Keep your eye on asset tracking

Enigma Vehicle Systems, a UK supplier of satellite tracking systems and associated products, is warning the plant industry to take even greater care when choosing suppliers of anti-theft and tracking systems for their plant fleets.

Not only does the In the current economic climate make construction equipment an even more attractive target for thieves but plant owners should thoroughly check the financial stability of their security systems suppliers.

Chris Lloyd, chairman of Enigma Vehicle Systems, said, "At times like these when belts are being tightened some buying decisions may focus purely on price as a way of saving money. Keen prices are critical but the lowest price may mean a supplier is in financial difficulties. I would recommend a credit check similar to those carried out on customers or simply paying £1 to obtain the latest published accounts from Companies House to verify that your suppliers are credit worthy. If a supplier is not around in a month or three months time, any savings will be dwarfed by the possible write off of the entire purchase cost and then further costs in buying again from another supplier, together with any insurance consequences."

Plant owners using immobilisers run the risk of losing of any outstanding warranty and on-going support if their supplier goes out of business. In addition, where suppliers are in trouble financially, corners may be cut, affecting the quality of the product or installation on their fleet machines and vehicles.

The risks are even greater when purchasing a tracking system. Most of these devices/systems rely on the supplier maintaining the service after the initial installation. If a supplier were to become insolvent, it is likely their ISP will cut their data line and their SIM card provider will disconnect and bar the SIM cards in the vehicle or piece of plant. It could be that there is no one to run the system, provide support or assist with thefts.

Enigma says that this has happened in the past and it has affected a large number of plant companies who relied on their tracking units as a condition of their insurance.

Enigma Vehicle Systems

Enigma has been trading for 18 years. In 2003, the company commissioned the Skyline vehicle tracking and security system with the intention of offering a world class security, tracking and fleet management system with the flexibility to use products appropriate for the application.

Skyline went live in July 2004 and is in use in over 600 businesses worldwide, in diverse industries from major equipment rental companies including A-Plant in the UK, large transport operators such as P & O Ferries and Kenya Airways and car rental fleet operators such as Dollar and Thrifty. The recovery rate for stolen plant fitted with Skyline at one of the leading rental companies is running in excess of 95%.

From 48p a day for construction plant and 54p for vehicles, Enigma customers can obtain five years of anti-theft protection including products, installation, and 12 months warranty.

Enigma says it is investing heavily in new technologies to provide greater control and information over remote assets. These technologies include satellite communications, active and passive RFID tagging, personal/portable tracking and improved data analysis modules.