There is now more need than ever before to secure goods in transit along the northern corridor between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Dar es Salaam, according to Chris Wynne-Potts, deputy CEO of DPS March.The company owns the patent to the Leopard Lock that tracks shipping containers in real time.“Unemployment and poverty have heightened a need to make sure goods are protected from both opportunistic crime and more organised and syndicated crime,” he told Freight News.
“With much longer delays at various stages along the transit route because of the pandemic trucks are often delayed for days, and so having locks and trackers attached to containers protects the cargo when stationary for these long periods of time.“This can be done by not only having tracking in the horses, but also on the actual containers or trailers,” he says.Wynne-Potts says Covid-19 has increased the demand for digital protection and surveillance of cargo.“
Tracking and robust locks attached to high-value containerised assets bring technology to the securing of loads. This is preferable to using escorts that add to the risk of spreading Cov id-19.”There is also a cost saving as insurers and underwriters may offer preferential rates for goods that are secured by high-tech locks.
