In this global economy, electronics products used in offices and homes every day are almost never sourced in a single country. Components originating in dozens of manufacturing plants around the world typically are brought together for assembly into a final product.
Products from 45 major suppliers and hundreds of other companies regularly arrive at the Foxconn Technology Group facility located outside of Indianapolis, IN. The 400,000-square-foot Foxconn facility encompasses large shipping and receiving areas and extensive warehouse space, as well as nine production lines where up to 15,000 computers can be assembled per day.
“Every morning, we receive orders for a specific number of computers and model types to be assembled that day, and we adjust our work schedules and production accordingly,” says Kew Lai, Foxconn’s manager of environmental health safety and security. “That requires everyone to be flexible.”
Securitas USA officers control access at the building’s two main entrances, as well as at the shipping and receiving gate, and screen all employees and visitors through magnetometers as they leave production areas. “Screening and surveillance are priorities here, because so many small, easily-concealed items are handled each day,” explains Sean Tinch, Securitas USA’s security manager at the Foxconn facility. “High-value components are bar-coded and scanned at specific points in the assembly process, so if something comes up missing, we know exactly when and where it occurred.”
CCTV cameras digitally record activity inside a separately secured storage area for high-value items, as well as along the production lines and other areas of the facility. Videotapes are reviewed when items are missing, but Tinch says such investigations are infrequent.
“Our security procedures have practically eliminated theft within the plant,” says Tinch, a 16-year Securitas USA employee. “More often than not, we discover that the item simply has been misplaced.”
The Securitas USA team manages employee badging activities, which include creating and coding ID badges that allow access to specific work areas. At the main reception area, visitors are registered by a Securitas USA officer using VisitorWatch, an efficient visitor management system that prints badges and assigns each visitor to a Foxconn host. Representatives from major computer, communications and consumer electronics companies frequently visit Foxconn locations around the world. Foxconn is a Fortune Global 500 company and a leading global provider of joint-design, joint-development, manufacturing, assembly and after-sales services.
At the Indiana facility, Securitas USA officers conduct interior patrols around the clock, often using a Segway Personal Transporter to cover the two-mile tour route. The SecuritasVision advanced touring system, a Web-based application, verifies each tour checkpoint and documents information about incidents or items needing attention. Officers carry a PDA that automatically prompts them about specific tour activities, provides procedural information and enables them to quickly record events. At the end of each tour, the PDA is placed in its cradle and automatically downloads the information.
“I compile the incident and safety reports and assist Foxconn in addressing any issues that arise,” says Sandy Johnson, Securitas USA’s environmental health safety and security coordinator. Johnson personally conducts a safety and maintenance audit of the production areas each week, noting items such as whether fire extinguishers are fully charged, work areas are clean, and appropriate safety equipment is available and being used correctly.
“We work closely with Foxconn to provide them with the right combination of people and technology to help maintain the safety and security of their employees and assets,” says Mark Davis, Securitas USA area vice president.
“I have a lot of confidence in the Securitas USA team,” says Lai. “We have a strong partnership, and I’m very pleased with their responsiveness and performance.”