General Electric Company uses RFID to ensure the safety of transported goods
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On January 12, 2005, in order to promote the application of new technology to the new market-the electronic protection of global general containers, a US conglomerate-General Electric Security (GE Security) is developing a new security system using RFID. The system can be implanted in a new generation of containers. In 2005, it will start raising funds to install RFID readers and software in ports around the world.
GE has partnered with the world’s largest container manufacturer, China International Marine Containers Corporation (CIMC), to use its GE Intrusion Detection Secure Container (TESC) system for CIMC’s next-generation containers. TESC is a new generation of freight containers. It integrates GE’s “Commercial Guard” container security device on a standard shipping container, so that cargo manufacturers and shippers can afford cargo security and protect the entire supply chain. The integrity of the container. The new design of the container was jointly developed by General Electric and China International Marine Containers Corporation (CIMC). The safety device technology used in TESC is licensed by GE from All Set. Unisys (NYSE: UIS), a global IT services and technology company, is the system integrator and is responsible for observing the test. One of the main features of the container with built-in TESC device that is scheduled to be launched on the market in the third quarter of this year is that the door inside is equipped with hinges.
TESC uses radio technology for security protection. Once a reliable product manufacturer or border official seals the container, it cannot be opened. It promises to increase the safety of global shipping while also reducing the time it takes for customs clearance.
A sensitive study
The TESC solution is a combination of improved container machinery and an electronic container security device (iCSD) integrated on the container. After the container is loaded and sealed with a traditional seal, ICSD’s technology enables the freight to encrypt the container with a unique and encrypted code. When the container enters the wireless reading facility (just like an ordinary highway electronic toll system) that is laid around the world, iCSD can report the status of the logistics chain and customs officials of the container, the arrival of the container, and the status of being opened by illegal persons on the road. This information can provide data to manufacturers, customs officials, and importers for them to determine whether a certain container is threatened at a certain point in the supply chain. The iCSD integrated in the TESC door frame uses public wireless communication equipment and a point-to-point method, which is much cheaper than other technologies. “Supply chain security is very important to our customers, and it is related to the peace of the global economy. However, the world economy is now highly competitive, and the cost of protecting container safety and establishing the necessary information sharing equipment has discouraged exporters,” CIMC’s technology Director David Wong said, “TESC’s successful demonstration proves that safety does not have to be costly, especially when safety devices become part of the container. We believe that customers will definitely support this research.”
CIMC, headquartered in Shenzhen, China, is China’s largest marine container manufacturer. In fact, approximately 50% of the world’s containers are produced by CIMC.
GE’s “Commercial Guard” system also includes CSD, which can be installed on existing containers in the world without any tools, in less than one minute. Two devices, CSD and iCSD, share the same wireless reading facility, making the cost of globally deployed systems more efficient.
The technology was invented by All Set and has been exclusively licensed to GE. The mechanical improvement of the container, including the door lock lever device, the tamper-proof hinge and the improvement of the customs seal position, is designed and manufactured by CIMC. Unisys provides system integration services and monitors the development process of the entire test project.
What’s in the box?
Currently, there are more than 16 million containers in use worldwide, and more than 9 million freight containers enter US ports every year. Due to the growth of global trade, immediate production and retail strategies, this is an increase of about 50% over 2001. The increasing threat of global terrorism makes us more vigilant-containers are indeed a very weak link in the supply chain. The seal of a container is not that it cannot be opened, but it can record whether the seal has been opened. When mechanical seals have become mainstream, a new generation of electronic seals (such as those produced by Savi Technology in the United States) are increasingly being used. These electronic seals are powered by batteries, but if the seal is opened, the battery does not supply power to the working radio transmitter seal, but is temporarily powered by the seal reader. The electronic seal can be made into a sensor bolt shape or a smart seal with an implanted RFID tag. It can be used not only to lock the container door, but also to monitor any opening of the locked container.
In response, the C-TPAT initiative-the Customs-Business Counter-Terrorism Partnership Program is implementing security standards to better protect the entire supply chain-from foreign shipments to entry into US ports. Companies that meet the security standards of the U.S. Customs and Border Service can enter the United States through the “green channel”, which can translate into higher supply chain efficiency and important commercial cost savings.
Because TESC guarantees the loading of containers to the US Customs only by approved shippers, TESC has the potential to become a “graded security element” and a necessary requirement to pass the “green channel”.
Preliminary steps into the smart and secure trade channel of business and politics, using sensitive RFID sensor bolts, can provide security and real-time visibility when crossing shipping lines. At present, there are more than 15 ports installed with SST systems, and these ports are distributed in Asia, Europe, Latin America and the United States. So far, more than 2,000 containers sealed with sensitive RFID sensor bolts have been shipped out according to SST’s relevant plan.
GE Security said that although many containers are now equipped with smart container seals, because these seals are installed on the outside of the container, these containers are still easy to open because the hinges of these containers are installed on the outside.
