The tension between safety and security on 800 hectares

Multi-user site in southern Limburg

Sitech Services helps companies in the chemical and energy industries get the best out of their plants. With the Chemelot site as its ‘playing field’, the organisation is close to the factories. On that same playing field, a close partnership between Sitech Services and Nsecure was formed over 13 years ago.

Sitech Services originated in 2008 from various DSM departments, which provided on-site services. The Chemelot site has grown into a multi-user site and has been split into two parts. The ‘industrial park’ with over 150 chemical companies and 60 plants and the site with the Brightlands Chemelot Campus: a fast-growing open community of innovative start-ups, companies and knowledge institutions. On this multi-user site, each party has its own requirements when it comes to security and access provision.

Safety at 1 on Chemelot industrial playing field

‘Of course, safety on the entire site is number one, but at the Brightlands Chemelot Campus, hospitality is also high on the agenda. We also have to comply with laws and regulations around sustainability and the AVG. Together with Nsecure, we always strive to find solutions, so that we can optimally serve all parties and end users and cover all disciplines,’ says Sjef Gorissen, Senior Security Officer, Projects & Access control at Sitech Services..

Statistics on a row:

• More than 8,000 people working on site every day
• Up to 2,000 contractors are added during turnarounds
• More than 27 different nationalities
• 150 companies and 60 factories
• 800 hectares in size with 60 km of rails and its own port

Chemelot is not only distinctive for its size, the site is located around the intersection of the A2 and A76 motorways between Stein and Geleen and is surrounded by residential areas.

Partnership Sitech Services and Nsecure

The environment in which Sitech Services and Nsecure operate has changed in recent years. Access to the site used to be assessed by supervisors using forms and an access control system. The result? Long queues at site entrances or before the start of works. 

The then existing access control system contained too many customised adjustments, which meant the system did not fit Chemelot's growth ambitions. The 150 companies housed at Chemelot receive daily visitor flows of thousands of people of different nationalities, who must be granted fast and safe access. A future-proof solution was therefore necessary. In the search for a new access control solution, Sitech Services and Nsecure found each other in 2006.

Access control system meets strict requirements

The solution for the new access control system was found in an AEOS security management system, thanks to Nsecure. Gorissen: ‘AEOS meets the strict conditions set by all parties: 

• High availability 
• Speed of the system 
• High capacity to process thousands of access requests daily. 

The size of the AEOS access control system has quadrupled since its introduction; from 200 to 850 card readers. At Chemelot, all companies and the Brightlands Campus use this solution’.

Digitisation of contractor management

The digitisation of access processes has led to domains, techniques and systems being linked. Although the way access is granted has been transformed, it is still important that access processes are secure, efficient and user-friendly. Besides the access control system, Dataclient also supports this as a service. Nsecure's workflow solution that has been proving its added value for several years.

‘Previously, the registration process for visitors or contractors went through different channels; by mail, by phone and therefore not structured. This process too has been centralised as visitors and contractors are now pre-registered in Dataclient. The resulting information is transferred to AEOS. This digital method of notification and accreditation results in huge time savings. Also for contractors as long queues are avoided. Required certifications or documents to perform work are stored centrally. This not only allows faster access to the site, we also guarantee safety and welcome our visitors to the site in a welcoming manner,’ says Sjef Gorissen.

Valuable insight thanks to data

The data from the security systems is enormously valuable during major maintenance stops (turnarounds) where up to 2,000 contractors visit the site in a very short space of time. Thanks to time records from Dataclient and AEOS, Sitech can better predict the number of resources during works and check whether the number of hours invoiced matches. Especially in times of scarcity of qualified staff. This is extremely valuable for clients to identify potential savings.

Innovation at the forefront, safety on site ensured

Together with YIM, we are continuously looking at which new applications are suitable for Chemelot. Both parties value proven technologies and are aware of the organisational impact. 

Gorissen: ‘It is a close interplay in which we address complex security issues and the need for safety. Onboarding (visitors following safety instructions in advance) in particular requires a lot of attention. After all, security comes first, but how do we interpret this from a hospitality service perspective? Whereas security is geared towards protecting and locking up locations or rooms from unauthorised persons, safety is much more about keeping them open in case of calamities. Within this area of tension, legislation on themes such as sustainability and privacy are inextricably linked.'