General Motors (GM), located in the city of São José dos Campos, São Paulo, consists of a complex with six factories and an assembly plant. The property has a total area of 2.7 million square meters and approximately 8 kilometers of perimeter fencing. It is surrounded by dense vegetation and an environmental reserve within the facility. 

GM began searching for solutions in 2019 to secure the facility against potential invasions and theft attempts. At that time, a conventional security system with virtual fencing and sequential cameras was suggested, estimated at R$ 10 million. The distance from the factory areas' territorial boundaries required a significant investment in electrical infrastructure, cabling, and fiber for perimeter cameras, hence demanding high project costs. 

 "We had a small part of the perimeter with electronic monitoring and insufficient human surveillance team to cover the entire area's magnitude. Many invasion attempts were taking place, and in some cases, we couldn't identify the action in real time. Only later, during patrols, could we detect some cuts in the perimeter fence. It was a very challenging scenario," said Gerôncio Pereira, Supervisor of Asset Protection. 

In addition to the vast perimeter, another aspect of the facility that required attention was the fog and misty conditions during winter. "If a conventional system with cameras and analytics were implemented, the project would not be efficient because during mornings and evenings, camera visibility would be significantly reduced, and analytics would not work due to fog. In other words, we would have an expensive project vulnerable to many failures," explained the supervisor. 

After researching a more effective solution for the company's requirements, GM's security team found Magos radars distributed in Brazil by Ôguen. This sensor uses radar technology and is ideal for large perimeter areas, capable of covering up to 600,000 square meters with just one device. The solution detects targets and classifies them as humans, vehicles, animals boats, and more. This is even in adverse weather conditions such as storms, fog, or complete darkness. 

 "Even if the integrated camera cannot see what is happening during fog, the radars detect movement and notify the security team. In addition to identifying the targets, it is possible to see on the central monitoring map in real time, and the path of the person or vehicle is taking, even if we don't have images due to fog. Then, we will identify an incident, and we can generate a prompt response with the physical team. We decided that radar technology would be more viable for our project," said Gerôncio. 

Conventional System vs. Radar Security

In a conventional perimeter security project, cameras are placed every 50 to 75 meters. Therefore, it is required to install about 150 cameras for complete perimeter visibility. By choosing radar, GM used only eight radars and five cameras, including PTZ and speed dome cameras, to cover the entire property's perimeter. 

"In some areas, we have a camera attached to two radars: one radar covers the entire right side, another covers the left side, and a camera is linked to these two radars. So, when one of them detects an incident, the camera automatically follows the target and brings live images of the event. That's why we have more radars than cameras," said Neto. "With this new technology, we were able to complete the project at half the cost, in addition to being a more efficient solution that suits our reality," he added. 

Intrusion Detection with Radars

After implementing the perimeter security system with Magos radars, several arrests have already been made with police support. In one incident, a person entered the property and was classified within the perimeter area, which is distant from the factory area. The solution detected the intrusion and helped the surveillance team act promptly by calling the police to arrest the intruder. 

"Following the installation of radars, we were able to prevent criminal attempts.  
While the cameras and radar are unable to stop criminals from entering remote areas, these devices support operations by detecting intrusions. Having these alerts before the intruders reach the fence line, we can respond promptly and get to the location quickly.” 

“Most of the time, when the intruder sees the patrol team approaching, they flee," said the supervisor. "The project now is recognized as a great success. Our people are safer within our complex, which is our greatest achievement, in addition to safeguarding physical assets. After achieving excellent results, we received a visit from GM’s Security Manager in Mexico to learn how the solution works. Other plants in Brazil are also considering using this technology, which was implemented in a pioneering way within GM worldwide, in the São José dos Campos Plant," he concluded. 

"Ôguen is very proud and honored to contribute to its customers' security. This GM case has once again confirmed the importance of Israeli radar technology's revolution in the perimeter security market. Our mission is to market innovative Israeli technologies in Brazil to increase people's security and quality of life. We also bring our know-how acquired through many years of practical experience, adopting the Israeli security doctrine, which always seeks to detect intrusions even when they are far from our perimeter and thus give the security team enough time to take preventive measures before it is too late. Magos radars have also proven very cost-effective, replacing dozens of infrarroja: and saving infrastructure. They are the best in class in their category, operating for many years with no need for maintenance and at the best value per protected square meter. Today, we can see with immense satisfaction that our radars protect tens of millions of square meters in Brazil, making our customers feel more secure. Thus, we are fulfilling our mission," concluded Hen Harel, CEO of Ôguen. 

*Originally published in Revista Segurança Eletrônica