SOUTHCO HELPS REDUCE THEFT OF OFF-HIGHWAY VEHICLES & IMPROVE OPERATOR SAFETY

On top of this pressure, there is a growing demand by operators and hirers in the off-highway market for OEMs to develop vehicles with enhanced specifications to satisfy changing requirements - specifically in terms of sustainability, ‘green’ technologies, lower cost of ownership and driver safety and comfort. Such enhancements increase the value and complexity of vehicles and, as a direct result, increase the risk of what is already a massive problem in the industry – plant theft. It’s against this backdrop that global full-service supplier to the off-highway sector Southco promotes its Electronic Access Solutions capability and is partnering with OEMs to improve the security and safety of off-highway vehicles.

On the subject of off-highway vehicle security, Ulrike Sturman, Industry Marketing Manager for Transportation at Southco says: “Theft of construction plant and equipment is a major problem with professional thieves often ‘stealing to order’, targeting specific plant items in advance. Once stolen, plant items will often be removed to remote locations within hours of the theft.”

It has been estimated that plant theft costs the UK construction industry between £600 million and £1 billion per year, in addition to raising insurance premiums, making vehicle protection an absolute priority within the industry. One initiative that is being promoted in the UK by the Construction Equipment Association on behalf of the Plant Theft Action Group (PTAG) is the Construction Industry Equipment Security and Registration Scheme (CESAR) which offers a comprehensive plant registration database linked with state-of-the-art covert marking technology. Registered equipment carries a triangular ID plate and is tagged to aid identification and recovery.

Ulrike Sturman: “In terms of security, as a proven supplier to the off-highway industry of access hardware to all entry, chassis and interior applications, Southco is able to offer OEMs enhanced protection for their vehicles by integrating access control and electromechanical locking devices at the point of entry. These products and systems are intended to be incorporated into the OEM vehicle design. We design products with our OEM customers to meet their specific requirements - thus enabling us to address all the key issues and challenges facing the industry.”

The features and functionality of Southco’s electronic access technology also support the construction industry’s aim to increase the safety of the drivers and operators of construction vehicles and equipment. Construction remains one of the most dangerous land-based work sectors in Europe and, according to Eurostat statistics, about 1000 people die on European construction sites every year. Falls from heights are a leading cause of injury in this industry. One of the highest potential risk areas to drivers of large vehicles is during entry and exit to the cab; with the need to simultaneously climb steps or a ladder, unlock and open a door, with one or two hands. This results in a minimum number of safe, ergonomic touch points for hands and feet; and inevitably during hazardous environmental conditions. Southco’s access control device capability – from keypads and electronic keys to RF remote control systems allow for the development of remotely controlled cab entry systems that leave hands and feet safe, ergonomic and operator friendly as possible.

Southco’s aim is to provide the off-highway industry with a single source, electronic access solution which takes off-highway vehicles closer to their road-going automotive counterparts in terms of remote central locking type systems. Southco electromechanical latching solutions offer a number of benefits. Firstly, they are concealed, thus eliminating vandal entry points and the ability to keep them out of sight when used inside the cab. Secondly, they offer a high degree of control, enabling access management, remote control and monitoring. Highly secure, they prevent unauthorised or accidental access with the convenience of being able to simultaneously lock or unlock multiple access points using a keyless system.

Sturman: “Our main rivals are not as far forward as Southco with the electro-mechanical products and systems. We have taken things to another level with our Electronic Access Solution technologies. For example, whilst providing the door handle lever actuator for an entirely mechanical system, we can bolt on an electronic locking system which can be integrated to a host of other electronic systems on the vehicle.”

Leading the way in an impressive and industry-leading range of highly secure latching solutions for the off-highway industry is the robust Southco R4 rotary latch family. Continuous enhancements are being made to this compact integrated latch design to improve security and make it even easier to install, operate and maintain. Its proven mechanical design and all-metal construction provide excellent vandal resistance and long-term durability and reliability. The Electro-Mechanical R4 can be integrated with a variety of electronic access devices including wireless devices such as proximity cards or RF key fobs, hardwired numeric keypads or swipe-card terminals, smart cards and biometric devices.

The security of Southco entry solutions are in accord with CESAR’s registration scheme. They can be integrated with systems of traceability, built-in intelligence and remote communication e.g. GSM /GPRS. This enables vehicle operators to know exactly who has accessed a vehicle and when this access took place. In the event of unauthorized access, an alarm could be raised.

Ulrike Sturman concludes: “The UK off-highway market is recovering gradually. OEMs are definitely benefiting by huge growth in places such as China – particularly in mini excavators - who saw a 30% growth in 2010, and in Germany. Also, following the shrinkage in the UK plant hire market over the past three years, market research reports that this lucrative market – whose core products include vehicles and equipment for earth moving, lifting and construction - is also expected to grow over the next five years.

In addition to the importance of initiatives like CESAR, security and safety needs to become a fundamental design consideration and our aim is to work closely with OEMs to bring the off-highway sector sophisticated levels of more secure, in-built latching solutions which reduce levels of theft and provide a safer environment for drivers.”