Caelus Natural Resources Alaska, LLC is producing oil from a six-acre man-made gravel pad, the Oooguruk drillsite (ODS), which is several hundred miles north of the Arctic Circle. The Oooguruk development project in Harrison Bay in Alaska’s North Slope region. Over 30 million barrels of oil have been produced from Oooguruk since 2008.

Conditions are extreme–temperatures can drop to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit, the sun sets for two months every year and there are polar bears–the world’s largest land carnivore. ODS is in the migratory path of apex predators, polar bears. To prevent unwanted encounters between humans and bears, an innovative security solution is required on ODS. The system is designed to detect approaching animals as early as possible. Simultaneously, it must function reliably and efficiently in the Arctic’s tough environment.

“Within two weeks of installing the cameras, we recorded two events of polar bears on ODS. The images were crystal clear. We even have one camera installed 100 feet from the ground, and the resolution is shockingly good.” Dale Hoffmann, former Land Manager, Caelus Natural Resources Alaska, LLC

Bosch solved the exceptional challenge using the MIC IP fusion 9000i camera. It combines a robust design with Intelligent Video Analytics and was developed specifically for use in extreme conditions. Eleven of the cameras have already been installed on ODS, with five more at the planning stage. After receiving specific training, the company’s electricians and IT staff installed the system themselves in the shortest possible time.

The cameras defy the extreme cold by means of a deicing function and motor-powered silicone wipers. Bosch starlight technology enables clear images even in low light and the thermal imager delivers images in total darkness. With built-in Intelligent Video Analytics shared by both the optical and thermal imagers, the system can detect polar bears even when they are swimming or far off in the distance.

As soon as a polar bear appears in the vicinity of the island, the Bosch cameras’ tracking function is automatically triggered and personnel are notified. The necessary personnel safety measures can then be implemented quickly and efficiently. An alarm brings employees inside, and staff trained by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service monitor the polar bear and use a gradually accelerating deterrence plan to cause the bear to go away without harming it.

Installing the intelligent system means there is greater safety for both humans and animals. “We no longer need to rely on someone watching the cameras to see the polar bears,” says John Hellén, Health, Safety and Environmental Manager, Caelus Natural Resources Alaska, LLC.

When you’re securing premises in Iceland, you need a reliable system that can cope with both plummeting temperatures and low-light levels. Hikvision cameras were used in such a solution – chosen by Securitas Iceland to secure a harbour for customer Samskip in Reykjavik.

Challenge
HarbourGlobal logistics company Samskip is one of the larger transport companies in Europe with offices in 24 countries in Europe, North and South America, Asia and Australia. They operate an extensive network of container services to and from Iceland, along with refrigerated cargo logistics and international forwarding around the world. One of their locations is a harbour in Reykjavik, which includes warehouses.

Operating in sub-zero temperatures and with low-light even in daytime for some of the year, Samskip needs a special kind of surveillance system.

When temperatures are as low as -30˚C, electronics can become unresponsive, or stop working completely. These are also the temperatures where maintenance is more challenging – these are not ideal environments for technicians to be working outside. The biggest snow depth ever recorded in Iceland was 279cm in North Iceland in March 1995, for example. Although this was the worst winter ever recorded, it gives an idea of the potential extremes. There are also snow storms and the high wind chill factor to contend with.

Low light in the winter months means that solutions in Iceland need to be better able to provide clear images in failing light. During winter, Iceland’s high latitude means shorter days – the longest day in the middle of December has only 5 hours of light, for example, with the sunrise at around 11am and sunset between 3 and 4pm.

Despite these unique conditions, Samskip needed to have a good overview over all that is happening around the harbour complex, both inside and outside. Specifically, they needed to be able to trace products and goods in the warehouse.

Solution
PanoVuIceland’s leading security provider, Securitas, rose to the challenge, providing a solution using more than 150 Hikvision products, including PanoVu and DarkFighter cameras. All these cameras can operate to a temperature of -30˚C. The PanoVu cameras provide excellent wide angle surveillance to cover as much of the area as possible.

DarkFighter technology is a popular choice in Iceland because it gives clear, useful images even in the lowest of light scenarios. The smart function on the cameras means that operators are able to identify potential issues by analysing people’s behaviour. They can also trace a product between locations and see its condition at receipt and delivery, enhancing both security and business efficiency.

