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Emprevi Launches Service for Securing, Tracking Cargo
Each loaded container is secured by means of a Savi Technology ST-662 e-seal, which combines an EJ Brooks container seal and a Savi Technology 433 MHz active RFID tag compliant with the ISO 18000-7 standard. The container is secured by means of a bolt plugged into the tag, which will send out an alert if the bolt is removed. Transported by truck, the container passes the roadside interrogators, which read the tag's ID number and capture its time and location.
Because the tag sends an alert anytime a bolt is removed from a container, the system provides customs officials and the shipper with proof that no one has tampered with the container. Eventually, says Smith, Emprevi and Savi Networks hope to gain the assurance of customs officials that such containers do not require searching. "Over time," Smith predicts, "as their confidence grows, it will reduce their need to open containers." That will not only save time, but also prevent the practice of customs unpacking a container and having to reload it.
Savi Networks intends to expand the network to other ports in Colombia. "The network build-out is still underway," says Neil E. Furukawa, the company's senior vice president of engineering and operations.
The pilot involved both building the infrastructure and training Emprevi employees to use the system. In addition, Savi Networks adjusted the system to the needs of Emprevi's operations. "We had to anticipate all potential issues," Furukawa recalls, such as how drivers manage their routes and what could go wrong along the way. Emprevi wanted the RFID system to give the company the ability to know, for instance, when a truck departs from its expected route, when it spends an unusual length of time in a particular area, and at what point it falls behind schedule.
After a participating product manufacturer loads a container at a factory or distribution center, it uses the ST-662 to secure the container. The driver then employs a handheld RFID interrogator to read the seal, capturing its unique ID number. The handheld reader can either be plugged into a PC with an Ethernet connection, or it can utilize a GPRS transceiver to transmit that data. Emprevi is using both types of handheld readers.
Data is sent to Savi Network's transportation security software, which interprets it and makes it available on the SaviTrak server. There, it can be accessed by the product manufacturer, Emprevi and customs agents. The driver then passes several readers en route to the port, which again transmit the RFID number to the SaviTrak system. If the seal has been broken, the readers capture a warning signal and send it to the participating parties.
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Because the tag sends an alert anytime a bolt is removed from a container, the system provides customs officials and the shipper with proof that no one has tampered with the container. Eventually, says Smith, Emprevi and Savi Networks hope to gain the assurance of customs officials that such containers do not require searching. "Over time," Smith predicts, "as their confidence grows, it will reduce their need to open containers." That will not only save time, but also prevent the practice of customs unpacking a container and having to reload it.
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| Neil Smith |
The pilot involved both building the infrastructure and training Emprevi employees to use the system. In addition, Savi Networks adjusted the system to the needs of Emprevi's operations. "We had to anticipate all potential issues," Furukawa recalls, such as how drivers manage their routes and what could go wrong along the way. Emprevi wanted the RFID system to give the company the ability to know, for instance, when a truck departs from its expected route, when it spends an unusual length of time in a particular area, and at what point it falls behind schedule.
After a participating product manufacturer loads a container at a factory or distribution center, it uses the ST-662 to secure the container. The driver then employs a handheld RFID interrogator to read the seal, capturing its unique ID number. The handheld reader can either be plugged into a PC with an Ethernet connection, or it can utilize a GPRS transceiver to transmit that data. Emprevi is using both types of handheld readers.
Data is sent to Savi Network's transportation security software, which interprets it and makes it available on the SaviTrak server. There, it can be accessed by the product manufacturer, Emprevi and customs agents. The driver then passes several readers en route to the port, which again transmit the RFID number to the SaviTrak system. If the seal has been broken, the readers capture a warning signal and send it to the participating parties.
