty to look after our property if we don't actively help to deter crime. At Big Yellow we have taken an active role in this regard with the use of the available resources and systems we have put in place

Echoing the views of Schierholz and Ortega, Buchner concurs that better joint working systems between the police and private companies such as through alarm response systems are the way forward.

It appears that theft-proof approach to warehouse security thus relies on an effective security strategy combining aspects of technology, traditional safety measures and a trained, vigilant staff team.

But most importantly of all, warehouse operators need to adopt a proactive attitude towards safeguarding the goods located on their premises.

"A personal attitude of responsibility creates a secure working environment in which customer property and company assets are protected," concludes DHL Exel's Armstrong.

"One of the key parts of our security philosophy is trust from the client that their material will be in safe hands from time of dispatching to time of arrival at its destination, Armstrong adds.

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