MANTIS AI Cameras Drive Significant Safety and Efficiency Gains for KSD Group's Fleet

Introduction

KSD Group, a leading UK building maintenance and facilities management company, sought a robust solution to overcome significant challenges related to fleet safety and operational efficiency. By implementing MANTIS's advanced AI-powered vehicle camera system, KSD Group successfully transformed its fleet management, gaining crucial remote access to footage, streamlining accident management, reducing insurance claim complexities, and importantly, supporting its valued workforce.

About KSD Group

A highly respected name in the UK facilities management sector, KSD Group delivers building maintenance and project services to over 10,000 sites nationwide. Their diverse client portfolio includes major organisations in retail, corporate, banking, and public sectors, such as Stonegate, Sainsburys, Tesco, and Morrisons. Operating from Brighton and Hove, KSD Group prides itself on its team of skilled engineers, carpenters, plumbers, and electricians dedicated to outstanding service delivery.

The Challenge: Outdated Systems and Rising Claims

Prior to partnering with MANTIS, KSD Group grappled with several critical fleet management issues:
Inaccessible Footage: Their previous camera setup lacked remote access capabilities. Retrieving footage was a cumbersome manual process involving removing hard drives from vehicles, compounded by inadequate review software.
"With our previous camera solution, the biggest challenge was the lack of remote access... leaving us rooting around under seats to remove hard drives, then having poor software to review footage." — Gareth Smith, KSD Group
Increasing Insurance Costs: The company faced a rise in at-fault insurance claims, often lacking the clear video evidence needed to understand incident causes or contest liability when they believed their drivers were not at fault.
Need for Reliability and Simplicity: KSD required a dependable, user-friendly solution offering:
A tamperproof, forward-facing camera.
Effortless remote footage download.
A minimum 14-day recording history.
Ignition-triggered recording.
Automatic impact detection and event recording.
Supporting the Workforce: A primary concern was ensuring any new system was perceived as supportive by their field staff, rather than intrusive surveillance.
"The people driving our vehicles... work horrendous hours... it was very important that we gave them a system that would support them, and that they understood that it wasn’t a spy in the cab." — Gareth Smith, KSD Group

The Solution: MANTIS AI-Powered Vehicle Cameras

After evaluating market options, KSD Group selected MANTIS as the optimal solution to meet their comprehensive requirements. The implementation, facilitated by MANTIS partner In Car Technology, involved deploying the advanced MANTIS system across their fleet of over 100 vehicles (with scalability for growth beyond 120).

Key MANTIS Features Implemented:

AI-Powered Forward-Facing Cameras: Tamperproof units providing high-quality video.
Remote Footage Access: On-demand, secure access to video footage via the MANTIS platform, eliminating manual retrieval.
MANTIS Evidence Centre: A centralised, intuitive platform for reviewing, analysing, and managing video clips.  
Impact-Triggered Recording: Automatic capture and uploading of footage relating to collisions or harsh driving events.
Minimum 14-Day Storage: Secure cloud storage ensuring footage availability when needed.
Daily Health Check Reports: Automated system monitoring providing peace of mind that cameras are operational.
Telematics Integration: Seamless compatibility with KSD Group's existing Webfleet telematics system.

The Results: Measurable Improvements Across the Board

The deployment of the MANTIS system delivered significant benefits for KSD Group:
Streamlined Insurance Claim Management: MANTIS provides irrefutable video evidence, enabling faster claim resolution and accurate liability assignment. KSD Group can now efficiently supply insurers with clear footage, reducing dispute times. Crucially, the MANTIS Evidence Centre allows for detailed accident analysis, facilitating constructive conversations with drivers to improve awareness and safety.  
Resolved Specific Incidents: The clarity provided by MANTIS footage has been instrumental in resolving various situations, including:
Proving non-fault in a roundabout collision where a third party changed lanes improperly.
Clarifying driver responsibility in an accident scenario.
Documenting interactions, such as police encounters during routine stops.
Addressing and resolving a road rage complaint against a driver using objective evidence.
Enhanced Fleet Management Efficiency: The user-friendly MANTIS platform simplifies daily tasks. The Daily Health Check report is particularly valued, offering an instant overview of camera status across the fleet, ensuring system reliability and readiness.
Strengthened Driver Support and Trust: MANTIS has fostered a more supportive relationship with KSD's engineers. The system is used proactively – for example, after witnessing a stressful incident involving another driver via the footage, KSD management could reach out to the affected engineer, offer support, and discuss options, reinforcing that the system is there for their protection too. This approach builds trust and demonstrates the system's role in driver welfare.
Valuable Real-Time Insights: The ability to access live camera feeds via the MANTIS platform provides KSD Group with real-time operational visibility. This allows for quick verification of vehicle locations, monitoring of surrounding activity, and assessment of driving situations, enabling prompt responses to any potential issues flagged by their help desk.

Conclusion: A Partnership Delivering Safety and Efficiency

The adoption of the MANTIS AI camera solution has demonstrably improved KSD Group's fleet operations. By choosing MANTIS, KSD Group has successfully:
Gained easy, remote access to vital video footage.
Improved accident analysis and significantly streamlined insurance processes.
Provided drivers with a supportive tool, enhancing trust and safety culture.
Boosted overall fleet management efficiency through intuitive tools and reliable reporting.
This case study highlights MANTIS's ability to deliver powerful, AI-driven fleet solutions that effectively prevent collisions, reduce insurance costs, safeguard drivers, and protect brand reputation.

When KSD Group's Fleet Manager, Gareth Smith, was asked if he would recommend MANTIS, his response was unequivocal:
“Yes! - what more can I say.”