Pharmaceutical security systems
Security and fire protection for pharmaceutical sites. We install, upgrade and maintain CCTV, access control, intruder alarms and fire alarms, and look after them for the long term alongside your facilities team.
- SSAIB certified for security systems
- Security and fire from one team
- Free site visit and quotation
At a glance
- Based in
- Huntingdon
- Covering
- Cambridgeshire, East Anglia and national clients across the UK
- Accreditation
- SSAIB (CCTV, access control and intruder alarms), CHAS
- Security
- CCTV, access control and intruder alarms
- Fire
- Fire alarms and fire extinguisher servicing; fire risk assessments arranged through our sister company, Pyro Fire
- Support
- Planned maintenance and a 24-hour emergency call-out
Overview
Security and fire protection for pharmaceutical sites
Whether a site manufactures, stores, distributes or tests medicines, it needs to know who is on site, keep restricted areas secure and keep its fire protection working. BDi Advance installs, upgrades and maintains the systems that do that. We install and maintain security systems for large commercial organisations and blue-chip businesses, including in the pharmaceutical, healthcare and technology sectors. For a national pharmaceutical distribution organisation, our engineers look after both the security and the fire safety systems across four of its main UK distribution hubs.
Pharmaceutical distribution sites operate under Good Distribution Practice (GDP) guidelines, which require medicines to be stored and handled within secure, access-controlled environments. Our role is the security and fire systems themselves; compliance decisions stay with your own quality team.
- Local engineers based in Huntingdon, covering Cambridgeshire and East Anglia
- CCTV, access control and intruder alarms carried out under our SSAIB certification
- Fire alarm and fire extinguisher servicing, with fire risk assessments arranged through our sister company, Pyro Fire
- Planned preventative maintenance, with a full check twice a year as standard
- 24-hour manned service line and emergency call-out, 365 days a year
- We service, maintain and take over systems installed by other companies
- One team coordinating security and fire, working with your facilities team
Quotations start with a free site visit. Call 01223 566 599 or send us your details and we will get one booked.
Site priorities
What pharmaceutical sites need from their systems
Every site is different, so we survey before we recommend anything. These are the areas we look at on pharmaceutical sites.
Secure, access-controlled areas
Access control
Decide who can enter stores, dispatch areas and restricted rooms, keep a record of who did, and manage staff and visitor access across the whole site.
Camera coverage inside and out
CCTV
High-definition CCTV covering key operational and perimeter areas shows what is happening across the site and lets you review incidents afterwards.
Storage zones protected out of hours
Intruder alarms
An intruder alarm covering operational and storage zones tells the right people if someone gets in while the site is closed.
Fire protection you can rely on
Fire alarms
Fire alarms need regular servicing and testing. Where maintenance has slipped, systems can be reviewed, repaired and upgraded to bring them back into a serviceable condition.
Systems kept working
Maintenance
Planned preventative maintenance and a prompt response to faults keep security and fire systems operational, rather than waiting for something to fail.
One contractor for security and fire
Simpler
Using one company for both means fewer contractors to manage on site, and one team that knows how your systems fit together.
Security and fire protection
One team for security and fire protection
Pharmaceutical sites usually need several systems working together: CCTV, access control and intruder alarms to protect people, stock and restricted areas, and fire alarms and extinguishers to protect the building and everyone in it. We install and look after all of them, so your facilities team deals with one company rather than several.
Our work with a national pharmaceutical distribution organisation began around three years ago with system maintenance at one site. It now covers both the security and the fire safety systems across four of its main UK distribution hubs.
Upgrades and new systems
When existing infrastructure needs improving, we replace and upgrade it while the site keeps operating.
Full site upgrades
At one client's largest UK distribution facility we installed a new high-definition CCTV system, a modern access control system for staff and visitor access to secure areas and a new intruder alarm system for operational and storage zones, and upgraded and commissioned the fire alarm systems.
Neglected systems brought back into service
For a pharmaceutical client with two sites whose fire systems had not been maintained to the required standard, we reviewed, tidied, upgraded and repaired the systems until they were serviceable again.
Taking over from another installer? We service, maintain and take over systems installed by other companies, and we look at what is already there before we quote.
Maintenance and ongoing support
Once systems are in, they need looking after. Our engineers work closely with your facilities team to keep both security and fire protection systems operational.
Planned maintenance
Planned preventative maintenance for CCTV, access control and intruder alarm systems, and fire alarm servicing, testing and maintenance and fire extinguisher servicing, scheduled around your site. Fire risk assessments are arranged through our sister company, Pyro Fire.
