XL-BYG Elling Tømmerhandel A/S is the largest locally owned DIY centre in Vendsyssel. Founded 1966 by Egon Svendson it is greatly involved with the town, the surrounding area and the local business community. Having an old set up with a total of 22 security cameras, XL-BYG Elling Tømmerhandel A/S decided to ask Konica Minolta, a long and trusted partner in copy and print, to replace their video surveillance system. In the end, Konica Minolta installed 40 digital MOBOTIX cameras with integrated intelligence and completely new administration and registration possibilities.
XL-BYG Elling has used video surveillance for many years and the number of cameras in use has steadily risen. Over the years, the centre’s analogue cameras were supplemented with five digital cameras to give an installation of a total of 22 cameras. The installation was no longer up to date, however, and the image quality was below par. For Kristian Nielsen, Konica Minolta was the obvious company to ask: “We’ve been a Konica Minolta copy and print customer for as long as I can remember. The collaboration has worked well, and when we attended an event at the XL-BYG headquarters, Carsten Holmgaard from Konica Minolta presented the new MOBOTIX cameras. Based on the description, it sounded as though the solution might be well suited to us, so we discussed the possibilities with Carsten.”
Following an initial dialogue and subsequent measurements and calculations, a contract to install a total of 40 digital MOBOTIX cameras with integrated intelligence and completely new administration and registration possibilities was concluded. The technology in the MOBOTIX cameras enables them to record 360 degrees. This makes it possible to achieve optimum coverage of the entire area – including the store, storage yards and cark park – with a total of 40 MOBOTIX cameras, which can register the number plates on all vehicles in the area, for example.
“The old cameras were only able to ‘record images’ and nothing else. Furthermore, many important areas of the DIY centre were not properly monitored”, says Carsten Holmgaard, adding: “It’s a very large timber merchant and DIY centre. Just like everyone else, they have to take action to prevent fraud as well as register and document everything in case of complaints and disputes. They are now far better off than before.”
“We’ve invested in a small NAS server for the new cameras, but given that they’re intelligent cameras, we can tap all sorts of information directly from them”, explains Kristian Nielsen, adding: “This means that, as far as hardware goes, it’s a manageable setup that doesn’t use much power or other resources.”
As the Managing Director of XL-BYG Elling Tømmerhandel A/S points out, however, images have to be transferred – and this requires some bandwidth. But they have managed to find a solution to this as well: “The MOBOTIX solution runs separately on its own network, so we have sufficient bandwidth to transfer images and video without compromising our administrative work. Furthermore, we can increase or decrease the resolution of the MOBOTIX cameras so as not to use more bandwidth than necessary”, Kristian Nielsen says. This specifically means, that the company alternates between a resolution of 3 MP and 6 MP depending on the lighting conditions. They are still working on the final setup as each camera can be adjusted individually, and in most places 3 MP is sufficient to deliver sharp images. The night cameras work with infrared technology.
“XL-BYG in Elling took notice when we told them about the numerous opportunities that these intelligent cameras present”, Carsten Holmgaard from Konica Minolta says. “On the one hand they can deliver sharp images, which for instance can be used for investigative work, on the other hand they’re capable of storing data and economising the server capacity. However, the cameras are capable of much, much more.”
With this, the Konica Minolta Business Development Manager is referring to how a MOBOTIX solution can be a management tool that can be used to schedule the work in a store, such as a bustling DIY centre, in a very effective and profitable way. This makes the cameras more than just a part of a surveillance solution – it makes them a tool that helps the management to make decisions that can ultimately boost operations and profitability.
“We’ve been equipped to use the cameras far more strategically than before, and on a management level it’s now much easier to work strategically with the intelligent data we’re able to tap into. We can count customers in the different areas of the store and test the outcome of moving items in the store, for example. And with the ability to register all the cars in the area, we’re much safer than before”, concludes Kristian Nielsen, Managing Director of XL-BYG Elling Tømmerhandel A/S.
“In heat mapping for instance I see great potential. It gives us a reliable picture of the actual customer flow in the store. We can see how our in-store displays work, which areas generate the most traffic, and how we can arrange the store optimally with regard to promotional items and profitable product lines.”
Kristian Nielsen
Managing Director, XL-BYG Elling Tømmerhandel A/S
XL-BYG Elling Tømmerhandel A/S is the largest locally owned DIY centre in Vendsyssel, Denmark. Having an old set up with a total of 22 security cameras, XL-BYG Elling Tømmerhandel A/S decided to ask Konica Minolta, a long and trusted partner in copy and print, to replace their video surveillance system. In the end, Konica Minolta installed 40 digital MOBOTIX cameras with integrated intelligence and completely new administration and registration possibilities.