Distributions Centers (DC) are the beating heart of the global e-commerce industry. Running a distribution center, however, comes with several challenges. With hundreds of employees accessing and moving the merchandise around worth thousands of dollars, security becomes the most critical concern for DC owners. Access control turnstiles offer a better way to protect your DC from theft and violent crimes. Let’s find out how.
But first, let’s take a closer look at security challenges faced by most DCs.
A. Security Risks Faced by Distribution Centers
1. Cargo or Merchandise Theft
Cargo or merchandise theft is perhaps the biggest concern for the warehousing industry. Cargo theft statistics vary, but it is generally agreed upon that cargo theft is a $15 to $30 billion problem each year in the United States.
2. Violent Crimes
The second biggest threat is violence. Be it an angry ex-boyfriend or an armed robbery, violent crimes can put your employee, merchandise, and your reputation at risk. So, you need to keep violent intruders away from the premises.
B. How Do Turnstiles Improve Security
Access control turnstile enhances your security in the following ways.
1. Ensure Proper Screening at the Entry and Exit
One of the first advantages of using an access control turnstile is proper screening at the entry. You can connect full-height or waist-high turnstiles to any access control system like key card access or biometric scanner to allow only authorized personnel inside the building.
This substantially increases the security level. You can also use metal detectors and scanners. This helps prevents people from entering the building with belongings like bags, purses, phones, keys, and any other metal objects.
Likewise, you can scan each employee while leaving the building. A waist-high or full-height turnstile with access control can prevent employees from getting away with stolen goods. Covering these entry and exit points will help you catch the intruder or thief immediately.
2. Strengthen Your Perimeter Security
You can strengthen your perimeter by installing a full-height access control turnstile on the fence. With proper access control systems in place, intruders cannot access your facility.
Furthermore, a full-height turnstile allows only one authorized personnel to enter the secure area at a time. You can use cameras to record the activities taking place around the perimeter and turnstiles. It becomes easier to detect irregularities and raise an alarm.
3. Tracking On-Premises Movement
Finally, you can use access control turnstiles to track employee movement inside the building. Electronic access control, along with electronic surveillance, leaves a digital footprint of each employee.
The time-stamped digital footprint can help you determine the exact movement of each employee. It not only increases security but also helps you determine employee productivity.
Parting Words
Keeping valuable merchandise inside a distribution center secure from theft or violent crime is a challenge. But, with the right access control turnstile systems, you can make your space more secure and minimize theft. Hopefully, the pointers offered here will prove helpful in securing your distribution center. Remember, security means reputation in the shipping and warehousing industry.
Image Credit: Flickr / Automatic Systems