The originally American Samsonite (established in 1910) is the world’s most well-known and biggest manufacturer of bags. The factory in Oudenaarde, Belgium, is its European headquarters and it is a leader in the development and production of hard suitcases. Each suitcase or bag that Samsonite sells in Europe comes from the distribution centre in Oudenaarde. The Safety and Facilities department is responsible for security and central maintenance, as well as prevention. The prevention service and security are responsible for the control of all keys in and around the factory.
We can see a significant improvement in efficiency. We also expect a higher AEO score at the next audit
Geert Moens, Safety & Facility Manager at Samsonite Oudenaarde: “A large number of keys change hands every day. That’s about a hundred employees, from maintenance technicians, cleaners, security guards to catering. Keys were, until recently, passed over by hand and every time one was issued or returned it was recorded by hand in a ledger. This manual registration meant a lot of administration and it is a time-consuming task, which doesn’t match the dynamic environment at Samsonite.”
“To improve the issue and return of keys, we chose Nauta Connect’s solution”, explains Moens. “The KeyConductor digitally records the issue and return of keys. Each employee can gain access to the KeyConductor with his or her pass to collect a key at a time chosen by them. The software connected to the KeyConductor, the Connect software, records precisely who has taken or returned which key, when, and provides real-time reporting.
If you would like to find out more about the applications for this key control software, we will be happy to tell you about them.
As well as the dramatic improvement in the efficiency of issuing and returning keys, recorded key control is an important part in obtaining and keeping an AEO permit. An AEO (Authorised Economic Operator) permit is issued by Customs to companies who are active internationally. The permit gives companies advantages in international business. They are less strictly checked, for example, so that there is less delay at borders.
If you are curious about our electronic lockers and key cabinets, read the cases below from all sorts of sectors, like universities, hotels, security, cash-in-transit, healthcare, transport and government institutions.
