One example: Robert Bosch Fuel Systems, Kentwood, Mich., a manufacturer of diesel fuel injectors. Concerned with liability and risk factors, management saw a need to improve building security, so they appointed Robert Dial, facilities engineer and lead project manager for security, to create a new building-wide access control system. The project, started in December 2001 was to be completed by April 2002.
Before undertaking the project, the facility lacked any form of access control. In addition to one million square feet, there were approximately 20 different entrances, with 1,800 employees going in and out. "The access control system allowed us to reduce the number of employee entrances to six and effectively direct all non-employee traffic through a single, officer-staffed entrance. In addition, the system provides the ability to quickly determine who is in the building at any given time - a potentially big benefit in the event of an emergency," says Dial.