Nothing left to chance with Hi Tech Rear Vision

As SUEZ tendered for its major contract with Brisbane City Council, the company sought to improve its safety and security with surveillance systems by Hi Tech Rear Vision.

One of the key learnings of SUEZ from its 16-year contract with Brisbane City Council was the need to improve safety conditions for its drivers and the security of its fleet.

Earlier this year, Brisbane City Council and SUEZ renewed its contract for an additional 16 years, which has been held continuously since 2002. While continuing its strong reputation for high quality service and a competitive tender, Rob Nimmo, Council Contract Manager, SUEZ Australia & New Zealand, tells Waste Management Review that one of the key factors in getting the renewal over the line was a detailed and thorough surveillance system.

“I’ve been with SUEZ since 2006 and the contract renewal was one of the best days of my career. The 16-year contract shows Brisbane City Council’s forward-thinking perspective in giving us the ability to be flexible in our fleet and trial a variety of equipment,” Rob says.

As one of the largest contracts in the southern hemisphere, SUEZ carried out due diligence to protect its drivers handling 125,000 services a day and ultimately support its customers into the future.

“One of the biggest issues we’ve had in the past was accident damage, where it has been alleged our refuse truck damaged a post box or another vehicle,” Rob explains.

“We were in a difficult situation with having to undergo an investigation. Having a comprehensive surveillance system has that two-fold effect where it ensures drivers are following correct procedures, while also giving you the ability to mitigate vexatious calls with evidence.”

At the beginning of last year, Rob says he and the IT project team sought a high resolution camera system for the 148 vehicles scheduled to hit the road once the contract recommenced on 2 July, 2018.

After looking at a number of suppliers, Rob says he was impressed withHi Tech Rear Vision, with company founder Fong Tio tailor-making a solution to support SUEZ’s needs.

With more than 20 years’ experience in the surveillance space, Fong developed eight cameras per vehicle to offer a front forward, side and rear-facing line of sight. The cameras offered recording and were specially made for the contract.

In mid 2016, SUEZ trialled the cameras on its four IVECO vehicles through to the end of that year, before agreeing to install the eight cameras on each vehicle upon recommencement of the contract.

“We wanted a camera system that gave us the flexibility to allow drivers to take the required shots,” Rob says.

“What was equally important for us was the ability to record information and take that in the event of a query under specific circumstances. For example, if a bin was contaminated and not picked up, we could take a photo of it and send it through to council to show why it was not picked up.”

Fong’s service was also a factor in the decision, as he was there to assist SUEZ every step of the way.

“He identified what we were looking to achieve and designed it around our needs,” he says.

Rob says the camera can transmit instant photographs of events – a unique feature when compared to other systems in the market.

He adds that the ability to transmit photos instantaneously as opposed to going through video saves time and resources that can be devoted to other critical areas of the business.

“The advantage for us is being able to have select photos taken and the ability to transmit those to a control centre,” Rob says.

The systems also offer up to 22 days’ of footage on the vehicle, with the ability to search for minute-by-minute footage and swap disks easily.

“From a security perspective, the benefits are huge.

“The cameras offer 360-degree vision and allows us to examine coverage while the vehicle is in motion.”

Rob adds that the software aligns well with all of its existing onboard systems.

He says he’s highly pleased with the service offered by Fong, who is on hand to provide any assistance should there be any difficulties.

“No problem is too difficult for Fong and he has helped us throughout the entire process, from the trial to deployment.”

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