Brookfield Iron & Metal Brings Yard Security Into the AI Era

Customer Snapshot

Customer: Brookfield Iron & Metal & Wilkins Rebuilders
Industry: Industrial Recycling & Metal Processing
Use Case: AI video security, trespass detection, incident review across two facilities
Segment: Manufacturing & Industrial (IT-led, Facilities/Security stakeholders)

The Challenge: Missed Events, Manual Scrubbing, and Time Lost

With two busy yards and constant vehicle and foot traffic, the team needed reliable detection and faster investigations than their legacy VMS (Salient) could deliver. “Seeking footage was a pain with our old system,” said Dave Whitesell, IT Supervisor for Brookfield. The tipping point was dealing with a break-in, where the old system failed to detect the trespasser. “Pulling clips meant staff had to “manually scrub camera by camera”, which Dave tells us took far too long to complete.

The Solution: A Modern, Seamless Upgrade With Coram

Dave evaluated modern AI systems on search, usability, reliability, and value. “Ultimately Coram had the best feature set, along with the best pricing that fit our budget,” he said. Onboarding and rollout were also straightforward: “From the Coram side it was extremely smooth. Since getting everything set up and ready, it’s been pretty much smooth sailing”.

Unexpected Wins: Search in Seconds, Real-Time Confidence

Faster investigations were immediate: “With Coram, it took me sixty seconds to get what we needed.” Dave shared that reviews now take “a couple hours a month” instead of far more, and that Coram’s AI tools “save a ton of time.” “Support has been responsive, and our rep took great care of us.”

Why Coram?

✅ AI search that actually reduces review time (text and person-centric search)
✅ Easy for many users to access and operate day to day
✅ Smooth rollout; reliable operations from day one
✅ Responsive human support during setup and beyond
✅ Best-fit value for feature set and budget

What’s Next?

With both sites stabilized on Coram, the team plans to expand coverage and consider PTZ and hardware upgrades as needs grow.

Would They Recommend Coram?

“I would recommend them. It’s a great system that’s easy to use and easy to deploy, with strong customer support.” Dave’s advice to peers: “Do the free demo and get the trial hardware, so you can see if it’s better than the system that you have.”