To complement the Hikvision solutions, Securitas chose Seagate as their preferred storage vendor with their Skyhawk. The solution included Seagate’s high-stability Skyhawk drives, especially developed for surveillance applications. Skyhawk surveillance drives are equipped with enhanced ImagePerfect firmware to deliver ultimate reliability and zero dropped frames, and SkyHawk Health Management, a software designed for prevention, intervention and recovery. Bergvin Þórðarson, Samskip’s Security Manager, says: “The cameras meet the requirements for analysis of people and merchandise. We are confident with both Hikvision and Securitas – in both their product and people. We know that they will fix any issues and react quickly if there’s a problem.”

Securing large areas can be a challenge all on its own, but the addition of potentially crippling weather conditions means a security solution needs to be robust. Hikvision cameras were up to the challenge and provided reliable security for the entire operation.

The new partnership creates a collaboration between Comnet Europe and sister-company Vanderbilt International and primarily includes leveraging internal systems and supply chain and logistics structures. This new relationship is effective immediately.

A significant enhancement resulting from this partnership is that Comnet now has a fully functional, pan-European Technical Support team in place to support customers across the globe.

“The changes build from Comnet’s continued growth over the past year,” explains Tom Exley, General Manager of Comnet Europe. “This format is designed to help Comnet customers get technical support faster and more efficiently. This is because, at Comnet, we are determined to put our customers first, in everything we do.”

This integration means Comnet customers will have greater access to a higher number of technical support agents, including local support in core languages. Meaning geographical hubs can operate more effectively and ensure resolutions for any technical issues as quickly as possible.

Crucially, up until this point, Comnet’s Technical Support team was reinforced primarily by the company’s sales managers. Therefore, this collaboration of technical support with Vanderbilt will free up Comnet Sales to focus solely on bringing the best products, services, and offers to their clientele.

So, this new partnership enables Comnet to increase their scope of offerings, such as pre, pending, and post-sales support, plus the ability to design and implement complete high-performance solutions to answer customer pain points.

“We believe this opportunity will significantly improve our support services model and enable our geographical hubs to operate more effectively. This will result in a more efficient cycle of how we manage and maintain our rapidly expanding customer base,” concludes Exley.

According to 6wresearch, the Turkish video surveillance market revenues are projected to grow at a CAGR of 3.3% during 2019-25. The Turkish video surveillance market has registered a decline in demand during the last three years on the back of a halt in construction and infrastructure development projects coupled with depreciating currency resulting in surge in prices of imported goods. However, growing threat from terrorism, rising security concerns primarily theft, and domestic crimes are some of the key drivers that have propelled the growth of the video surveillance system market in the Turkey over the past seven years.

6wresearch analysts suggest that growth would be aided during the forecast period due to increasing government initiatives towards city surveillance and smart city projects, which would result in a surge in deployment of high-resolution IP cameras across the country. Further, growing consumer awareness towards video surveillance for security and monitoring coupled with declining installation costs could also result in higher demand for video surveillance systems in Turkey’s residential sector and small retail stores.

According to Ravi Bhandari, Research Manager, Research and Consulting, 6wresearch, “Within components, the surveillance camera segment accounted for the majority of the market revenue share. Wherein, amongst the analogue and IP camera sub-segment, demand for IP cameras is increasing owing to various technological advancements such as digital PTZ, embedded video analytics capabilities and cloud solutions.”

According to Shefali Goel, Assistant Manager, Research and Consulting, 6wresearch, “Growing acceptance and a surge in FDI in the construction sector has resulted in an increase in demand for video surveillance solutions. Moreover, in 2018, the government and transportation, commercial offices and retail segments all together registered the maximum share of the revenue pie in the overall video surveillance market in Turkey. Amongst all the regions, the Marmara region witnessed the highest number of installations of video surveillance cameras on account of the volume of city surveillance projects. Istanbul is the key city which has registered maximum installation of surveillance cameras in the Marmara region due to a surge in tourism in the region leading to high safety issues,” Shefali concluded.

Some of the key players cited as being involved in the video surveillance market in Turkey include- Axis Communications, Bosch Security, CP Plus FZE, Dahua Technology, Hanwha Techwin, Hikvision, LG Innotek, Panasonic, and Pelco by Schneider Electric.

The initial unaudited preliminary financial data for 2018 for, Zhejiang Dahua Technology Co., Ltd, more commonly known as Dahua, show that the company achieved a total operating revenue of RMB 23,665,688,106.22 (USD: 3.45 billion approx), representing a year-on-year increase of 25.58%.

