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VSG delivers for Robert Bosch

08 Dec 09

Providing effective security for the large manufacturing site near Cardiff operated by Robert Bosch – the global leader in automotive, consumer and industrial technology – is a challenge that VSG’s meeting with aplomb, as Brian Sims reports.

By Brian Sims

In its eight-year relationship with the company, however, multiple award-winning security solutions specialist VSG has amply demonstrated that it’s not only equal to this challenge, but that it’s also able to respond to requirements identified by Bosch that extend well beyond the provision of basic security measures.

At the plant – located in Miskin, near Cardiff – Robert Bosch manufactures alternators that are used by many of the world’s leading automobile producers. The site is in a rural location, and also on a main line rail link connecting Swansea to London.

These factors make trespass on the site a particular risk, both by rail passengers looking for a shortcut and by others with intentions of a rather more criminal nature. The situation is exacerbated still further by the high value of the raw materials used at the plant, and due to the products manufactured there. For these reasons, security has always been a matter of great importance.

Eight years ago, Bosch appointed VSG to take care of all security issues. “At that time, VSG was a relatively new and small company,” said Tony Shepherd, the head of UK security and criminal investigation for Robert Bosch, “but even at that stage we were impressed by the dynamism and enthusiasm of the organisation, and by the commitment it showed to meeting our specific and very demanding requirements.”

Extensive scope of end user services

VSG has since gone on to provide security not only at the Miskin plant, but also at four other major Bosch locations throughout the UK. According to the client, VSG continues to impress – not least because of the extensive scope of the services it offers the end user.

As might be expected, VSG security officers at Miskin provide a highly visible presence around the site to deter potential trespassers. This measure has, in itself, proved to be very effective, and the level of trespass encountered on the site is now much lower than in most similar locations.

VSG staff also operate the central security Control Room at the plant. This is much, much more than a CCTV monitoring and recording station. It is a full tri-service facility that, in addition to controlling security, also co-ordinates the operations of the site’s dedicated fire and rescue and medical services.

All calls for assistance and emergencies are routed to the Control Room, where the situation is assessed by the VSG staff and the appropriate response initiated.

Supplementary and refresher training

To help them carry out this function, the VSG staff have received extensive training. All, for example, have been trained and certificated to provide first level response for 176 types of Category A medical traumas. Initial training and certification is provided by the Welsh Ambulance Service, with regular supplementary and refresher training conducted internally.

This high level of training also means that the VSG staff can provide expert assistance to those with urgent medical needs when the plant’s medical officer isn’t available.

The members of the VSG team at Miskin also receive in-depth instruction relating to fire prevention and detection. They are, for example, trained to discriminate between minor fires that need only a limited response, and major fires where rapid action on a larger scale is essential.

Their fire training also informs them about the way in which heat and smoke move, so that they can operate safely in fire areas, and they are, as might be expected, trained in the operation of fire extinguishing systems and in the safe, effective implementation of evacuation procedures.

Even in the realm of security, the training regime for the VSG team – which has been formulated and developed jointly with Bosch – goes far beyond the basic requirements. Team members are afforded expertise in specialist areas, such as the recognition of explosive devices, search procedures, conflict management and anti-terrorism measures.

Recognition of officer achievements

All of the training courses lead to certification. This is a major benefit for the team members as it recognises their achievements and growing expertise, at the same time paving the way for progression in their careers. This is one of the many factors that has led to a very high level of security staff retention on the Bosch site.

That high staff retention is an important benefit, as it helps to ensure continuity of the security operations on the site.

“One of the great things about working with VSG is that the company is so responsive,” continued Shepherd. “Throughout the whole of the time we’ve been working together, we’ve always held regular meetings on site to assess and measure progress, and to discuss suggestions for further improvements. VSG invariably takes our suggestions on board, and just as often provides valuable pro-active suggestions of its own.”

As a result, there’s an “excellent and efficient working relationship” between our companies. “It’s not just the meetings that work well for us,” added Shepherd.

“VSG has well documented procedures, and is quick to document developments and changes. What’s really important to us is that we’ve always found these documents are not just a lot of nice words on paper. They are real working documents that translate into actions and benefits.”

Operating as a true business partner

At the heart of VSG’s business philosophy is its commitment to operating not merely as a service provider for its clients, but as a true business partner. The experiences of Bosch at its Miskin site, and at the four other major sites around the UK, amply demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach.

It’s an approach that positions VSG as an integral and essential part of the Bosch business, and as an important contributory factor in its on-going success.

Established in 2000, VSG is one of the fastest-growing independent companies in the UK’s security guarding sector. Currently ranked 61 in the 2009 Sunday Times Profit Track 100 companies, VSG employs 4,500 staff and has an annual turnover in excess of £120 million.

VSG’s customer base extends throughout the UK, its services further supported by local offices in the City of London, Belfast and Dublin.