Growing demand for bar-coded seals
The serious
consequences of
going cheap when
securing dangerous
goods are simply not worth
the risk.
This was the advice from
Kevin Norwitz, managing
director of Vikela Aluvin,
a local manufacturer and
importer of a range of highquality
security seals.
Norwitz said the risk of
using incorrect or low-cost
seals to secure dangerous
goods had far-reaching
implications not only for
health, safety and the
environment but also for
global security.
“There is a huge range of
security seals on the market
and businesses must make
sure they know what’s
available and that they select
the correct seals for the
correct application,” he said.
ISO 17712:2012 provides
the latest standards
specifying which security
seals must be used on
containers but some
businesses locally and
internationally were cutting
costs and not complying,
Norwitz said.
“When it comes to
dangerous goods criminals
could be just stealing
cargo or it could be for
further criminal or political
reasons, which means
dangerous goods need to be
protected even more than
ordinary cargo – and using
the correct security seal is
critical,” he said.
“It’s up to the transporter
and supply chain to ensure
they make the right choice
of seals, especially when
economic times are hard
and people are trying to take
short cuts to save. If you are
not sealing with the right
type of seal when things
go wrong it will come back
and bite later,” he said.
Norwitz advised
transporters to accept
professional advice on how
to detect tampering and
loss and how to select seals
to minimise risk along the
entire supply chain, where
criminals might tamper
to pilfer or contaminate
goods.
Norwitz added that the
security risk was as high in
Europe and North America
as locally.
“Whether goods are
dangerous or not where
they are valuable the risk
goes up, like for cigarettes,
liquor and electronics the
risk is really high. People
always think about what
can be removed but it’s also
about what can be put in
that shouldn’t be,” he said.
He said counterfeiting
was also problem and
there had been cases
where valuable high-end
branded electronic goods
and clothing
sourced from
reputable
factories
had been
stolen out of
containers
and replaced
with grey
goods.
Norwitz
added that
the demand
for barcoded
seals and
seals with
radio frequency was
growing because the
technology reduced errors,
improved efficiency and
enabled tracking.
“We are now printing
more and more
seals with barcode
technology and radio
frequency technology
because people are
moving to bar-coding
where they can use a
scanner and also to radio
frequency because then
they can track the goods in
real time,” he said.
However,
Norwitz
said radio
frequency
technology
was
expensive and
unaffordable
for most
SMMEs,
although
prices were
dropping.
“It will
be available
commercially
at affordable rates in the
mass market within a year
but there is still a big IT
implication as there needs
to be global compatibility,”
he said.
Aluvin has been
manufacturing and
distributing security
sealing products for over
60 years in the southern
African market.
INSERT & CAPTION
People are moving
to radio frequency
because then they
can track the goods
in real time.
– Kevin Norwitz