The hinges of CIMC’s new-generation container are installed inside the container, and the new-generation CE TESC device is implanted in the seal of the door frame. The antenna can be seen outside the container. The TESC device can record the opening of the door and the movement of the seal.
The operating frequency of TESC is 2.4 GHz. The shipper can ensure the safety of the sealed container through a handheld RFID reader. The reader is installed with a driver and records information from TESC, including the unique identifier of the device and the container.
GE’s system also includes a fixed reader and software, which can transmit the data collected by the reader to the transportation management program of the GE host. This management program stores the information of each container being tracked, which includes information that can be read by some TESC devices, including whether the container has been opened. The system can also be sent to customs officials upon request.
GE recently concluded the TESC real-world test. Between October and December 2004, CE tried to use a new generation of CIMC containers produced by CE to use GE to track transportation. The route was from a GE manufacturing plant in China to another GE plant in California. This experiment was proposed by the system integrator and included many container security solutions, such as commercial operation security solutions. In this experiment, the TESC device detects some experiments that damage the safety system.
Peter Regen, vice president of Unisys Global Visible Commerce, said that we asked a working group to design some methods to destroy containers, and this damage could not be detected, but every experiment failed. The 18 containers containing GE products were tracked by handheld and fixed readers while they were being shipped from China to the United States. The handheld reader tracks the first loading and sealing of the container. Fixed readers are installed in the ports of Hong Kong and Long Beach and California to record that the full container is unloaded from the ship. When the container reaches its destination, the GE factory in California, the handheld reader is used to read the information again.
Petrizzi said that 12 of the 18 containers have not been opened and no false alarms have been issued, 5 have been detected to have been opened, and the rest have been opened at the customer’s premises and the system has also recorded it. The technology for using container tags and readers is designed by Set Marine Security AB. The operating distance of the handheld reader is 10 meters, and the operating distance of the fixed reader is up to 30 meters.
The operating frequency of 2.4 GHz is necessary, GE said, because this spectrum can ensure that the technology is used globally in a timely manner.
GE Security said that in the bid for technology to enter the market, it is necessary to invest in the configuration of RFID readers, which are installed in all ports of the Customs Container Security Initiative (CSI) in the United States. CSI began to use information technology to identify and inspect highly dangerous goods in 2002. So far, the operation of the technique will be very effective when it is adopted as a corporate standard. After further testing of the TESC system, the company will finally open up this patented technology to other vendors.
Unisys, the technical consulting company responsible for testing and analyzing the results, has 12 years of container safety testing and comprehensive expert experience. Unisys has made 15 different security breach attempts in China, Hong Kong, and the United States. All 15 were detected by TESC and transmitted information. Greg Baroni, President of Unisys Global Public Department, said: “The test results are very exciting. Embedding container safety equipment in the container not only improves cargo safety but also strengthens the commercial feasibility of the solution. We have tested a variety of measures to ensure container safety. Technology, and finally found that this container security device is the best at present.”
“The future of global commerce depends on the ability of the shipping industry and government agencies to improve cargo safety while ensuring the unimpeded flow of goods,” said Greg Burge, president of GE’s security business monitoring solutions. “The successful completion of the TESC test proves that It can meet the government’s requirements for cargo safety, and it can also enable the port to inspect the cargo efficiently, and the security solution that the freighter can afford to increase the cost of each shipping has been realized today.”
Background information:
About GE Security
GE Security is a wholly-owned subsidiary of GE Infrastructure Group, which is dedicated to secure communication technology. With branches in more than 30 countries around the world, it acts as an agent for various brand-name products such as intrusion and fire detection, access control, video surveillance, explosive and poisonous gas detection, key management, and structured wiring. Please visit www.gesecurity.com for more company and product information.
About CIMC
China International Marine Containers (Group) Corporation (CIMC) is the world’s leading marine container manufacturer. Its main products include all ISO standard dry cargo containers, folding boxes, reefer containers, chassis, and trailers. Due to its strong industry foundation and domestic network, CIMC also ventures into other industrial fields, such as airport ground equipment. CIMC, headquartered in Shenzhen, China, has 28,000 employees and more than 30 subsidiaries and production bases in Shenzhen, Fujian, Shanghai, Ningbo, Nanjing, Nantong, Dalian, Xinhui, Hong Kong, and the United States. Please visit http://www.cimc.com/ for more information.
About Unisys
Unisys is an information technology service and solution provider. Unisys has extensive experience in system integration, outsourcing services, system architecture, server technology and consulting consulting. With comprehensive and meticulous considerations and precise and professional execution, Unisys has helped customers in more than 100 countries, faster in the ever-changing competition Gain the advantage more effectively. Please visit www.unisys.com for more information.
About All Set
All Set Marine Security AB, headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, is a leader in the research of electronic security solutions for shipping containers. The “Business Guardian” technology is licensed to GE by All Set.
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