DTS Logistics, a pre-retail and fashion logistics service provider, runs a fleet of 160 vehicles out of eight sites across the UK.
A subsidiary of the Clipper Group, it moves more than 150 million garments a year. The firm has equipped its vehicles with a radio frequency security system. The aim is to safeguard goods in transit and give integrity of the load to customers. The product from Secureseal also assists in vehicle management. The system transmits trailer door seal information automatically before a vehicle passes a gatehouse, with status sent to PCs in DTS gatehouses or via the web.
The company’s fleet is already equipped with Secureseal, a tamper-proof mechatronic trailer seal which provides a random number generator to combat unauthorised door openings. This required manual recording of seal numbers on seal audit trail sheets at DTS depots and customer sites. The new system automatically records data with RFID technology linked to the Internet, providing DTS with added electronic security and convenience.
What they say
"Secureseal System is an important development for us as it gives us key information such as seal condition as a vehicle approaches the gatehouse. It also transmits sequential numbers showing door openings and we can compare this with the number of scheduled drops. It is part a series of security measures that give assurance to our customers that their goods are safeguarded on route" says Paul Bentley, Clipper Group Security Manager.
RF transmitters
Secureseal add that the product uses radio frequency transmitters with a range of up to 300m and eight-year battery life. The system provides data automatically as the trailer passes through the gate. This includes the trailer identification number, the security seal number, the condition of the seal either open or closed, together with the date and time the trailer arrived and departed from the depot. Bentley says: “RF data transmitted from the seals by Secureseal System verifies that everything is in order during transport to customers. We can compare the Secureseal data with other information such as track and trace so we can match times, door openings and location, giving us a clear picture and 24 hour protection. Armed with this level of intelligence, it not only adds up to a serious deterrent against theft, but also gives us very useful information for managing our transport operations.”