Operating Profit amounted to RMB 2,696,619,590.13 (USD: 0.39 billion), representing an increase of 2.44% as compared to the corresponding period of the previous year. Net profits attributable to shareholders of the Company amounted to RMB 2,531,526,444.05 (USD: 0.37 billion), growing 6.42% year on year.

During the reporting period, the company strengthened the precise investment in R&D, continuously improved its video-centric smart IoT solution capabilities, grasped the development trend of the market and industry, and realised the continuous growth of the company’s performance.

During the reporting period, the Company’ total asset increased by 23.52% and net asset increased by 20.58%, mainly due to the expansion of the business scale and the increase of the profit.

Tech Data has been appointed as a pan-European distributor in an agreement with Honeywell spin-off company Resideo. As a result, Tech Data will carry Resideo’s full line of Honeywell Home-branded DIY and self-install smart security and comfort solutions for residential customers.

Resideo’s Honeywell Home products harness the power of connectivity to create homes that are more comfortable, secure and energy efficient. The range includes smart thermostats, home awareness cameras and security systems, and water leak and freeze detectors. The products integrate easily with the most widely used home automation systems including Amazon Alexa, Apple Homkit, Google Home and Samsung Smartthings.

Jennifer Bonuso, vice president and general manager, Consumer Products, at Resideo said, “Resideo products are already in 150 million homes, and we have more than 100 years of heritage in meeting the comfort, security and home awareness needs of homeowners. This agreement with Tech Data will strengthen our position in the European consumer electronics retail channel as it gives us access to a wider population of consumers who prefer to purchase their products at leading retailers.”

In October of 2018, Resideo became an independent company from Honeywell with a long-term licensing agreement for the Honeywell Home brand.

Assa Abloy has, as a 39 percent shareholder in the Swiss company Agta Record ag, signed an agreement with the shareholders of Agta Finance to indirectly acquire their 54 percent shareholding in Agta Record. The purchase price for the Acquisition amounts to approximately EUR 502 million equivalent to a purchase price per Agta Record share of EUR 70.

After the completion of the acquisition, which is conditional upon EU antitrust authorities approval in particular, Assa Abloy will own approximately 93 percent of the share capital and voting rights of the company and will launch a public tender offer for the remaining outstanding shares at the same purchase price.

Agta Record is a well-established manufacturer and service organisation dedicated to automatic pedestrian entrance systems. The company is headquartered in Fehraltorf, Switzerland and has 2,600 employees. For 2018 agta record´s sales amounted to EUR 374.4 million. The Company’s extensive expertise covers the design, production, marketing, installation and maintenance of a large range of automatic doors. Agta Record sells its products and services across the globe and is directly present with subsidiaries in 17 countries.

“I look forward to welcoming Agta Record and all of its employees into the Assa Abloy Group. I am convinced that Assa Abloy will be a very good home for Agta Record which is a strategic addition to the Group and adds important competence, products and services and thus enhances Assa Abloy´s position in a competitive entrance automation market, where our sales have grown from SEK 3 billion in 2008 to SEK 24 billion in 2018,” says Nico Delvaux, President and CEO of Assa Abloy.

Motorola Solutions will equip the German federal police with its Si500 video speaker microphone and a digital evidence management software solution.

The technology will help law enforcement officers and citizens to be better protected and will improve incident investigations. The Motorola Solutions Si500 combines a body-worn video camera, a remote speaker microphone that connects to the officer’s two-way radio and a smart interface in a single device, reducing the load police officers have to carry when on patrol. As part of the roll-out, 2,300 Motorola Solutions Si500 devices will be delivered by the end of 2020. They will complement the Motorola Solutions Tetra digital two-way radios solutions that are already being used by the German federal police.

The Motorola Solutions body-worn video cameras are easy to use and provide reliable voice communications, video and audio recording as well as image capture. Data will be securely stored in a digital evidence management system, keeping the chain of evidence intact from capture to courtroom.

“Law enforcement officers are facing increasing challenges today to ensure the safety of citizens. With our globally proven, secure and reliable communication solutions we support public safety organisations to be their best in the moments that matter,” said Axel Kukuk, Germany country manager, Motorola Solutions. “Our Si500 video speaker microphone with integrated body-worn camera provides a best-in-class solution to tackle these challenges and increase the safety of first responders and citizens.”