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Skechers Takes First Steps in Securing Flagship
Distribution Facility with American Dynamics IP
Surveillance Solution
Skechers USA Inc.’s latest distribution facility in
Rancho Belago, Calif. moves a mountain of shoes each
day. This high-volume center is designated as a U.S.
foreign trade zone, which requires specific and
measurable security standards as set down by U.S.
Customs and Border Protection officials.
Introduction
Skechers, an award-winning global lifestyle footwear
company, develops and markets more than 3,000 styles for
men, women and children through its fitness and
lifestyle divisions. With over $2 billion in sales,
Skechers sells its products in more than 120 countries
with over 300 retail stores in key metropolitan areas
worldwide, and has partnered with distributors to open
an additional 250 locations.
A significant portion of this worldwide product volume
goes through Skechers newest distribution facility in
California — a 1.8 million-square-foot, $250 million
complex that serves as a U.S. foreign trade zone. A
foreign trade zone is a designated location in the
United States where companies can use special procedures
that help encourage U.S. activity — in competition with
foreign alternatives — by allowing delayed or reduced
duty payments on foreign merchandise, as well as
logistical and tax benefits.
Challenges
While being a foreign trade zone reaps benefits for
Skechers, it also comes with some specific security
requirements. Greg Drivas, Director of Loss Prevention
for Skechers USA, says there is a higher expectation for
perimeter security, as product is monitored entering and
exiting the warehouse. Surveillance, especially in the
form of high-quality video recording and playback, was a
required feature for Skechers as it laid out its
security plan to Select Systems Technology, Inc. of
Torrance, Calif., the systems integrator chosen for the
installation. That meant that the video needed to be
quickly accessible, clear and smooth, and provide the
ability to zoom in as needed, according to Vijay Patel,
senior manager at SST.
Skechers also needed the video management system to have
an open platform to accommodate cameras from multiple
manufacturers and have a degree of scalability to grow
along with the changing needs of Skechers operations.
The integrator found this to be its largest distribution
center and the one deploying the largest number of
cameras. Patel says the challenges for SST included the
length of the project—it took several years from concept
to completion—and making changes along the way as the
building took shape and needs changed, all while still
staying within the structures of the budget.
Solution
Skechers and SST selected the victor video management
system from American Dynamics. With the powerful victor
unified client, Skechers’ security staff is able to
view, manage, and control recorded video from five
VideoEdge network video recorders. Some key features of
victor, including its ability to instantly play back
high-resolution video, and tie into the access control
system to bring up video related to alarms, made it an
easy selection for the project, according to Patel. For
operators, victor is fairly intuitive so that officers
could use it even before receiving formal training.
“Even the least technical officer can get into the
system, and set up views and do archiving,” said Drivas.
“The user-friendly nature of the victor interface
allowed our staff to be up and running on the system
very quickly.”
One of the additional benefits, added Drivas, was the
ability to capitalize on the clarity and accessibility
of the video for non-security uses, such as the
operations group at the distribution center using the
video to monitor product movement on the conveyor
system.
For cameras, SST installed a variety of cameras,
including American Dynamics Illustra 400 Series
Mini-Domes and IP SpeedDome programmable cameras. In
addition, the project used Flir thermal imaging cameras
to view the backside of the building, and four
180-degree megapixel cameras which increased the
capacity of the 150 or so cameras to that of 300
individual camera views.
Skechers designed this new distribution center to give
the company flexibility in its operations and a
centralized distribution point for the next 20 years. By
choosing victor and an IP surveillance solution from
American Dynamics, Skechers is giving its security staff
the same flexibility, allowing the camera network to
grow along with the facility.
Contact:
Karen Olsen
Retail Sales
kolsen@tycoint.com |
