In the world of telematics, we often come across unconventional challenges that require inventive and effective solutions. One of them occurred in Colombia where it was required to prevent the theft of costly semi-stationary equipment, which is frequently transported by technicians and mobile workers in high-risk areas.
The challenge was taken by one of Navixy's partners, ICS de Colombia, a company that offers monitoring and security solutions for international organizations with mobile resources in Colombia. The solution had to be discreet, efficient, and robust when it came to protecting the equipment and, of course, the lives of workers.
Expensive equipment on the thieves’ radar
A private company with a variety of semi-stationary equipment requested our partner, ICS de Colombia, to protect Optical Fiber Fusion Splicers, which have an average price of 12,500 USD and are transported by mobile workers throughout Colombian territory. The challenge implied establishing safety measures for both the splicers and the workers since previously the company had suffered an armed robbery with huge financial losses.
It went without saying that the solution had to be discreet, which meant that the tracker would go unnoticed and would not interfere with the Splicer dimensions of 120W x 154D x 130H mm and the weight of 2.0 kg, including the battery. Therefore, in the event of theft, the owners would be able to track down the stolen equipment and easily recover it.
Getting peace of mind with telematics platform
Our partner found the optimal solution to this challenge by installing a Queclink GL300 device. This rugged GPS Tracker fixed on the surface of the splicer allowed the company to detect thieves interacting with the equipment, while its perfectly suitable dimensions (the size of a matchbox) did not add any extra weight to the splicer and helped to keep it unnoticed.
This device would allow continuously tracking the splicers' location, however, without a powerful platform it wouldn't be able to generate alerts and receive timely notifications. With that in mind, all the GPS Trackers installed on the splicers were integrated with Navixy MRM platform, allowing the company to get notified of any changes or events immediately.
As any tampering with the GPS tracker would mean tampering with the expensive equipment, the company generated a set of alerts on the platform to get notified of the possible thefts. The External Power Cut alert was configured to detect any intentional or accidental power outages.
Another highly-effective Tracker switch on and off alert was configured on the telematics platform to notify the owner if the tracker had been turned off by a criminal or at the end of the workday; Low battery alert informed that the device had to be recharged not to lose the track. And finally, the asset tracking functionality allowed the owner to keep tabs on the tracks taken and identify the exact place and time in case of theft.
Quick recovery of the stolen equipment
Finally, teaming up the platform and the GPS tracker proved to be an effective solution even when the fusion splicer had already been stolen. As a result, the platform pinpointed the current location of the equipment, which allowed the police to arrive at the place, recover the equipment, and prosecute the criminals.
If you have had a similar situation in which you have effectively and ingeniously solved a problem for your client, or want to know how to solve other challenges through the platform functionalities, please reach us via email to [email protected] or leave your comments on our social networks Facebook or Twitter.
