SECURITY
Case Study: How a Canadian Contract Security Firm Eliminated Counterfeit Badges Across 14 Sites
14 Sites Standardized | 3 weeks Full Deployment | 5 days Replacement Turnaround | 0 Paper Badge Workarounds |
The Situation
A contract security company providing uniformed personnel to commercial properties and industrial facilities across Western Canada managed guards who rotated among 14 active client sites. With seasonal turnover, keeping badge records current was a constant burden. Site supervisors were printing temporary badges on office paper when the real ones weren’t ready — a workaround that had become standard practice.
The Challenge
A counterfeit badge incident at a retail client site forced management to act. An unauthorized individual had obtained a photocopied badge and used it to access a restricted area. The client threatened to cancel their contract. The company needed a badge solution that was visually verifiable, brief, difficult to replicate, and fast enough to deploy across all sites within weeks.
The abc identity SOLUTION
A security-grade badge program featuring microtext printing, holographic overlaminates, and barcodes tied to each guard’s employee record was developed. A tiered colour system differentiated full-time guards, part-time staff, and supervisors. A rapid reorder process was established so replacement badges could be turned around within five business days for terminations, losses, or new hires.
"Old badges were basically printed paper — anybody could fake one. The new system gave us real security features our clients could see and trust. It also solved a daily admin headache we didn't even realize we could fix."
The Results
The company standardized badges across all 14 sites within three weeks of launch. The retail client that had flagged the counterfeit incident renewed their contract after reviewing the new badge specifications. Site supervisors reported the paper badge workaround was eliminated entirely within the first month. Barcode integration allowed client-side security desks to log guard check-ins without manual sign-in sheets.
* Case Studies illustrate potential outcomes of how we can help you with excellent results. All information is fictitious in nature and used for illustrative purposes.
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