Hyundai Steel solves pigeon problem with lasers at warehouse

Location:	Incheon, South Korea
Application context:	Commercial warehouse & factory (Industry buildings)
Problem definition:	Bird droppings damage steel products & structures
Bird species:	Pigeons (Columbidae)
Pigeon behavior:	Nesting & roosting
Time of the year with pigeon problems:	All year-round
Time of the day with pigeon problems:	All day with additional pressure at dusk and dawn
Number of systems:	5 x Agrilaser Autonomic 500 (previous model) 2 x AVIX Autonomic Mark II
In use since:	November 2020
Laser projection area:	271,467 sqft (6.23 acres)
Number of pigeons before installation:	100s
Number of pigeons after installation:	20
Pigeon reduction after the laser deployment:	80-90%
Annual cost of pigeon damage before the laser deployment:	USD 64,000
Annual cost of pigeon damage after the laser deployment:	USD 12,000

Laser bird repellent reduces pigeon nuisance by 90% at Hyundai Steel’s warehouse in South Korea

Bird nuisance at a commercial warehouse

Hyundai Steel is a steel-making company headquartered in Incheon and Seoul, South Korea, and a member of the Hyundai Motor Group. It manufactures a wide variety of products ranging from H-beams, rail, and reinforcing bars, to the hot coil, cold-rolled steel, and stainless cold-rolled sheet.

Like so many factories and warehouses located close to the water, which is a great food source for pigeons, Hyundai Steel had many pigeons nesting, roosting and perching on their site. Pigeons can be very hazardous and their presence can potentially result in hygiene and safety issues, mechanical and structural failures, erosion of materials, clogging of drains and ventilation shafts, and personal safety issues.

To prevent this all from happening, Hyundai Steel has deployed many different bird control methods in the past decade including netting, sound systems and olfactory repellents. They witnessed a small reduction of pigeon presence right after installing the sound systems, but the results lasted only for 2 weeks. The same happened with other bird control methods. The pigeons got back to their ‘normal’ behavior shortly after and the bird droppings got much worse than before.

Laser bird repellent as a cost-effective and efficient bird control method

Ganaindus, a trusted Korean partner of Bird Control Group, reached out to Hyundai Steel and introduced laser bird repellents as an effective bird repellent. AVIX Autonomic Mark II is a fully automated laser bird repellent manufactured by Bird Control Group that keeps birds away 24/7. It automatically projects the laser beam towards the birds. Birds perceive it as a physical threat and fly away to seek safety.

Shortly after the first meeting between Hyundai Steel and Ganaindus, a few lasers were installed at the factory in Incheon, South Korea. Mr. Lee, Senior Manager, stated “We finally met the Bird Control Group’s laser devices through Ganaindus in South Korea which are no sound distraction and no chemical hazardousness. Their efficacy is so direct, sustainable, and ecofriendly.

Our company, all staff, and our clients are very much satisfied with this awesome result.” This installation marked the first case of laser bird repellent deployment in Korea.

The company was so satisfied with the bird repelling results that in the past 4 years they ordered 7 laser bird repellents to keep their sites safe and bird-free. Mr. Lee added, “Our reduction rate has been growing up to 90% as more lasers have been installed over the last 4 years. We were very lucky to meet Bird Control Group and Ganaindus. Ganaindus presented laser devices for 2 years from 2017 to 2018 showing their enthusiasm to persuade us to decide to install lasers at that time. We couldn’t succeed with the laser bird deployment without Ganaindus’ efforts because the laser unit was a brand new way of scaring pigeons away which we never experienced in Korea. We really appreciate their help, particularly Mr. Youngmin Park. We trust the quality of Bird Control Group’s lasers and the service of Ganaindus.” Mr. Lee also recommended the lasers to other departments of his company that still struggle with pigeon problems on other sites.

“I’ve already recommended this solution to other departments in our company with the detailed story about laser installations as they are still annoyed with pigeon problems in so many sites such as factories, mechanical rooms, and warehouses.”

Mr. Lee, Senior Manager at Hyundai Steel