Security to the Hilt
Tool maker seeks topnotch security management system
- By Kim Rahfaldt
- Jan 01, 2012
If you’ve ever been to a construction site, chances are
you’ve seen Hilti Corp.’s construction tools or its
plumbing, heating and air conditioning mechanisms.
Hilti’s signature bright red industrial tools and components
are used by construction crews worldwide.
The Hilti brand has been providing leading-edge technology
to the global construction industry since 1941. The company
is located in more than 120 countries and employs 20,000
people worldwide.
Its North America headquarters are located in Tulsa, Okla.,
where it employs more than 700 people. As the corporate headquarters
grew in size, it became increasingly important to protect
its varied assets. Hilti turned to Dowley Security Systems
Inc., which helped plan and design the company’s security
management system.
After assessing Hilti’s needs, which included protecting
a large product testing area, training department,
and operations, sales and administrative
offices, the company chose to install
AMAG Technology’s Symmetry Business
Security Management System.
One of Hilti’s first mandatory security
procedures required all employees
to wear a security-issued identity badge.
All employees have their photo taken
and are issued a proximity card. The
card is programmed to allow the employee
into his or her designated department
and any other areas of the headquarters
building pertinent to his or her job function.
Employees also are assigned entry and
exit times. Contractors and vendors are
issued proximity cards with limited
access. Visitors with escorts must
wear a badge as well, but it is not
a proximity card.
The access control system
comes standard with a visitor
management feature to help
manage access for all visitors.
“Everyone who enters Hilti,
or works for Hilti, is required
to wear a badge to prove who
they are and that they belong in
the building,” said Hilti corporate
security supervisor Lonnie Parker.
“Implementing access cards allows
the security department to keep track
of who is coming in and going out.
This is critical information to track if there is an incident.”
The ID badge system includes access control software and
allows Hilti’s security staff to easily capture card holder images,
design badge layouts and print on demand. Hilti creates
different styled badges for contractors and employees, making
it easy to decipher who is an employee and who is a contractor.
An around-the-clock security staff works in a large command
center that uses eight to 10 monitors, with 28 CCTV
cameras, in its security management system and its 80 proximity
readers.
In addition to access control, the staff uses Symmetry as
an intrusion system and to monitor access points on interior
doors and main doors throughout the facility. When a door
is held open too long, an alarm is activated in the command
center. The security staff can dispatch a guard or radio the
roaming guards to investigate. The system makes it simple to
know right where to dispatch the guard, saving critical time
and minimizing security risks.
“It was important to the security staff to install a userfriendly
security management system,” said Mary Reed, general
manager of Dowley Security Systems Inc.
The warehouse created a special challenge for Hilti. Inventory
would turn up missing, leaving the manager baffled as to
its location. After further investigation, it was discovered that
internal departments would pull product from the shelves to
use in presentations without following the proper procedures for requisitioning the products when
needed. With Symmetry, the managers
were able to set this area up as a restricted
area.
“This solution not only secures our
warehouse from unauthorized employees
and guests, but it helped enforce a
company policy,” Parker said. “Staff
must now follow the proper procedures
when they need product for any reason.
This has saved countless man-hours
over the years and helped our department
run more efficiently.”
Other areas within the headquarters
building are highly restricted due to different
sensitivities:
Computer room. The main servers
are kept under tight control, and only
the IT department and high-level executives
are allowed access.
Warehouse area. Only authorized
staff are allowed into this area during
peak operating times, which protects
employees and assets.
Many cities throughout the United
States have Hilti storefronts. At this
time, the retail stores do not have access
control, but Parker and his security
team are looking forward to possibly
standardizing that in the future. This
will allow Hilti easily to add an unlimited
number of storefront locations to
its security management system.
Hilti will still have the same easy-touse
system and the capability to manage
multiple locations from its central
command center in Tulsa. The business
solution allows card administration and
remote monitoring to be completed via
a Web browser, creating an uncomplicated,
centrally managed security process
for the security department.
“When it comes to security, I believe
the number one thing that any
company wants is to invest in a security
system that works,” Reed said.
“It protects their assets, whether it is
people, inventory, or premises—anything
that is an asset. Going forward
with this solution, the company will
have the confidence that they are taken
care of and they’ll be able to expand
the system they have.”
This application employs an openarchitecture
platform, providing the
ability to integrate with third-party
vendors and import data from personnel
or other databases. As Hilti’s needs
expand over the years, the company has
the option to integrate the system with
its current video management system
or other human resource or building
management systems.
“This is not just an access control
system; it’s true security integration,”
Reed said. “It integrates with cameras
and with other systems to allow you to
fully secure your building or buildings.”
“It’s a user-friendly system that
serves our needs today and provides
growth if and when we do expand,”
Parker said.
This article originally appeared in the January 2012 issue of Security Today.