CHIPS WITH VODKA AT IDV (UK) LTD
| Date | 01 September 1988 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb057522 |
| Pages | 19-20 |
| Published date | 01 September 1988 |
| Subject Matter | Economics,Information & knowledge management,Management science & operations |
CHIPS WITH VODKA AT IDV (UK) LTD
The rapid development of closed circuit television hardware, largely by Japanese firms, could lead one to suppose
that here is another example of Britons badly missing out in the hi-tech stakes. Not so. We may not be a leading
manufacturer of closed circuit television (CCTV) equipment, but nobody is better at developing applications
for this latest management information
tool.
Far too many people at senior levels in business fail to
realise the efficiency CCTV can bring to their companies
in terms of improved communications. They consider
the technology only for its important security
surveillance value. In this way, they are missing about
90 per cent of its potential benefit.
A well-informed manager is a better manager. If this
is so, why should managers depend on out-of-date,
second-hand reports about how the business is
supposed to be running? They could use these "extra
eyes"
to see how it is actually running. Why have them
guessing what happened to cause a problem when they
could play back a timed recording and pinpoint the
weakness immediately.
The "extra eyes" of CCTV never tire, no matter how
monotonous the process being monitored. Their
records are always factual, always objective.
Luckily for Britain, more and more managers are thinking
about how CCTV could be applied in their businesses.
They are learning how far CCTV has moved on from
being the single, fixed-camera monitoring a retail shop.
Here we have an account of how two British companies
are working together to develop further applications in
a major process industry.
The account comes from Frank Felton, Security Adviser
to International Distillers and Vintners (UK) Ltd. (IDV),
a member of the Grand Metropolitan Group, and
provides an intriguing insight into the operation of CCTV
within the
firm.
IDV's experience of closed circuit
television could point the way forward for other
industries which so far have not considered the wider
aspects of this technology.
International Distillers and Vintners (UK) Ltd. are major
producers and distributors of wines and spirits, whose
leading brands include Smirnoff vodka, J&B whisky,
Croft sherry and port, Bailey's Irish Cream, Malibu, Piat
D'Or and Gilbey's gin. For about 12 years the firm has
used CCTV to monitor the critical loading operation of
delivery vehicles at the main distribution warehouse in
Harlow. The primary requirement has been to record
on video tape movement of cases from six conveyor
spurs — any number of which are running
simultaneously — into vehicles to enable subsequent
verification of load details against loading schedules,
investigation of post-delivery queries, etc.
The importance of accurately identifying millions of
movements of many hundreds of products, plus the
ever-increasing speed of the operation and its working
hours,
demand constant attention to the performance
of CCTV equipment, not least, the recording machines.
The original installation pre-dated the video cassette
recorder (VCR) which we have so quickly learned to take
for granted. Reel-to-reel time lapse recorders were used.
Six monochrome tube cameras were dedicated to the
loading spurs, and a recorder was linked to each of these.
As demands on equipment grew, so inevitable loss of
performance through age accelerated, and time lapse
recording became increasingly unsuitable as a means
of extending recording time. Maintenance was more
frequently required, and its cost was escalating. It was
important therefore to be aware of new developments
in CCTV and its increasing availability to ensure the
continuing efficacy of the monitoring programme.
In the late 1970s, a significant step was made into
colour monitoring and the use of VCRs to enable
real-
time recording. New cameras and recording equipment
naturally enhanced things and colour definition helped
in product identification. But there were still snags:
• colour cameras were more sensitive to light
conditions;
• the need for a separate dedicated VCR to serve
each camera;
• cassette recording was in its infancy, and the
machines primarily designed to serve a
domestic demand, and
• four hours was the longest uninterrupted
recording period possible, and, since the loading
operation was beginning to demand continuous
24-hour cover, a vast library of tapes was
needed to keep the information available for any
length of time.
Without doubt the greatest problem was the ever-
increasing maintenance required by VCRs and the
shortage of expertise in what was still an embryo
industry. Moreover, the irreversible process of ageing
chipped away at the quality of both live and recorded
pictures, which increased vulnerability to adverse light
conditions and other environmental factors. The
equipment, purchased as a capital acquisition,
depreciated over five years. When it reached zero book
value,
it was decidedly
tired,
and left so far behind by
new development as to be worthless. Another refit was
urgently needed.
In the meantime, IDV had had a number of small CCTV
systems installed at depots, and there was a growing
appreciation of the need for, and value of, CCTV among
managers and work force. Partly influenced by changing
social attitudes and partly by constant indoctrination
from its security adviser, the company was beginning
to accept that, when used with discretion, a CCTV
system need not be damaging to its culture.
IMDS
September/October
1988
19
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