Power management company Eaton, Long Branch, N.J., announced it was selected by MillerCoors, Chicago, to provide an integrated emergency communications solution for the company’s mega brewery in Fort Worth, Texas. MillerCoors has deployed Eaton’s ALERiTY® mass notification platform to enhance emergency communications capabilities at the brewer’s 150-acre facility, which has more than 700 employees.
“A facility of this size needs to be prepared for anything – from natural disasters to chemical spills that could require evacuations or lock-down notifications. MillerCoors wanted a system that would not only be reliable and flexible but also easy-to-use in an emergency,” said Ted Milburn, vice president, marketing, Eaton’s Cooper Notification business. “From outdoor high power speaker arrays to indoor high fidelity speakers, our advanced technologies broadcast crisp, clear intelligible messages that can be understood in MillerCoors’ loud industrial environment.”
WAVES wide-area mass notification system (MNS), part of the ALERiTY platform, was installed in the spring of 2013 as part of a three-phase makeover of the notification system for MillerCoors. The outdoor system includes the WAVES command and control system, 10 high-power speaker arrays and a mobile speaker array, which is used for broadcasting announcements to employees throughout the facility’s parking lot and can be mobilized for temporary events. ALERiTY’s system interface provides a one-click solution that can launch critical messages simultaneously across the different layers of the MNS.
The second phase of the rollout is under way and includes ALERiTY’s latest line of integrated, Internet protocol (IP) network-based mass notification solutions, WAVES over IP, which was launched in December 2013. This indoor installation includes upgrading the current system with the latest software; adding an IP-based, in-building MNS with Wheelock® speakers and speaker strobes to cover the 1.2 million-square-foot facility; and integrating the in-building and wide-area MNS.
Installation of the third phase of the upgrade will include light emitting diode (LED) display signs to give employees in the loudest areas of the facility the information they need to take action. MillerCoors purchased the Eaton system from Great Southwestern Fire & Safety, a premier Eaton channel partner, which also conducted a comprehensive site analysis to gather critical data used in a phased approach for design and installation of both an exterior and interior solution to address life safety needs. For more information, visit www.eaton.com.
