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| Ian Crosby discusses the transfer of the production of MIC CCTV cameras to Ovar, Portugal |
SF: How successful is the MIC series of cameras?
IC: Very! MIC cameras are proven in a range of different environments, from town centre surveillance through to the most demanding critical infrastructure installations.
SF: So why the need for change?
IC: Partly, the MIC series has been a victim of its own success. Demand has been so high, that production has not been able to keep up. But it's slightly more complicated than that. When we acquired Forward Vision and took over manufacture of the MIC cameras, there were some 750 different type numbers. Clearly this wasn't in the customer's best interests, nor ours, and so over the past few months we have been working hard to consolidate the range and rationalise the number of models available down to 125 with all of the advantages this will bring to the customer.
SF: How have you achieved this?
IC: Rather than having one camera with a wiper and one without and so on, all cameras in the MIC series are now ‘fully loaded' but available at the ‘unloaded' (ie the lowest specification) price. This makes considerably more sense in terms of specification, manufacturing and supply. It also means that all prices will be aligned - for example the 18X models will be available at the same price as the 36X model etc
SF: What will this mean to lead times?
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| Bosch is transferring production of its MIC CCTV cameras to in order to continue meeting high demands |
IC: Lead times have been a bone of contention in the past. Because of the different versions we were building, some installers had to wait anything up to six weeks for delivery. You have to understand, also, that with the sale of Forward Vision to Bosch there was increased demand from all over the world, whereas before we had been primarily supplying only to the UK. From January, however, we will be able to reduce lead times, for the most popular models, to less than one week! Even the most exotic versions should still be in an installer's hands two weeks after placing the order.
SF: What are the benefits of moving production to Ovar?
IC: Ovar is one of Bosch's major production facilities for security products. It therefore has quality control procedures that are second to none. It is also geared for higher volume production. Whereas in Newcastle we might have been able to build 250 cameras per month as an absolute maximum, in Ovar we can manufacture significantly more from the start of production with the ability to scale production upwards as demand increases. Because we are manufacturing in such high volumes, it also means that our contracts with third party suppliers are much stronger, and we are unlikely to be affected by uncertainties within the supply chain.
SF: Can customers still bespoke their products in the way they have been used to?
IC: Some degree of bespoke manufacture is still possible. The difficulty was that we were receiving requests for single cameras painted a particular colour, and not only was this impacting on production, but it was impacting cost. It also meant that when repairs or upgrades were required, there were no standard parts available. Some flexibility may have gone, but it is true to say that if there is a requirement, and the cameras are required in sufficient quantities, then it is something we will do and it means there will be customised spares readily available in the system.
SF: So what can we expect next year?
IC: The current series is now undergoing production engineering, with full accelerated life-time testing for both vibration and temperature, and we will be announcing details of our new products next month.
Features in the next MIC update include a look at the Bosch central European distribution centre and the future of MIC Series.
