The Challenge: Retail distribution centres face a difficult loss-prevention challenge: how do you stop employee theft without slowing down the operation or treating an entire workforce like suspects?
The scale of the problem is significant. Employee theft from UK distribution centres is estimated at £1.4 billion annually, while US employee theft accounts for almost 30% of total retail shrinkage. Yet many traditional screening approaches are designed around detecting metal, leaving retailers exposed to theft of increasingly valuable non-metallic goods such as cosmetics, electronics, pharmaceuticals, apparel and other high-value merchandise.
How We Solve It: Thruvision’s Passive terahertz screening offers a different approach. It can detect both metallic and non-metallic concealed items while people continue moving naturally through a screening area. Operators can see the size, shape and location of a potential concealment in real time, allowing detections to be resolved quickly and proportionately, without automatically resorting to pat-downs or lengthy searches.
For Loss Prevention teams, however, technology is only part of the answer. Gains can be maximised by understanding where and how losses occur, identifying weaknesses in existing security processes, and designing screening around the operation. Lane design, screening procedures, colleague communication, operator training and alarm resolution all have a role to play.
That is why effective employee screening should not be viewed simply as another security product to purchase. It should be part of a wider loss-prevention strategy designed around the specific risks of each distribution operation.
The Results: With reported customer deployments delivering shrink reductions of up to 80%, and some customers reporting RoI within 6 months, the potential benefits are substantial.
As retail theft becomes more sophisticated, distribution centres need Loss Prevention strategies that are equally sophisticated – combining technology, people and processes to protect inventory without compromising productivity or workforce trust.
About Thruvision
Thruvision passive people screening solutions are deployed in over 30 countries worldwide. Our technology displays the size, shape and location of items concealed on the body, in real time, without the need for intrusive pat-down searches.
Contact Thruvision today to learn how we can prevent employee theft in your facility.
