Here’s a little bit about me, my background, my previous experience, and my interests and hobbies.
My name is Robert Darling and I’ve been working in the security installation sector for 28 years now. I started out working for a company called Cable & Satellite Systems Ltd. in 1994 after being made redundant from my job with TML. At the time we were carrying out installation work for such companies as Photoscan, Quadrant, Sensormatic, Philips, and Link CCTV to name a few.
In 2001 I decided it was time to start something new and with my colleague, Paul Smith, we started up our own company called 4D Installations & Services. We carried out many installations for other companies, and started to bring in business of our own. We were also called upon as troubleshooters to many sites, including Bluewater Shopping Centre, Chelmsford Borough Council, and Manston Airport. We also secured a contract to supply and maintain the control room equipment at Dartford Borough Council, including Cieffe DVRs and a complete new monitor wall installation.
In 2010 I was offered a full time post with Manston Airport which was an opportunity I decided not to turn down. I started out as an Airfield Electrician and in just a few years found myself as the Airfield Engineering Supervisor, a job I loved. Unfortunately, Manston Airport was closed down and I was sadly made redundant. So, I took a couple of weeks to look into what my future may hold. It was not a difficult decision, I decided to return to the world of CCTV installations and maintenance, a job I’ve always enjoyed doing, and started 4D Security. But I’m not just able to install CCTV, I’m also able to install complete Access Control systems (I have experience installing systems such as Northern Computers, PLAN, PAC, and more), and Intruder Alarms (from basic residential systems to commercial products using Galaxy equipment).
I’ve also enjoyed working with computers for many years. In days of old, before the internet became so popular, I used to run a Bulletin Board System. At the time I wrote several utilities in both Basic and C which I released into the public domain. Since then I have (and still do) run Microsoft Windows and Exchange Servers and have plenty of experience dealing with Active Directory, DHCP, DNS, etc. I also run my own websites and have written several utilities in PHP / MySQL. While working at Manston Airport I wrote a complete database solution which we employed on our intranet to report, monitor, and record works requests over the complete site. I also wrote and implemented solutions for stock control, regular maintenance tasks for our department, and more. (It was kindly given the acronym FATMAN – Fully Automated Task MANagement by a couple of the engineers!).
In my spare time I enjoy playing my guitars, reading, teaching Aikido and the occasional spot of DIY… but not too much!
4D Security is based in Dover, Kent.
The fully automated task management system (FATMAN) revolutionised the way our department worked, it not only streamlined our work schedule, and made the working day more productive, but outstanding tasks could be seen with the click of a mouse. The stock control system was a completely new concept but worthwhile the time invested to have it properly up and running. I was pleased to be part of the new system from the start, well done Rob
I would like to echo Paul’s comment. We were lucky enough to have someone like Robert that had the ability to both listen to our ideas, and more importantly, put it into practice. It is very simple to come up with an idea, it is something special to have the ability to make it happen.
The system very quickly became the backbone of our working lives and really improved the site maintenance.
Thank you both for your kind words, they do mean a lot to me. I put a lot of work into that system, as you know, and the sense of satisfaction gained from its implementation and its extremely rapid adoption into daily practises was very satisfying.
I hope that in the future the airport is re-opened and I have the chance to employ and develop the system further.