How much does a distribution-center security install cost?

A single DC runs $50K-$250K turnkey depending on square footage, ceiling height, and existing infrastructure. High-ceiling buildings cost more per camera (mounting, PoE, fiber runs). A national DC network amortizes per-site through standardized design.

Can AI help with inventory shrink?

It helps you investigate it faster. A large share of DC shrink is internal rather than break-in. Cameras on the high-value cage, returns area, and pick paths, paired with WMS event data, move shrink investigation from a quarterly cycle-count surprise to a same-day clip. Faster, evidence-backed investigations tighten the loss controls over time.

Does it help with OSHA forklift incidents?

Yes. Forklift-pedestrian proximity analytics flag near-misses before they become recordables. The footage becomes the evidence record for your safety program and the documentation packet your insurer reviews. We tune on site so alerts are actionable, not noise.

Does it integrate with our WMS?

Yes for most modern stacks. Receiving and shipping events bridge to camera clips so a manifest discrepancy or a damage claim has video one click away. Direct integration depends on your specific WMS.

How fast can a multi-DC rollout go?

We sequence a multi-DC rollout around your peak-season calendar so we are never running a lift in a pick aisle during Q4. We prove the design on the first DC, then replicate it across the network on a phased schedule we set with you.

Industry · Logistics & warehousing

Cut shrink and close the gap at every dock door.

Tec-Tel designs, installs, and runs cameras, access control, and AI safety and shrink analytics for distribution centers, 3PL, and fulfillment. OSHA-aware. Built for multi-DC networks. 15 years as a national security integrator.

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Call us855-577-0400

NDAA-compliant
Platform-agnostic
1,000+ deployments over 15 years

1,000+

facilities secured nationwide

99.9%

system uptime

< 30s

average response time

15+ yr

as a nationwide security integrator

§01 What we install in logistics

Coverage built for the way a DC actually runs.

What a distribution center gets after Tec-Tel commissions the system, and what your DC manager, safety lead, and IT team see from day one.

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Dock-door + staging coverage. Every dock door, every staging lane. Receiving-vs-manifest reconciliation, after-hours dock activity, trailer-swap verification.

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Forklift + pedestrian proximity analytics. AI flags near-misses between forklifts and pedestrians before they become OSHA recordables. The most expensive DC incidents start here.

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Pick-path + high-value-cage coverage. Cameras on the high-value cage, returns area, and pick paths. Inventory-shrink investigation moves from inventory-cycle-count to same-day clip.

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Yard + trailer-pool LPR. Plate recognition at the yard gate, trailer-pool tracking, driver check-in. Allow/deny lists for carriers and drivers.

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One pane of glass across DCs. Cameras, access, alarm panel, one login. Federation across a national DC network if you want it.

§ How we work

Shrink is a quarterly mystery until the camera evidence lines up with the transaction. We cover the cage, the returns area, and the pick paths and bridge it to your WMS, so an investigation is a same-day clip instead of a guess.

How Tec-Tel works in logistics

§02 How a Tec-Tel deployment works

Five steps, one accountable team.

Walk every DC before we quote

No quote-by-floorplan. We come on site, talk to your DC manager and safety lead, and document dock, pick-path, and yard coverage.

Standardize across the network

One or two camera platforms. One access platform. Twenty DCs get one VMS and one runbook.

Size the network first

High-ceiling DCs need PoE budget, careful mounting, and fiber across the building. We touch infrastructure before cameras.

Tune analytics for DC contexts

Forklift-proximity and dock analytics need on-site calibration. Most DCs land at 3-7 actionable safety events per shift, not 60.

Hand off with a runbook

Your team gets a written ops doc: escalation tree, retention rules per zone, WMS integration, who calls Tec-Tel for what.

§03 How we deploy

Three DC types. Three tailored builds.

No two distribution centers get the same install. Here's what we deploy across the three most common builds.

Fulfillment · single DC

E-commerce or 3PL fulfillment center, one building

→ Dock-door + staging + pick-path coverage
→ Forklift-pedestrian proximity safety analytics
→ High-value cage + returns-area cameras
→ WMS event bridge for shrink investigation

Cold storage / food DC

Temperature-controlled distribution, FSMA in scope

→ Wash-down rated cameras, IP66 minimum
→ FSMA traceability + sanitation-cycle evidence
→ Restricted-zone alerts tied to access control
→ Dock-temperature compliance documentation

Network · 10-50 DCs

National 3PL or retailer DC network

→ Standardized camera spec across DCs
→ Central VMS, regional install + service crews
→ Cross-DC shrink-pattern alerts
→ Phased rollout sequenced by peak-season calendar

§04 Compliance buyers ask us about

Frameworks we build to.

OSHA

Powered-industrial-truck standards (29 CFR 1910.178). Forklift-pedestrian proximity evidence, near-miss documentation, quarterly reviewable footage your insurer can read.

FDA / FSMA

For food DCs: cold-chain integrity, sanitation-cycle evidence, traceability windows tied to lot codes for recall traceback.

C-TPAT

For import/export DCs: documented dock and container-yard coverage aligned to C-TPAT minimum security criteria.

NDAA Section 889

DCs serving federal contracts or grant programs hit Section 889. NDAA-compliant cameras + switches, documented BOM.

Questions buyers ask us

FAQ

How much does a distribution-center security install cost?: A single DC runs $50K-$250K turnkey depending on square footage, ceiling height, and existing infrastructure. High-ceiling buildings cost more per camera (mounting, PoE, fiber runs). A national DC network amortizes per-site through standardized design.
Can AI help with inventory shrink?: It helps you investigate it faster. A large share of DC shrink is internal rather than break-in. Cameras on the high-value cage, returns area, and pick paths, paired with WMS event data, move shrink investigation from a quarterly cycle-count surprise to a same-day clip. Faster, evidence-backed investigations tighten the loss controls over time.
Does it help with OSHA forklift incidents?: Yes. Forklift-pedestrian proximity analytics flag near-misses before they become recordables. The footage becomes the evidence record for your safety program and the documentation packet your insurer reviews. We tune on site so alerts are actionable, not noise.
Does it integrate with our WMS?: Yes for most modern stacks. Receiving and shipping events bridge to camera clips so a manifest discrepancy or a damage claim has video one click away. Direct integration depends on your specific WMS.
How fast can a multi-DC rollout go?: We sequence a multi-DC rollout around your peak-season calendar so we are never running a lift in a pick aisle during Q4. We prove the design on the first DC, then replicate it across the network on a phased schedule we set with you.

Book a free assessment

Tell us about your network. We'll come back with a plan.

Get on a call with the Tec-Tel team. We'll walk through what your DCs need, what OSHA and FSMA expect, and what a defensible per-DC budget looks like.

Tell us how many sites you run and what's already in place. We'll show you what a build or upgrade looks like.
Straight answers from the team that does the work. We're platform-agnostic, so you get the system that fits your sites, not one brand's catalog.

Since 2010 · 1,000+ deployments nationwide · ISN-accredited

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What you're looking for, plus any details. We review it and follow up, usually the same day.

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