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Colombian logistics provider Empresa de Prevención y Vigilancia (Emprevi) adopted the Savi Networks RFID solution in June, which can track shipments from the manufacturing location to the port of Buenaventura. Emprevi expects the RFID system to reduce the security cost of each container by $350 and save the time required for the container to wait for inspection at the port, said álvaro Mauricio Durán Lopez, head of business and security at Emprevi.
“Since June of this year, the system has been fully operational.” Savi Networks Finance Director Neil Smith said. He explained that a total of 8 manufacturers participated in the project and installed RFID readers in their manufacturing plants. Lopez hopes that the number of participants will increase several times in the next few years. Emprevi’s customers come from multiple industries, including the pharmaceutical industry, consumer packaging industry, food and beverage industry, etc.
Lopez said: “Most companies in Colombia have invested a lot of manpower and material resources to protect their containers of goods and prevent criminal activities, such as theft of goods or the use of containers for drug smuggling, but they have not received more significant results.”
In addition, the cargo container usually needs to be placed in the dock for several days for inspection by customs officers. During inspection, the container is often completely unloaded; after the inspection is completed, the container is loaded in a hurry, this process is likely to cause damage to the product.
After more than a year of testing and basic network infrastructure construction, Emprevi’s new system not only improves process efficiency, but also obtains a return on investment by saving security costs, Lopez said. Infrastructure construction includes the installation of RFID readers in ports, manufacturing locations and distribution centers, and the installation of a reader every two hours on the highway between manufacturing locations/distribution centers and ports.
All data received by the reader is forwarded to the SaviTrak Information Network, a global network system controlled by Savi Networks.
Each cargo container is equipped with a Savi Technology ST-662 electronic seal, responsible for the safety of the container. ST-662 is composed of EJ Brooks container seals and Savi Technology 433 MHz, active RFID tags that comply with the ISO 18000-7 standard. The latch of the container seal is inserted into the label. If the latch is removed, the label will sound an alarm. When the truck loaded with the container passes the reader on the side of the road, the reader reads the ID number, elapsed time and location of the container tag.
Read the ID number of the container tag
As long as the latch is removed at any time, the label will sound an alarm, which will provide customs and transporters with proof that the container has not been damaged. Smith said that Emprevi and Savi Networks hope to obtain customs approval and exempt the search process for labelled containers. . “We hope that as time goes by and the confidence of customs personnel grows, the need to unload labeled containers will be reduced.” This not only reduces the time the containers are in the port, but also eliminates the historical customs procedures for unloading and reloading and unloading containers.
Savi Networks plans to also use RFID networks in other Colombian ports. “Network construction is already in progress,” said Neil E. Furukawa, and Neil E. Furukawa, the company’s senior deputy director of engineering and operations.
The previous year’s testing included infrastructure construction and employee training. In addition, Savi Networks also adjusted the system to meet Emprevi’s actual operational needs. “We have to participate in the study of all possible problems, such as how truck drivers arrange their transportation routes and where problems may arise. Emprevi hopes to use RFID to learn some information, such as when the truck leaves its scheduled route and when it is in which area. The time spent is not normal, at which point is behind the plan.
After the product manufacturer loads the container in the factory or distribution center, ST-662 is used to ensure the safety of the container. Next, the driver uses a handheld reader to read the electronic seal and obtain its unique ID number. The handheld reader can be plugged in and connected to a PC via Ethernet, or it can use a GPRS radio transceiver to forward data. Emprevi uses two types of readers at the same time.
The reading data is transmitted to the transportation security software of Savi Network, and the software compiles the data and stores it on the server on SaviTrak. Product manufacturers, Emprevi and customs can all obtain data from this server.
On the highway to the port, the driver then passes through several RFID readers, and the readers also send the RFID data read to the SaviTrak system. If the seal is broken, the reader will obtain an alarm signal and send the alarm to the relevant responsible department.
If the driver forgets to read the seal when leaving the distribution center or factory, the reader on the highway side will obtain the unauthorized RFID number and send an alert to the relevant department; they will contact the driver to ensure that the container seal is safe and sound. At the port, when the container is loaded onto the ship, the worker removes the electronic seal, and the electronic seal will be applied to other containers together with the new latch.
Smith said it is too early to evaluate the success of this system. “We will set goals for different periods and review the process.”.
Some customers have expressed interest in the Savi Technology ST-676 label. Unlike the ST-662 electronic seal, the ST-676 label can measure temperature, humidity and vibration. These sensor tags have not yet been applied to the Emprevi project. Smith said: “At this stage, the most important thing is to achieve container tracking and security. Emprevi and its customers can use ST-676 to increase condition monitoring at any time.”
Lopez said he hopes to extend the Savi Network solution to all Emprevi customers. “Our customers need to be sure that they have the best measures to protect their goods, and that illegal items cannot be included in their goods,” he explained. For example, international companies such as health care product manufacturer Johnson & Johnson, pharmaceutical manufacturer Pfizer, etc. .
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