Lily O'Brien's - an Irish success story
The luxury chocolate manufacturer was founded in 1992 by Mary Ann O'Brien and named after her daughter, Lily. Since then the company has built a reputation for excellence in innovation, and has become internationally recognized for its unique recipes, taking inspiration from classic dessert recipes from across the globe. The company makes up to 65 tons of chocolate each week and exports 80% of its products. All products are manufactured at a 36,000 square feet factory in Newbridge, County Kildare, with Lily O'Brien's employing 120 staff producing 180 varieties of chocolate. Kevin Coleman, Lily O'Brien's process manager, brought in Axis partner Encom to install a surveillance system, which could secure their site but also help monitor key production processes. The company wanted the ability to view machines remotely to ensure production lines run smoothly and to quickly pinpoint problems.
Securing the factory
Lily O'Brien's was having issues due to incidents in its staff car park, with members of staff reporting that their cars had been vandalized or broken into. There was also a need to ensure that the factory site was secure, focused around the main entry points and corridors around the factory. Encom explained the benefits of network cameras to the management team at Lily O'Brien's. The company already had extensive network cabling and using network cameras would utilize this network rather than having to install an additional coaxial cable network to distribute analogue camera feeds.
Solution
Lily O'Brien's worked with leading Irish integrator and Axis partner Encom who installed seven AXIS 211 Network Cameras in external areas around the factory and the car park. Five AXIS 207 Network Cameras were used for the reception and corridors, and a further 10 AXIS 210 Network Cameras were installed to cover the factory floor. Encom also deployed 2 high-performance AXIS 214 PTZ Network Cameras for overseeing critical production processes and to help collect technical data. Encom worked together with Lily O'Brien's in-house IT team to ensure effective integration with their IP network. The system is monitored using AXIS Camera Station software capable of monitoring all 24 cameras. Images where motion is detected are stored for up to 20 days, recorded at four frames per second in VGA resolution onto an Intel-based server with two terabytes of capacity.
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| Axis IP-Surveillance system delivered improved image quality |
The Axis network cameras installed at the site delivered excellent image quality which gave confidence to the staff that if an incident did occur, images could be retrieved quickly which were clear and sharp enough to be used in identifying individuals and for submission to the authorities. Lily O'Brien's also wanted to be able to monitor key production processes and saw the opportunity to install high performance Axis network cameras. The cameras' images can be viewed on any Internet-enabled PC across the business and help managers to observe these critical processes and collect critical technical data, allowing staff to check to ensure production is running smoothly without having to be physically present at the machine.
Kevin Coleman, process manager, Lily O'Brien's, summarized, "The IP-Surveillance system has a two-fold benefit for us. The ability to constantly monitor the chocolate-making process using the system has assisted us in maintaining the very high standards we set ourselves. This is vital to ensure Lily O'Brien's reputation for excellence in the market. The security aspect of the system has allowed us to reduce anti-social behaviour in and around our premises ensuring a more pleasant environment for all our staff. The flexibility of being able to monitor both areas of interest on our own internal network and use password protected secure Internet access has also proved useful."
