The rapidly shifting world of cargo security due to growing incidents of theft and new methods of tampering are calling for companies to adopt more strict security and safety measures as part of their logistics process and protection of goods to keep their supply chain safe. Companies must develop precautionary policies with use of technologically sophisticated security solutions to protect against cargo theft.
During the transport of products throughout the supply chain, it’s important to continually review and evaluate the full chain of custody to moderate problem areas. Security measures should make it as difficult as possible for a criminal to tamper with or acquire goods and products. What’s the best way for companies to improve security and safety measures throughout the end to end process of production, storage, transportation, and receiving – and keep their cargo safe? A layered security approach offers the greatest deterrent to both tampering and theft.
Upgrade Your Existing Bolt Seal to an RFID Eseal
The RFID E seal is a radio frequency device that transmits container information when scanned with the help of a RFID scanner. The scan allows the reader to identify the container along with the supporting documents and tamper status of the container.
This RFID seal for container is an Internet of Things (IoT) product that helps ports and terminals to improve efficiency, safety, security and improved asset utilization in ports. The overall RFID market in ports is nearly $100m with wide usage in port gate automation and yard processes like track container location, asset track & trace, monitoring container and personal tracking. This passive device is an ISO 17712:2013(E) compliant high security bolt seal, designed for ISO container cargo shipments. The RFID E seal stops working if the E-Seal has been tampered or damaged and reports any seal tampering to ensure the integrity of container shipped across the globe.
Source : Tech Mahindra
Electronic cargo tracking system (ECTS) or electronic locks or smart locks security led by IoT (Internet of Things) can be taken up a notch by using a reusable active lock which gives real time alerts on the movement of cargo secured. The smart or electronic lock is primarily used for closed door vehicle tracking. This active electronic lock requires 2G data through which it constantly updates data in the cloud to be accessed by authorized users. The reason that tracking systems are so important, besides the obvious concern for the product security is it also allows to optimize the logistics along with security. The tracking system can truck multiple trucks at one time, manage their storage and coordinate the transport process. A company can input information about the truck or cargo type, track its location to the exact coordinates in the region, monitor its movements through ports and even send feedback when its destination is reached. The advance analytics allows the company to detect best routes, improve vendor fleet management, fuel usage and it also gives real time updates on idle time, suspicious movement and any unauthorized opens or tamper alerts.
A cross border trial also has been successful between Nepal and India where it has successfully demonstrated that using technology to eliminate manual processes and physical documents has a significant impact in boosting efficiency of transit. It has also shown the need to rethink business processes to eliminate redundancy before bringing in automation, and to minimize intermediaries.
Under this system, the export cargo is cleared through customs at an inland location, loaded on to a cargo vehicle, and secured using an ECTS seal. On arrival at the border, the seal and the ECTS report is checked. If no deviations are found, the seal is removed by customs and the cargo is allowed to cross the border. Using the ECTS, customs would be able to monitor the position, movement, and speed of the cargo vehicle as well as the integrity of the seal. The ECTS data provide “time stamps” to measure the cargo evacuation times. Traders are also allowed to monitor the movement of their cargo/vehicle.
Using ECTS and inland clearances will reduce congestion at border points since cargo would spend minimal time there, and the release formalities would be undertaken elsewhere. This will lead to faster discharge of bonds and guarantees that accompany the cargo in transit, and better monitoring, risk assessment, and enforcement capability by customs authorities.
Such cargo sealing solutions are now available with Sepio Products around the globe.
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