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Stock protection a deterrent

After a spate of hijackings, Brandhouse, a manufacturer and distributor of liquor, installed 120 Mtrack units into its vehicles and containers.

Mtrack is an SAIA-approved, self-contained, self-powered, mobile device that enables tracking and recovery of stolen assets. Being wireless, the units are easily transferred from load to load.

Deon Bayly, MD of ETS says, "Apart from recovering approximately R4 million worth of liquor over the past year, we have saved Brandhouse the further expense of having to pay for call out and installation fees every time they wanted to relocate one of their units."

Deon Bayly

Peter Fouche, regional distribution manager - inland, at Brandhouse says, "Mtrack has made a big difference in our organisation. Before we contracted ETS, we were using a costly and sometimes unsuccessful alternative of securing our cargo," Over their peak periods, Brandhouse rents an additional 100 units from ETS.

Peter Fouche continues, "We identified a trend when it comes to the hijacking of our vehicles. The thieves would either follow our trailer with one of their own, hijack the driver, unhook the trailer and take it and the goods with them; or hijack the vehicle and leave a portion of the stock on the side of the road next to the vehicle where they would wait to see whether the tracking company would arrive to claim the horse.

"Since we have been using Mtrack, we have had a recovery rate of between 50-100% of our alcohol," says Fouche. "The only reason why stock is still being lost is because goods are sometimes stolen directly from the trailers - and this is not performed by the people that have hijacked the vehicle."

Another advantage is that unlike other tracking devices (as is the case with GPS systems), Mtrack does not need power or an external antenna or to be mounted where it can seen by passing satellites. Bayly continues, "Prior to Mtrack, there were no tracking systems that could be concealed within a load, work above and below the ground, or be used as a security mechanism."

Fouche concludes, "If people know that your stock is being protected, they will look for something that is more vulnerable."

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