4 Tips for Improving Security in Manufacturing

To run any successful business, your company must have a consistent and sustainable business model. One aspect that is frequently overlooked by managers has to do with keeping your business safe and secure. This can be particularly important in the manufacturing industry, where expensive components and materials—not to mention confidential trade secrets and manufacturing methods—may be present. How exactly do you go about keeping your manufacturing warehouse and process secure? Different industries will require different approaches; however, a few key concepts can make a lot of sense regardless of the vertical you operate within. Read on to learn more about four different tips that can go a long way in securing your manufacturing business.

1. Leverage performance data to ensure you’re not overworking your staff.

While this might seem like a strange tip since it has more to do with your internal workforce than external security threats, in actuality, there are a lot of benefits that can come from appropriately managing your staff and their time. For example, if you’re overworking your staff, you may run the risk of burning them out or even causing costly and dangerous mistakes on your production line. On the other hand, if you don’t know when you’ll need more employees on the floor, you may wind up rushing through the hiring process and run the risk of bringing on some bad apples for seasonal work.

Believe it or not, predictive analytics can be a constructive way to address both of these issues. Having real-time data that allows you to predict the busy season and anticipate any issues that may arise in your workforce can be key to managing your staff successfully. Best of all, the more historical data you have, the stronger the predictive model will be, and the easier it will be to use your analytics to make an accurate prediction. There are dozens of other ways that big data can offer you actionable insights in real-time, too, so don’t be shy about looking into another predictive analytics exampleor two to better leverage machine learning and data mining in your manufacturing plant.

2. Install an access control solution.

Knowing who comes in and out of your manufacturing plant is pivotal if you want to keep your premises secure. That said, if you experience a high volume of deliveries, being able to monitor the people who come and go can be complicated. This is where installing a video intercom system can help you immensely. Thanks to video intercom technology, you can go above and beyond a traditional intercom system to manage your door release. The right video intercom system with door release will even let you monitor your door release from a mobile app or your smartphone, which is particularly handy if you’re often on the floor.

3. Get an independent safety inspection.

Part of security also means that your business is safe. While you may think of safety inspections as only related to your manufacturing equipment, it’s just as important to make sure that there aren’t any doors or other entrances and exits that could be more secure. Hiring an independent party to audit these aspects of your manufacturing warehouse can go a long way in giving you the peace of mind you need to keep your factory secure.

4. Run background checks on new hires.

As was earlier mentioned, if you hire more employees on a seasonal basis to help with your supply chain and workflow, it can be easy to rush into the decision. The last thing you want to do is let these seasonal openings pose a risk for your business. From intellectual property theft to the theft of physical materials in your plant, there are a lot of ways that new hires can threaten the security of your manufacturing business.Running background checks on new employees can help you avoid these sorts of issues.