Plant Security Devices

High Theft Statistics

Recent insurance industry surveys have revealed that more than 500 machines and plant hire equipment are stolen from construction and rural farming sites each month and more than one third of construction and engineering companies have had assets stolen in the past year.

Mini excavators are the type of machine most frequently targeted and their black-market resale value can be in excess of £100,000. Buckets, generators and breakers are also popular with thieves as they tend to be left unsecured and are easier to mobilise than some of the larger machinery. That said, all types of machinery are targeted by thieves and fraudsters.

In the construction industry this amounts to £70 million in stolen plant machinery every year. The total loss incurred by the industry is considerably higher, at approximately £800 million, when associated losses such as downtime, repurchasing, rehiring and increased insurance premiums are taken into account. The European Rental Association estimates annual losses of €1.5 billion on stolen plant hire equipment and associated losses, in the construction industry.

Low Recovery Rates

In a volatile commercial and domestic property market, construction firms simply can’t afford these kinds of losses. This issue is seriously exacerbated by the fact that the industry historically has a low recovery rate for stolen assets of only around 10%.

Organised Crime Gangs

Remote sites are of course attractive to thieves and need to be properly secured. However, even the busiest sites often don’t deploy efficient asset identification and tracking systems or site access control. There is also a worrying tendency throughout the industry to leave keys near vehicles and equipment, for easy access to save time on projects with tight deadlines. This means that theft in these industries is particularly attractive, as fraudsters and thieves consider it to be low risk with high return.

Some organised crime gangs go to great lengths to get their hands on these valuable assets and fraud is on the increase as gang members pose as workers, manufacturers and suppliers to steal the equipment in broad daylight under the guise of authority.

Asset Tracking, Monitoring & Recovery

The best way to overcome these challenges in both the short and long term is to create a powerful covert and overt asset monitoring, tracking strategy and site surveillance system, to prevent plant theft and damage and enable recovery, arrest and conviction.

Smarter Technologies Group creates bespoke Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) asset tracking and recovery solutions with IoT-enabled sensors and real-time data feedback, over our privately-owned Orion Data Network. Our suite of products and services also includes end-to-end site security and surveillance systems and expert covert fraud investigations, with expert police liaison, for faster recovery.

RFID GPS and IoT Technologies

Our tracking solutions comprise a system of GPS and Non-GPS tags and Orion Gateways and use RFID technology and geofencing for highly accurate asset location and status insights in real time. Our solutions also have a beacon mode where hand-held equipment can be used to pinpoint the exact location of your valuable plant hire equipment, even when it has been concealed underground or behind a concrete wall or metal tank, or abandoned in water, during a getaway.

For equipment that belongs to your business or that you hire, our solutions give you total peace of mind that in the event of theft it can be retrieved and there will be sufficient evidence of ownership and to achieve a conviction.

Self-learning and Intuitive Plant Solutions

Smarter Technologies Group’s Orion solutions also enable you to track plant hire equipment on large and multiple sites, ensuring that you have the right plant hire equipment in the right place at the right time for the work you need to carry out. The system is intuitive and self-learning, so it can spot irregular behaviour and anomalies and facilitate the creation of accurate predictive maintenance, rehiring and repurchasing schedules. The location and route optimisation features allow you to ensure that you can deliver and receive the correct new hire and purchase equipment on time and to the correct site.

Better Customer Experience

In addition to the benefits for your business, our Orion solutions help you to meet your SLA’s, KPI’s and regulatory duties, providing an enhanced experience for your clients and the hire companies that hire the plant machinery to your business.

Lower Insurance Premiums

Orion Plant Hire solutions improve your overall asset lifecycle and general efficiency, greatly reducing loss. Insurance companies are inclined to offer lower premiums to companies utilising our solutions and your premiums are also organically lowered by the reduction in theft and increase in successful recovery.

Reducing Costs & Your Carbon Footprint

Orion affords up to 75% better cost savings than other asset tracking and recovery solutions in the industry. All our solutions are ecologically sound and designed to eliminate waste, for excellent sustainability and a reduced carbon footprint.

Covert, Compact, Robust, Versatile

Our hardware is robust and rugged but versatile, covert and compact and can be as light as 28 grams, depending on the type of tag required for a given piece of equipment or situation. The tags are compatible with all types of machinery from excavators, dumpers and chippers to diggers, earthmovers and JCBs. and can be positioned anywhere on the individual asset as an overt theft deterrent or for covert tracking. The tags are battery operated so, in remote areas where there is no external power source, they are still 100% reliable and accurate. Battery life can be from 3-5 years or more, depending on usage and the size of the solution.

Orion asset solutions give you control over your plant hire machinery and your own valuable assets, protects your site and your personnel and brings you the peace of mind you need to run a successful, profitable business.