Support when something goes wrong
A 24-hour manned service line and a 24-hour emergency technician call-out, 365 days a year, with remote support and diagnostics as well as engineers on site.
Our maintenance contracts include a full check twice a year as standard. More about maintenance
Case studies
Our pharmaceutical case studies
Two pharmaceutical clients show how we work: a national distribution network where we look after security and fire systems across several hubs, and a client where we brought neglected fire systems back into service.
National distribution network
Four UK hubs and a full facility upgrade
Planned maintenance for CCTV, access control and intruder alarms and fire alarm and fire extinguisher servicing across four hubs, with fire risk assessments arranged through our sister company, Pyro Fire, plus a complete upgrade of security and fire systems at the largest UK facility.
Fire system improvements
Two sites, including Huntingdon
Fire systems that had been neglected over time were tidied, upgraded and repaired until they were serviceable, with last-minute call-outs covered when needed.
Ongoing maintenance
What support looks like after handover
A full check twice a year as standard, a 24-hour manned service line and a 24-hour emergency technician call-out, 365 days a year.
What we provide
Systems we install and maintain
Each system has its own page with more detail. This is how each one is typically used on a pharmaceutical site.
Most sites use several together, and we can link them so an event on one is seen on another.
CCTV
High-definition cameras covering key operational and perimeter areas, recorded so incidents can be reviewed.
Useful for: seeing who and what moves through the site.
Access control
Staff and visitor access managed across secure areas of the site, with a record of who went where.
Useful for: stores, dispatch areas and restricted rooms.
Intruder alarms
Detection across operational and storage zones, telling the right people when someone gets in out of hours.
Useful for: protecting the site while it is closed.
Fire alarms
Fire alarm servicing, testing, repairs and upgrades, alongside fire extinguisher servicing, with fire risk assessments arranged through our sister company, Pyro Fire.
Useful for: keeping fire protection serviceable.
How we work
How a project works
Quotations start with a free site visit. We look at the site, how it operates and the systems already in place, then recommend what is needed rather than quoting blind.
Site visit
Free site visit and quotation
Design
Systems planned around your site, your facilities team and the areas that need protecting
Installation
Installed, commissioned and tested by our engineers while the site keeps operating
Handover
Your team shown how the systems work, with clear updates throughout
Ongoing support
Planned maintenance, with a full check twice a year as standard
SSAIB certified for security systems
Our CCTV, access control and intruder alarm work is carried out under our SSAIB certification. Fire alarm and fire extinguisher servicing is coordinated by the same team, with fire risk assessments arranged through our sister company, Pyro Fire, so security and fire protection on your site are looked after together. We are also a CHAS accredited contractor.
Local engineers, national clients
Our engineers are based in Huntingdon, so pharmaceutical sites in the region get the same local team for installation, upgrades and long-term support, including systems originally fitted by other companies. Sites further afield are supported as part of our work with national clients.
Areas we cover
Our engineers are based in Huntingdon and cover Cambridgeshire and East Anglia, including Cambridge, Huntingdon, Peterborough, St Ives, St Neots, Wisbech, March, Newmarket and Bury St Edmunds.
Our engineers are local to the region, and we also work with national clients across the UK.
Other sectors we work in
The same systems protect other sites with restricted areas, valuable stock and equipment, and staff-only zones.
Each sector has its own priorities, and we design around how the site is actually used.
“Advance are doing really well. Luke has settled nicely at Huntingdon, and his communication with me is great.
Chris is brilliant. His knowledge and patience have helped me gain confidence.
You have a good team, and a big thanks to Seb for all the last-minute call-outs.”
Pharmaceutical client, fire system improvements across two sites
Next step
Free site visit and quotation
Every pharmaceutical site is laid out differently, from stores and dispatch areas to restricted rooms, so we visit before we recommend anything. We look at how the site operates, what needs protecting and the systems already in place. There is no charge for the visit.
Talk to us about security and fire protection for your site
Book a free site surveyCall 01223 566 599No charge for the visit
Frequently asked questions
It depends on the site, but most pharmaceutical sites use a combination of CCTV covering operational and perimeter areas, access control for secure areas, intruder alarms for storage zones out of hours, and fire alarms and extinguishers. We survey the site first and recommend what is needed.
Related reading
Case Study: Fire System Improvements for a Pharmaceutical Client
Background BDi Advance was appointed to support a pharmaceutical client across two sites where the existing fire…
Case Study: Security and Fire Protection for a National Pharmaceutical Distribution Network
Recently, BDi Advance continued its partnership with a national pharmaceutical distribution organisation, supporting the security and fire…