How to Prevent Burglaries at Your Commercial Distribution Site

A distributor’s lifeblood is, of course, its cargo. Buyers are demanding, needing their product to arrive promptly and in perfect condition. Burglaries can totally disrupt this process and do major damage to your company in the process. Unfortunately, cargo theft does happen, costing businesses $172.9 million in 2016. If your customers find out you’re having security failures, why would they continue to purchase your goods? They’ll simply find another distributor they know they can count on. So, how do you prevent burglaries at your commercial distribution property? 

Distribution Companies and their Security

  • Dick’s Sporting Goods: Electric Guard Dog layered security system
  • Eli Lilly: Tyco Integrated Security system
  • Ferrara International Logistics: Supreme Security Systems CCTV system

Which of the above do you think has the best security?

Threats to Distributors

Unfortunately, thieves are well aware of which companies have valuable property stored on site. This is why distribution warehouses are particularly sensitive targets for burglaries. If a crew of thieves is able to gain access to a warehouse undetected, they potentially have many hours to plunder the costliest items there.

This is exactly what happened to two unfortunate companies discussed in last month’s blog series, “Worst Security Awards.” Earlier this year, thieves accessed an Anastasia Beverly Hills warehouse and made off with $4.5 million worth of eyeshadow. In a similar — but much costlier incident — about a decade ago, a small team of burglars broke into the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly’s warehouse and got away with $60-80 million worth of drugs. Fortunately, there are ways to prevent burglaries and break-ins at your distribution center.

The first step to preventing theft is investing in a layered security system and solution. Many companies are already starting to see the benefits of layered security. Make sure you’re keeping up with your competition so cargo thieves don’t identify your company as the weak and easy target! 

Prevent Theft with Layered Security

Eliminate Burglaries On Your Property With a Perimeter Security System

So how does a company go about preventing security failures and burglaries? Whether your company suffers from nightly theft or hasn’t experienced any theft yet, investment in a proper perimeter security system is a wise decision. Many companies use security cameras. This is all fine and good, but what happens when thieves steal some of your products? The camera footage might be helpful in identifying the thieves, but they’ve already escaped by that point.

Many companies also use fencing to stop burglaries. Unfortunately, fencing can rather easily be cut through or climbed over. Other companies use security guards to defend their sites. This can sometimes be effective, but it’s incredibly expensive to have people on site at all times. Plus, who’s to say you can trust security guards with your business? Guard dogs are less expensive than human guards but often don’t pose as much of a deterrent.

Invest in a Solar-Powered Electric Fence & Perimeter Security System

A layered security system can be a stand-alone solution or integrated with your existing security system. A foreboding solar electric fence with intimidating signage every sixty feet warning of electrical shocks is scary enough. For bad guys willing to press their luck, the fence is electrified to forcefully shock anyone who tries to climb or cut it. The shock isn’t medically dangerous but is forceful enough to prevent burglaries on your property. The fence is clearly marked with multilingual signs to ensure no innocent person touches it. A monitored alarm is built in to be triggered when the fence is touched as well, adding another reason for an intruder to hightail it away from your site.

If you’re in the distribution business and need a reliable security system, layered security is the way to go. Though layered security has proven incredibly effective, it is actually cheaper than some security alternatives. When your distribution company simply can’t afford the hassle and losses associated with thieves entering the premises, contact our team to learn more about our electric security fences and security systems.

Don’t let your competitors outdo you when it comes to security.

Learn how a layered security system can protect your company from costly thefts