A new way for high-value logistics companies to secure their goods in transit has been unveiled by Netshield.
The latest innovation, ‘Cell Lock’, aims to assure businesses that high-value and high-risk goods get to their destination safely and securely.
Netshield’s Cell Lock controller will only allow the unlocking sequence of a door on a cargo unit when the vehicle transporting it reaches and enters a pre-assigned GPS perimeter (the destination geo-fenced area) of the delivery destination.
The Cell Lock system is designed for easy fitment in the cargo container of logistics vehicles and has an intelligent GPS locating and GSM communicating module that controls the locking and unlocking of a bolt locking system in vehicles.
The lock can only be unlocked when the container reaches a pre-allocated geo-fenced environment, within an allocated time. The distributing and/or receiving supervisor can then only unlock it if a predefined unlocking procedure is followed.
Inus Dreckmeyr, CEO at Netshield, said: “The Cell Lock increases the security of the cargo container of a delivery vehicle by adding a bolt locking system that will only unlock if a series of predetermined security steps are taken.
“The system is designed to buy more time for armed response to reach a vehicle in the eventuality that there is a security problem, and that goods can’t be tampered with while en-route to their destination.”
The Cell Lock places control back into the hands of the logistics supervisor who can also – with the addition of a few sensors to the system – constantly view a vehicle’s progress and position, as well as monitor environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity and even water leaks.
This is of particular value to companies with sensitive cargo such as food, pharmaceuticals and chemicals. Additionally, the geo-fence locking mechanism can assist cash-in-transit firms to add an additional layer of security to their vehicles.
According to Dreckmeyr, the system’s ability to disconnect the driver from the system completely makes it particularly popular in high-security situations.
The door will not unlock under any circumstance unless it has reached its intended destination, specific security codes generated by the supervisor on its arrival are used, or if it is brought back to the depot.
Organisations can also leverage transgression detection, such as noting that a door is open while the vehicle is moving.
With its alarm dashboard, a logistics manager or supervisor can garner a birds-eye view (with event enabled zoom-in) of the cargo and its movements for analysis at a later stage.
Despatch managers can also override the lock with an RFID card at the main warehouse to speed up loading and offloading. Further intelligence can be built into the system with the addition of an RFID antenna that can track what goods are offloaded at each delivery point, sending this information back to the system.
“Fitting this device to delivery vehicles radically reduces the probability of internally orchestrated loss and theft and increases the time needed to enter the vehicle in a hijacking situation. It is also able to provide an accurate recording of environmental factors such as the duration that the door is open, temperature, flooding, humidity and vibration, as well as other critical conditions during transit and delivery,” said Dreckmeyr.
“Ensuring the maximum possible security, the system will only respond to pre-registered cell phone numbers using the GSM based caller ID functions embedded within the Cell Lock controller.”
A highly customisable system, Netshield can add a host of sensors and controllers for different applications, add modules such as RFID and Wi-Fi, and help customers determine the full extent of how they want to secure the cargo.
