Stadiums and venues

PS.SPEICHER – and the story continues

Organization: PS.SPEICHER

Location: Einbeck, Niedersachsen, Germany

Customer need: Property and asset protection

Einbeck, Niedersachsen, Germany, 2023

PS.SPEICHER in Einbeck, since July 2014, magnetizes families, oldtimer enthusiasts, and history buffs. Founder Karl-Heinz Rehkopf's collecting passion expanded the collection to 2,500 vehicles, Europe's largest. Continuously evolving from six floors to four new vehicle centers, revealing more Axis products.

From the start: unique exhibits are uniquely secured.

The museums donor, Karl-Heinz Rehkopf, a businessman and collector from Einbeck, felt it was important for the unique exhibits to be accessible, rather than behind glass or security rails. The experience of the exhibition is as unusual as the security solution, developed in 2014 in cooperation with kbi, PS.SPEICHER, SPIE Information & Communication Services GmbH, Aimetis GmbH (today Senstar) and Axis Communications.

How are the exhibits secured?

The solution was to use network cameras, with specially configured video analysis by Senstar. Each of the exhibits to be secured has an Axis camera with a loudspeaker in a specifically conceived housing. This made it possible to meet the requirements of the historic buildings regulations without impairing the quality of the security.

The trick: If a visitor get too close to one of the exhibits, a noise which matches the exhibit (horn, bell etc) and an audio file are played over the loudspeaker.

Our main exhibition starts on the seventh floor, where we present over 400 from 1812-1914. This is where our visitors mostly come into direct contact with out security solution, if they get too close to the vehicles. And the learning effect is impressive. We have virtually no more alarms on the other floors – the solution meets its goal perfectly, in a charming way.

Jörg Weber

Head of Security & Technology, PS.SPEICHER Foundation

The museum has been extensively expanded

The success of the exhibition and the even larger number of motorized vehicles dating back a century and more offered ideal conditions for expansion of an experience museum. And the plans were extensive. Today, PS.SPEICHER has over 2,500 exhibits at five locations. The stores are broken down by focus.

Small car center: has the largest collection worldwide of small cars and runabouts, numerous curiosities and an exhibition on electric vehicles.
Truck and bus center: visitors can see the world's largest collection of historical commercial vehicles. Over 300 buses, trucks, utility vehicles and stationary motors covering over 100 years.
Automobile center – 400 automobiles, with a focus on vehicles from the "economic miracle" period. Rare vehicles – some unique – of brands which have (sadly) long disappeared.
Motorcycle center with over 800 motorcycles. The focus here is on German mass produced motorcycles – with all German manufacturers represented. Lovers of exotic brands and representatives of the particularly creative 70s will get their money's worth here.

It is important to us in our new museum locations to maintain our safety concept, on the basis: "as safe as necessary, as accessible as possible". The exhibits should be freely accessible here as well, so that they can be enjoyed with all the senses.

Jörg Weber

Head of Security & Technology, PS.SPEICHER Foundation

PS.SPEICHER relies on the latest Axis technology

To stay true to the concept and still secure the priceless exhibits, PS:SPEICHER continues to rely on Axis Communications technologies and products.

The security concept was updated generally with cameras in the indoor and outdoor areas. For example, the shell in the motorcycle center is secured by a thermal camera in the Axis Q19 series. This camera model enables reliable detection round the clock, and is still compact and unobtrusive. Thanks to the integrated analysis function, it identifies individuals, vehicles and objects. It can be used as a cost-effective sensor with visual confirmation to secure people and property. In the outdoor area at PS.SPEICHER, the camera identifies unauthorized individuals on the site.

Another Axis thermal camera is suspended between the exhibits for detection in the interior area of the motorcycle center.

Multiple use of the network cameras saves costs

There has also been investment in the audio sector: Axis loudspeakers have been installed in all centers as a comprehensive PA system. If the cameras spot movement with the intelligent video analysis, for example entry to a center by a visitor, a welcoming announcement is automatically played via an Axis loudspeaker, with relevant information for a visit to the exhibition. The Axis audio manager also plays appropriate music for the vehicles via internet streaming, with regular announcements "Please do not touch the exhibits" and announcements from the security central via the 2N intercom solutions. The existing network technology was also used to implement a cost-effective general solution.

The advantage here is that we didn't have to install any new technology, and could use the network cameras already installed. The cameras cover the visual analysis, identifying movement, and the loudspeakers provide the audio signal. In this way, an appropriate piece of music is played if a visitor is standing by a specific exhibit, or a safety announcement is played if someone gets too close to an exhibit.

Hans-Wilhelm Balssen

SPIE Information & Communication Services GmbH

Intelligent access controls

In the entrance area, 2N PA sass ensure rapid communication with the security center. One possible scenario is that a family with strollers want to enter a center, without using the security turnstile. Help can be summoned with a click, and the door to the desired center opened. The advantage: security staff don't have to be directly on the spot in every individual facility, without reducing the quality of visitor service. With the 2N solution, the individual entrances can also be directly addressed.

In all, 115 camera channels were expanded to 168 camera channels with 116 analysis channels. There are around 270 camera channels covering all locations, and a further 50 channels are planned.

A look at overall costs: energy efficient lighting management

To tackle the recent sharp increase in energy costs, a lighting management system was also installed at the centers. A sufficient number of movement sensors for the huge area of 22,000 square meters and the necessary cabling would have been much too elaborate and expensive. PS.SPEICHER accordingly manages lighting with an efficient solution, using movement identification by the new Axis cameras – if no movement is identified for five minutes, the lights are automatically switched off. The potential savings are huge.

The key here – as in the experience museum, the cameras provide several functions at the same time, as their images are recorded and viewed live in the security center.

Conclusion:

Thanks to the combination of innovative technologies, PS.SPEICHER has again succeeded in following a comprehensive and sustainable safety concept for visitors, staff and exhibits, while preserving the special atmosphere of an experience museum through unobtrusive and economical use of security technology. The multipurpose use of the network cameras and the intelligent linking of devices and sensors enables PS.SPEICHER to implement an energy-efficient and cost-sensitive solution.