Exertis Supply Chain Services
Key Results
Successful detection & elimination of unwanted site perimeter activity: Improved control over site perimeters, eliminating unauthorised traverse and ingress.
Minutes vs. hours for footage retrieval: Incident investigations now take a fraction of the time.
Streamlined visitor management: Automated check-in, document signing, and badge printing reduce the need for front desk staff while strengthening security with integrated video oversight.
Background
Exertis Supply Chain Services, a global leader in supply chain design & operation, provides consumer, business, and enterprise solutions to a vast network of manufacturers, resellers and retailers. With multiple sites in Ireland, Poland, and China, its Limerick facility is dedicated to temperature-controlled storage for pharmaceutical materials, necessitating strict security measures.
To address the limitations of a legacy CCTV system, Site Lead Paul Tierney and Engineering Manager Adrian Collins adopted Verkada’s cloud-based platform, eliminating unwanted fringe activity, accelerating incident response, and optimising site security operations.
Building a Business Case
Exertis's decision to integrate Verkada stemmed from several key challenges and opportunities:
Regulatory Requirements:
Legislation & operating standards governing the pharmaceutical supply chain demand robust security measures and efficient processes to maintain compliance in pharmaceutical storage.
Operational Inefficiencies:
The legacy CCTV system required hours of manual footage review, making incident investigations time-consuming, and often the poor quality of the system output meant the footage had limited value. A lack of reliability in the system operation also increased the risk of missing footage.
Site Perimeter Control:
Exertis wanted to upgrade its security control that extends beyond the secure building to unfenced perimeter areas such as car parks and delivery yards. The aim was to eliminate all unauthorised ingress in these external areas.
Visitor Management:
The manual, paper-based sign-in system hindered the ability to verify on-site visitors in real time.
By deploying Verkada’s hybrid cloud cameras and visitor management tools, Exertis addressed these challenges head-on while unlocking new operational insights.
“Verkada gives us usability and visibility like we’ve never had before. We can now access footage quickly and know the system is working properly through system health alerts.”
Protecting Assets with Real-Time Monitoring & Swift Investigations
Verkada’s search tools dramatically accelerated Exertis’s ability to retrieve footage. “If I need to investigate activity in a particular area, I can do so in minutes,” Paul explained. “Verkada presents footage as thumbnails, making it easy to pinpoint exactly what we need.”
Accessible by web or mobile, the Command software interface enables them to check facilities remotely, eliminating the need to be on-site. Investigation tools like AI-powered search allow them to retrieve footage in minutes instead of hours.
“If we’re investigating a carrier query, such as a delivery, we can locate a specific truck by its colour or size, saving hours of footage review,” Paul noted. “Being able to quickly save and share clips, along with receiving alerts for any device issues, helps us respond faster and keep operations running smoothly."
Streamlined Visitor Management
By replacing outdated logbooks with Verkada Guest, Exertis modernised its visitor management process. The digital system automates check-ins, document signing, and badge printing, all integrated with Verkada’s video security. As a result, they can swiftly identify and verify individuals on-site.
“We haven’t had a staffed reception in years, and the paper process was unreliable. Now, visitors log in digitally, receive a badge, and their information integrates with our security system,” Paul shared. “If I see someone unfamiliar on-site, I can quickly check who they are and verify that their host has correctly executed our visitor access controls.”
Elimination of Site Perimeter Activity
With Verkada cameras installed around the site’s open perimeter areas, Exertis gained improved visibility into activity that was previously difficult to detect. The occupancy trends dashboard allowed Exertis to identify patterns of vehicles and pedestrians using the site as a shortcut, or for unauthorised parking, and take action to eliminate the practice.
“By analysing occupancy trends, we discovered that other business park users were traversing sections of our site to come and go to their workplaces, and vehicles were accessing some of our extensive parking facilities without authorisation,” Paul explained. “We acted quickly by installing barriers, and improved monitoring controls utilising the improved data from the Verkada system in real time. That level of control protects the core building and allows us to reduce any security risk to our business and our customers. It helps us to meet our required standard of security for the site”
Occupancy trends offer insights into foot and vehicle traffic, helping Exertis understand how its facilities are used. This data-driven approach not only strengthened perimeter control but also enhanced efficiency. By combining real-time and historical data, teams can monitor traffic patterns across multiple locations, visualise peak activity periods, and make informed decisions to improve vehicle flow and site security.
Looking Ahead
Exertis plans to take a phased approach to upgrading its security infrastructure, beginning with critical external cameras and gradually migrating internal ones.
“For anyone hesitant to retrofit, you don’t need to replace everything at once. Verkada lets you scale your system over time,” Paul said.
With automatic updates and a scalable platform, Exertis is well-equipped to meet future security needs while maintaining its high operational standards.
"With its over-the-air updates and usability, Verkada is a system that grows and evolves with us," Paul concluded.