Tandus Flooring

World Leading Flooring Manufacturer Upgrades Analogue CCTV System with D-Link IP Camera and Storage Solution.

Background

In Dalton, Georgia, known as the carpet capital of the world, thousands of rolls of carpet and pallets of tile dispatch from 15 docks at Tandus Flooring’s corporate manufacturing and distribution centre. Video monitoring certifies shipments to Tandus’ global locations, sales offices and dealer partnerships in dozens of countries.

But Tandus had an aging ADT analogue CCTV and tape recording system for monitoring their distribution centre that provided only low resolution black and white images and did not capture footage from all 15 docks. In addition the laborious task of reviewing and locating footage, digitising it and shipping it to customers was time consuming, inefficient and increased labor costs and was of little help in pinpointing and correcting loading, transfer or shipment mistakes.

The Vision: A State-of-the-Art IP Surveillance System

Video cameras at Tandus provide security, aid warehouse personnel dispatch waiting trucks to available docks, and record the loading of trucks. Video footage verifies shipment details and exposes security breaches on property. In order to lower long-term costs and improve efficiency, Tandus needed a camera system that would:

• Provide better visual product identification and exact movement of people and trucks
• Reduce time to search, convert to digital, send and store video footage
• Improve customer service by emailing proof of shipment footage to customers
• Reduce total system upgrade costs and enable remote monitoring by plugging into their existing IP network

Tandus turned to Monroe Technology Services Group (MTSG) who after a thorough site survey recommended a complete D-Link IP Surveillance system with a variety of cameras, D-Link D-View monitoring and recording software as well as iSCSI SAN storage.

The Solution

Unified Surveillance and Storage MTSG replaced the Tandus’ ADT equipment with D-Link’s unified system for recording, monitoring and storing video which connected seamlessly to their existing IP network, simplifying support and saving thousands of dollars over piece-meal camera plus storage implementations. Tandus realised ROI on the system in just 12 months.

---

“We did a rough return on investment calculation based on what we were paying ADT just in maintenance and that gave us a 12 month return on investment, which gave us the green light from a capital perspective.”
—Terry Diamond, IT Director, Tandus Flooring

---

High Resolution IP Cameras For Every Monitoring Scenario

A mix of camera types was paired to specific requirements. D-Link DCS-6110 fixed dome cameras monitor the reception, entrances, and hallways. Five DCS-3110 megapixel day/night cameras in the shipping area record in high resolution colour. Roof-top DCS-6620 pan/tilt/zoom cameras provide remote control scanning of any truck activity at the docks or in the parking lot enabling Tandus personnel to guide waiting trucks to loading dock doors as they become available.

Integrated Storage Critical to Reducing Costs, Improving Efficiency

The D-Link’s® DSN-1100-10 Desktop iSCSI SAN Array provides high performance back-end video storage. The unit’s 10TB of raw capacity will support up to 60 days of video retention depending on frame rates and resolution of each camera. In addition, the unit integrated easily into Tandus’ existing network. Thanks to the 10Gbit iSCSI system-on-a-chip design capable of over 80,000 I/Os per second and throughput up to 425MB/second, Tandus personnel can quickly and easily find, extract and repurpose raw video footage.

---

“The D-Link camera system has been great in making our shipment verification and distribution logistics a lot smoother. The time savings from performing digital search alone makes the system worthwhile. The people who use it love it.”
—Terry Diamond, IT Director, Tandus Flooring

---

Superior Resolution and Integration Drives Savings and Efficiency

The D-Link solution was superior in resolution, colour, and, above all, search capabilities to their previous system. Tandus personnel at the distribution centre can now utilize the docks more efficiently, reducing wait time, saving fuel and getting more loads in and out faster. Tandus also saves costs when it comes to storing and retrieving video footage. In what could take them hours and required them to be in the building with the previous system, employees can now isolate and eMail digital shipment verification to customers and dealers in a matter of minutes – from wherever they have access to the Internet and with whatever device they are using.

Looking to the Future

Tandus plans to take logistics coordination to a higher level by installing the same pan/tilt/zoom cameras at its seven other facilities in the Dalton area as well as installing a similar D-Link IP surveillance system at their Truro, Nova Scotia manufacturing and distribution facility.

Key D-Link Purchase Drivers

• Value: D-Link provided superior surveillance and video archiving capabilities with clear benefits to Tandus with a 12-month ROI vs. ADT maintenance alone
• Seamless Implementation: The D-Link equipment integrated seamlessly into the existing IP network without any issues
• Performance: The high resolution cameras and digital recording system offered the functionality Tandus needed to enhance its distribution efficiency