Pfizer, the global leader of the healthcare industry, has been providing services in Turkey since 1957. Together with EEC, the company has ensured the safety of life and property at the Ortaköy Plant for many years, and in 2021 relocated its Turkey head office to the “Levent 199” building. Once again the EEC Integrated Building Control Systems were chosen for the installation and maintenance services for the Fire Detection and Alarm, CCTV and Video Control, Public Address and Voice Evacuation, Access Control and Security Systems of Pfizer’s Turkey head office.
Production and management were under the same roof at Pfizer’s plant in Ortaköy. After the decision to separate production, we have relocated the sales and management parts to the Levent 199 building. Pfizer’s head office continues to operate in an area of approximately 4000 m2 across three floors.
I had no doubt regarding EEC because we also worked with EEC for the fire detection system in the previous company I worked at, LC Waikiki. The desire of the technical team to learn and to teach is what attracted me once again. If you inquire about a detail, they will definitely share it with you, and even if they don’t know the answer they will inquire with their partners overseas and their own technical managers and provide a reply in a short period. I really like that. We are also aware of the popularity of the brands that EEC uses, meaning they are tested, which is very reassuring. Therefore, EEC was the first option we evaluated here as well. Also, since Pfizer’s global supplier is S2, we were able to receive support from both EEC and from our global team regarding all our inquiries, and proceed.
The system’s interface makes it easy to use and allows us to perform in-depth processes. Its flexible structure is also crucial; for example we used it integrated with the visitor software system in Ortaköy because the integration allowed us to easily monitor the operation of the systems and carry out works. Now we have a plan to integrate those here as well.
Our fire detection system is of Edwards brand, and the integration of the product with the access control system is crucial. Receiving alarms, providing contacts, and integrating doors could be performed easily. With the advantage of having products from the same range, we can receive the alarm and announcement triggers in the building from our detection system and provide information in the same way.
We use Bosch products for Emergency Announcement and Speaker systems and S2 Lenel products for the Access Control System and the CCTV system. The key benefit of the systems for us is that they are compatible and able to be developed further. We can make any addition we require easily. It is also advantageous for us that the malfunctions are kept to a minimum, and that off times-downtimes are rare. Due to some limitations on our end, we are not able to fully utilize the remote access and administration features but they are still advantageous in providing support to users.
Our emergency announcement system is Bosch, a brand known and trusted by everyone. It is much more popular and easy to use compared to other emergency announcement products, thus making it really easy for us to train our staff. We have not had any issues in integrating scenarios with this product, and would recommend it.
We benefit a lot from the systems. For instance, we use S2 in our other regional offices as well and I am able to help our other users in those offices via remote intervention. The ability to open and close system doors, provide entry/exit remotely for any remodeling works to be performed over the weekend, and to monitor them are all very beneficial features for us.
We also use the system for reporting headcounts in assembly areas during the implementation of our emergency scenarios. We use it to check whether or not the staff made it outside and whether anybody was left inside.
I must point out that the number one feature I, as a safety professional, and Pfizer are looking for in these types of systems is reliability. It is a top priority that the system is functional when it is needed. We care about the system being functional in case of any emergency or safety issue, even though we do not expect to encounter them frequently. I can observe that EEC’s solutions and services provide that reliability, considering their level of attention and technical support during installation. They installed and delivered systems in a way that they will support each other, and be functional during any emergency.
We have not landed a maintenance contract this year since we are still under warranty, but we will include it in our plans in the future. We used to have regular maintenance in Ortaköy, and we will continue that here as well.
The products are designed and manufactured completely meet any safety requirements and have been tested on different types of projects. They meet our expectations completely; they even have some amazing features that we have not had the chance to use yet. I recommend these products because of their quality, and their software that is both flexible and easy to understand. Since the product range is of high quality level, they have a price policy that appeals to the upper echelon.
I appreciate EEC’s activities around product training. I attended a seminar regarding their emergency announcement system and it was very helpful. We found out about many features that we were not aware of from the manufacturer directly. These trainings are rarer due to the pandemic but I believe that they should increase the frequency of these activities as a refresher. I am also very pleased with their e-mail notifications regarding the systems.
We did not have to hurry for the installation of our first project, which was a factory. Our processes were somewhat limited due to the construction when we first moved here, and EEC complied with our timetable so we had no issues with scheduling. For instance, we even installed a spare device in the Ankara office, they had a situation due to importing there but EEC did everything they could for this matter as well. The only problem everyone is currently facing with the products is the problem of supply. We are aware that this supply problem exists in every area, so we act gingerly.
We worked together with the sales team intensively during the initial period of the project, and we have more communication with the technical team after installation. The sales team communicates as needed in a pleasant manner. We were able to carry out the quotation, contracting and invoicing processes in harmony.
I am pleased to be able to reach the technical team easily. Only lately, there was a transfer of duty, so now a different employee deals with us. It could have been good to know about this change beforehand. Besides that, I am able to easily contact the team on their cell phones as well.
I am aware that for our service needs, they bring technically competent people with the necessary spare parts. They fix the issues in accordance with our procedures and, if needed, in cooperation with our other suppliers. In this case, building management may ask for some details, and we can easily provide them with EEC.
Our relocation and construction process coincided with the pandemic. We had some problems due to restrictions but we anticipated them and proceeded by making flexible plans. Thankfully, the EEC team complied with our planning at the time and sometimes we had to change the times instead of cancelling. They worked in harmony with other companies, and even provided guidance for preparing the infrastructure. During cabling, I witnessed them provide support like a supervisor regarding the technical details of the systems, and I thank them wholeheartedly for that.
Based on the support by the aforementioned team in gathering information and their approach to problem solving for our requests, I recommend EEC’s services. Their widespread service network across Turkey is another factor because when we needed support for our regional operations from the different suppliers we had before, we could only receive support from their centers. EEC’s extensive local team is beneficial in this regard. On the whole, we find EEC’s approach very positive and they are already recognized as the leading brand in the industry. I wish for them to continue providing services with this mentality.
