The Client:

One of the most well-known and respected businesses in South Bend, Gates has been in operation for more than 80 years. Its continued success has encouraged much growth over the years, with the most recent expansion being a new 52,000 sq. ft. facility for the Toyota and Scion dealership at Erskine Commons on the south side of South Bend.

The Challenge:

The new Toyota/Scion facility presented several complications. After meeting with the business manager and dealer principal, it became apparent that they were concerned about securing more than just the interior of the building. By asking the right questions, Vermillion Systems was able to ascertain that the decision makers also wanted to be able to monitor the exterior parking lots as well, since the bulk of their inventory is located in these areas.

From an access standpoint, the number of staff members that required keys for access was substantial. Vermillion knew that once keys were issued to staff, there would not be much control over who would be able to enter the building and when. In addition, it has been their experience that there would be no realistic control in place to keep staff from duplicating keys, which could result in unauthorized access and unacceptable breaches of security. Also, there were three primary departments at this auto dealership with different work schedules, so it was imperative that certain users be allowed access to specific areas of the facility but not to others.

The Solution:

After surveying the site and studying the blueprints, Vermillion went back to the Gates group with three unique proposals for different facets of site security including an intrusion alarm, video surveillance cameras inside and outside the facility, and an integrated access control system. In addition to security features, Vermillion also considered how the proposed systems would help the business operation. Ideas such as allowing managers to constantly view their auto lots and showrooms from a central location, better equips them to deploy sales staff to meet and greet potential customers in a shorter time period. The systems were also configured to allow the authorized parties to log in and view live and recorded video from a remote location. This proved to be a big benefit, as the dealer principal has a second location across the city. By viewing the new Toyota store from his other office across town, his home, or a vacation spot halfway around the world, he can have peace of mind knowing that his business is running to its full potential.

The Result:

By drawing on its experience, listening closely to the customer and carefully examining their security needs, Vermillion Systems provided a customized solution to the numerous security challenges of the new Gates Toyota facility. Vermillion's creative approaches to the partitioning of the security system, the networking of the DVR system for remote access and the addition of card readers and keypads provided additional benefits that go above and beyond the typical security installation. These enhancements proved to be most useful, and they illustrate the level of professionalism and expertise inherent in the day-to-day operations of Vermillion Systems.