|
|
|
NEWSWIRE
|
|
ESP Group wins contract to secure Norwegian State Railways |
By Steven Sachoff - 16.07.2008 
|
OSLO--"Beating the big boys" is becoming a habit for ESP Group, a systems integrator based here. They did it recently when they won an international tender to secure 40 of Norway's airports, and they've done it again in a big way, with a contract to secure the country's national railway company, NSB.
The open tender for the NSB contract included "all the big companies involved in mass transit security," such as Verint, Siemens and Securitas, along with many local companies, ESP's CEO, Bjorn Bekkevold, told Security Systems News Europe. "Again, we beat the big boys, and we like that."
STORY CONTINUES BELOWAdvertisement
The prize this time was what Bekkevold described as "probably Europe's largest security contract." The deal, which he stressed was not a frame contract but a signed deal with a committed volume, involves 3,200 cameras for the existing 90 trains operated by NSB along with 2,500 for 60 more trains the operator is ordering, bringing the total to 5,700 cameras.
ESP is using cameras from Axis, and to put the project in perspective, Bekkevold said the order was the third largest contract Axis has ever received. At just four centimeters high, the 209FD-R camera was designed specifically for transport applications. Installation is already underway and will continue through 2014.
"The project is all about reducing the terror threat on trains as well as reducing vandalism," explained Bekkevold. Vandalized train cars are repaired at huge cost every year, so this network camera system protects the public both physically and fiscally.
The project also involves an advanced storage and retrieval system. "It's organized in a way so that the employees of NSB cannot access the recordings," explained Bekkevold. "They can only be accessed by the police with a court order." In addition to designing and installing the system, ESP will also provide post-installation maintenance and support.
With a solid hold on Norway's airport and railway security, the "big boys" will now have to watch out for ESP abroad. "We're inviting in partners on the ownership side to strengthen this part of our corporation in order to attack the European market potential," said Bekkevold. That process is underway with the assistance of Danske Markets Corporate Finance, which is handling the process. Looking beyond Norway, ESP will initially focus on the Nordic region and then move on to continental Europe, Bekkevold said.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
