Vilsbiburg, close to Munich in Germany, is the location of the Flottweg SE headquarters and production plant. The separation technology specialist builds plants and machinery for solid-liquid separation here on a site covering about 110,000 square meters. In 2021, the company inaugurated its new Factory II, expanding its production area by approximately 18,000 square meters. A decisive element in protecting its business premises of just over six hectares and maintaining its status as an Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) is the video surveillance solution supplied by Regensburg-based manufacturer Dallmeier.

What do crude oil, water, liquid chemicals, and beverages such as beer have in common? Before they can undergo further industrial processing, they have to be purified, or certain constituents must be separated. The systems that perform this mechanical separation are made by Flottweg SE. Among other products, the company manufactures the largest decanter centrifuge in the world at its factory facilities in Vilsbiburg. Flottweg is very proud of its “Made in Germany” credentials and its record of preserving and creating jobs in the region. Responsibility and quality are inseparable elements of the company philosophy. This applies not only to process optimization and product quality assurance but also to protecting its employees and the company premises.

Security for Six Hectares

The company looked for a security solution for the new building in Vilsbiburg that met the latest technical standards, not least to satisfy the criteria for AEO certification. Robert Waxenberger, Deputy IT Director for Flottweg SE, describes the requirements for the new solution as “innovative, sustainable, made in Germany, and GDPR compliant”. His experience from working on Factory 1, in which single-sensor cameras from Dallmeier have been working reliably for years, was decisive for this selection. In close cooperation, Flottweg and the security equipment installer Franz Sicherungstechnik developed a security concept for Factory 2 with components from the Dallmeier portfolio, consisting of the Panomera multifocal sensor cameras, megapixel dome cameras, the IPS 10.000 recording system, and the SeMSy Compact video management software.

“Unmanned” Test Run

The centrifuges and decanters undergo a stringent test procedure prior to shipping, and the test runs are conducted under camera surveillance in nine test bunkers built especially for this purpose. “If anything untoward should happen during a test run, the parts would come at you with unimaginable force. The test must be carried out in the absence of humans for the safety of our employees. But since we also have to observe the progress of the testing, this is where we use cameras,” explains Robert Waxenberger. The dome cameras help the operator to monitor the process.

No AEO Certification Without Closed Perimeter Protection

With an export ratio of about 80 percent, certification as an Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) is immensely important to Flottweg as this simplifies shipping arrangements enormously. One part of the requirements to obtain the certification is a trio of physical security measures consisting of securing the perimeter, ensuring surveillance of the dispatch hall, and visual supervision of the loading area. The premises surrounding the factory hall are monitored inside a closed perimeter. Each section of fence with a corridor of about 90 meters is subject to uninterrupted surveillance by Panomera S-series cameras.

The multifocal sensor systems are ideal for the long distances along the fence because their special sensor arrangement guarantees high image resolution even at long distances. So any sort of movement by people or vehicles can be tracked for long stretches with no loss of recording or changes of camera. Besides protection against unauthorized entry and assistance with incident investigation, the 1,700 square meters of shipping hall and dispatch area, as well as the loading area, are also monitored by cameras.

Apart from the image quality, the low costs of infrastructure were a powerful argument in favor of installing the Panomera systems: “If you only consider the hardware components, comparison offers are cheaper. But if you look at the overall situation, we only need a fraction of the infrastructure of cables, masts, network, and cameras. So, in regard to overall costs, the Panomera is the least expensive variant, and it also makes the operator’s job much easier because he no longer has to keep track of the images from countless cameras on the monitor wall, as there are only a few to watch,” explains Andreas Franz, Managing Director of Franz Sicherungstechnik.

Alarm Activation at the Gatehouse

Flottweg uses the SeMSy Compact Video Management Software (VMS) for alarm activation and analysis. It is an ideal VMS solution for smaller and mid-level requirements, and the innovative assistance system makes it easy for operators to rapidly find sequences of interest with the convenient search function. The site plan and a user-friendly dashboard enable incidents to be categorized quickly and efficiently investigated.
The prize-winning Mountera installation system (iF Design Award & Red Dot Award Winner) proved its efficiency for Flottweg too when installing the Panomera cameras. Andreas Franz is impressed: “Mountera has made our lives much easier. A Panomera system weighs 17 kilograms, and the quick-lock design makes installation much, much simpler.”

Number Plate Recognition

Behind the automated employee access management system is the new Dallmeier number plate recognition system. The ANPR cameras and associated software read the vehicle license plates and the barrier opens automatically for those that are registered. “This makes vehicle access easy for the employees, and Flottweg has the certainty that no unauthorized vehicles are present on the premises,” says Andreas Franz. But suppliers and shippers who were approved by Flottweg as part of the AEO certification and were registered in advance also benefit from easier access to the loading bays.

Data Protection – “Privacy and Security by Design”

“As a manufacturer, we have the responsibility to supply our customers with safe products,” says Christian Linthaler, Dallmeier Sales Director National/International. “With our guiding principle ‘Privacy by Design’, we offer a comprehensive range of settings for data protection and data privacy on our products.” The privacy of employees can be protected via privacy zones in the camera settings. Sensitive employee areas can, for example, be blacked out or completely excluded from the surveillance area.

“We were extremely satisfied with the customer-orientated solution and project management by Franz Sicherungstechnik. They did excellent work,” concludes Waxenberger. “As global players with local roots, both Flottweg and Dallmeier combine tradition with leading edge methods. At the same time, we have the same quality requirements for planning, implementation, and products. We are very glad that we decided on a Dallmeier solution in cooperation with Franz Sicherungstechnik again.”