Case Study: Atlanta Community Food Bank
Integrated zoned paging, messaging, and a music system helps staff and hundreds of volunteers in the new 350,000-square-foot facility as they streamline packaging, delivery, and distribution of meals to more than 29 Georgia counties.
In the “old days,” communication among the workers at the Atlanta Community Food Bank could be described as strained. It’s not that the staff didn’t get along or that they possessed poor listening skills. Working toward a common goal of providing daily meals to food pantries and other charitable organizations throughout northern Georgia had created tight bonds among the hundreds of employees and volunteers who donated their time at the 150,000-square-foot non-profit distribution warehouse.
Rather, the poor communication within the busy facility stemmed from an antiquated PA system. “The audio quality was unintelligible,” says Greg Austin, CEO of Marietta-based technology integration firm Austin Technology Group (ATG). “With forklift and truck engines running and personnel moving quickly from one part of the warehouse to another, it was next to impossible to hear critical messages dispatched over the system.” Then there was the matter of music. It was available to volunteers via separate local audio systems, but unfortunately, the tunes would often drown out the PA announcements.
PA, Music, and Intercom—A Three-Pronged Approach
Recognizing the importance of intelligible audio and a more streamlined, unified approach to audio control, administrators placed an advanced communications infrastructure on the top of their to-do list as plans for their new 350,000-square-foot Food Bank were finalized. Handling the specification, design, installation, and configuration of the music and messaging solution was ATG. “There were three primary components that needed to be addressed,” Austin relates. “PA, music, and intercom. Being an AtlasIED dealer since 2016, we knew products in their portfolio would satisfy all three objectives for this project. Its communications solutions are rock-solid and could be easily scaled to cover the entire distribution center and eventually expanded to support future needs. AtlasIED’s local manufacturer representative, Jeff Craig, president of Professional Sales Agents (PSA), was instrumental in helping with design and specifications, and securing the attention of the manufacturer.”
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