Technology company, WABCO, is combining its expertise with Belgium-based company, Sioen Industries, to combat the rising issue of trailer cargo theft incidents with its new 'Detector' solution.
Cargo theft is an increasing issue with a report by BSI Supply Chain Services and Solutions revealing that 86 per cent of Europe truck theft incidents relate to cargo. In addition to disrupting the customers' supply chains, cargo theft has a significant adverse impact for fleet owners from damaged trailers and vehicles to downtime and increased insurance fees.
Committed to 'protection through innovation', Sioen has upgraded its Dynatex PROTECTOR technology to produce a smart, multi-layered tarpaulin with conductive layers that can be fitted to trailer doors and sides. WABCO will power this technology via its advanced Fleet Management Solution (FMS), TX-TRAILERGUARD. An alarm will be automatically triggered should the tarpaulin be tampered with. Drivers are alerted through an audible warning or an in-cab notification. An alarm is also sent to the fleet back office in real time through WABCO’s TX-CONNECT solution.
When combined with WABCO’s OptiLock, an advanced wireless electronic door lock which enables remote live monitoring and management of trailer access, fleets can now further improve their ability to control potential trailer breaches in real time.
Detector is a fully working solution having been tested in the field by a number of leading fleets. This includes Belgium-based Soncotra, which was the first to apply the new, advanced technology within its trailer fleet. Soncotra manages over 15,000 full truck and groupage loads annually across Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the CIS countries and the Middle East.
“With half of our trailer fleet consisting of box trailers, the demand from our customers to deliver their cargo within their expectations is a key priority for us,” said Soncotra CEO, Isabelle Lamaire.
“Our fleet is already equipped with WABCO’s advanced telematics, so the addition of a reinforced and connected curtain-sider tarpaulin enables us to significantly increase the security we offer to our customers' cargo,” she said.
“I am delighted to join forces with WABCO to develop this innovative all-in-one solution that will enable fleets to take the security of their customer's cargo to the next level,” said Sioen Sales and Business Development Manager, Frederik Vroman.
“We've been committed to protecting trailers against cargo theft for over 15 years and this is the next important milestone in delivering this commitment,” he said.
“Building on Sioen’s leading tarpaulin technology and WABCO's advanced digital solutions, we are jointly delivering the next generation of commercial vehicle safety solutions for fleets, tackling one of the industry's biggest challenges,” said WABCO Business Leader Fleet Solutions EMEA, Peter Bal. “As we continue to grow our portfolio of connected solutions to support transporters' demands for leaner, greener and safer operations, key partnerships like these will enable the industry to further leverage the opportunities presented by digitisation.”
(Image: WABCO and Sioen Industries launch innovative connected technology to prevent cargo theft from trailers.)