My career started in heavy manufacturing: steel, automotive & aerospace. I worked in more than 20 countries. I admit it: I love these environments. There is something incredible about building things we need and that make our lives better.
Since we started Liquid360 I've often imagined how incredibly powerful it would be to harness the power of our software in this particular sector. Not just for security, but for daily operations.
The large spaces, the large numbers of people - personnel, vendors, visitors - and the sheer complexity of the movement of materials is remarkable and fraught with risk. Not just security but health & safety, logistics and materials control. Getting the big picture - until now - was an insurmountable challenge.
Then I had the great luck to watch Erik Antons CPP, PSP give a webinar about physical security in the manufacturing sector.
What makes securing a manufacturing facility unique? Erik explained some of those factors:
· Lots of people
· Big footprint
· Unions
· Intellectual Property
· Cyclical nature of demand
· Large scale production of goods
It was clear to me that Erik and I were seeing the same challenges.
Erik also pointed out that while manufacturing has its particularities, the security chief of these facilities has the same mission and portfolio: safeguarding people, property, information and processes. I really appreciated his insights and his book & podcast recommendations.
While I align with Erik's view, I don't think we are maximizing the full potential of our current security systems. That is something that Liquid360 does very well. By enabling a contextual picture of the security videos and sensor data, Liquid360 reduces the load on security personnel both in and out of the control room. Beyond the security staff, Liquid360 enables the security chief to decentralize access to relevant cameras to say, Health & Safety, deliveries & shipping and even operations managers. All of these stakeholders now have actionable intelligence about their operations and even the movement of personnel to discover new efficiencies. And because Liquid360 leverages the existing equipment and software, even legacy systems become state-of-the-art.
Back to people. Security, like the rest of manufacturing is people-intensive. Hiring for security is a big challenge, especially in the US where turnover is 300%. So employers are paying more than just a salary for one job done since new team members need to be trained before they're working independently. Anything that accelerates the qualification of personnel is money in the bank. Anything that makes it easier to engage and pay attention longer and more effectively makes everyone safer. Liquid360 impacts both the speed of training and the engagement of operators.
We are looking forward to contributing to the safety, security and efficiency of manufacturing operations as we grow.
