Smurfit-Stone installs world's 'largest' wireless video monitoring system
11 Aug 2010
Stevenson, Alabama - Apprion has completed work on a wireless video applications at the Stevenson mill of Smurfit-Stone Container Corp. - a major US containerboard and corrugated packaging producer, and one of the world’s largest paper recyclers. The application, claims Apprion, is one of the largest industrial wireless systems of its type in the world.
Smurfit-Stone implemented the mill-wide Apprion ION wireless application network, wireless cameras and ION video analysis application at the Stevenson mill, to meet requirements of the US Maritime Transportation Security Act (CFR 33). The Stevenson mill comes under the regulation due to its proximity to the Tennessee River.
“We took this opportunity to enhance our security with the latest wireless video technology and at the same time put in place a wireless application network that will allow us to deploy new applications such as condition monitoring sensors and enable mobile operators,” said Bobby Sammons, general manager at the Stevenson mill.
The Apprion video application tracks, counts, and identifies objects, analyses motion, and delivers video intelligence from live video streams by performing real-time video analytics. The system makes this intelligence actionable by issuing alerts to appropriate security, safety, and operational personnel, and archiving video for intelligent search, event correlation, and performance auditing.
ION Video is integrated with the Apprion IONosphere as part of Apprion’s ION System. This integration allows real-time video analytics to be combined with other ION applications, such as ION Condition Monitoring or ION Communications to create individualized operational dashboards customized to the individual’s role in the plant.
Smurfit-Stone’s Stevenson mill covers almost one square mile. The Apprion ION System provides a “wireless umbrella” that covers the entire mill’s manufacturing processes with 22 wired and wireless video cameras and more than 40 Motorola 802.11 Access Points managed by the Apprion ION system.
This wireless application network will support future wireless applications currently being considered, including video monitoring of key processes and equipment, wireless sensor networks to monitor equipment health, and wireless data to enable mobility of operations and maintenance personnel.
“We expect to see many more examples like this - where creative, forward-thinking, manufacturers like Smurfit-Stone leverage investment dollars to address regulatory concerns, while simultaneously building a foundation that will support additional programs improving productivity, efficiency and safety,” Harry Forbes of market-analysis firm ARC, enthused in an Apprion press release.
