Guardforce adds rolling vault to security facilities

SEEING IS believing, particularly when it concerns the 'Fort Knox' facility operated by Guardforce International at Johannesburg International Airport. "Until our customers have seen the operation at first hand, they don't fully appreciate what we do," says recently appointed sales and marketing manager Richard Poulton. And that's why he's taken on the role of 'tour operator', providing clients with a hands-on demonstration of the facility's unequalled security. "After more than five years of operation, the company still boasts a pilfer-free record, and it's this message that we need to drive home," says Poulton. The high-security warehouse for valuable and vulnerable goods offers the freight forwarding community an outsourced option for the handling of a range of cargo from valuables like diamonds to vulnerable, high value commodities like electronic equipment and pharmaceutical goods. "No-one has the facility airside that we do," says Poulton, and Guardforce is continuing to build on this competitive advantage by introducing new features. Construction work on its new heliport with fixed-wing facility is almost complete and the facility should be up and running in December this year. Set up for the sole use of Guardforce customers, it will serve all inbound private aircraft enabling cargo to be brought into Guardforce vaults within two and a half minutes of the aircraft landing. "We want to expand on the vulnerable handling aspect," says Poulton. "We see it as the largest opportunity for growth and are adapting the warehouse to accommodate that type of commodity." Also on the horizon is a "rolling vault" which is currently being built. The rolling vault is a fully armoured vehicle capable of carrying loose valuables or complete ULDs. "That removes the last weak link in the transportation of valuables to and from the aircraft," says Poulton. "Cargo flies into JIA, is moved into the rolling vault, and never leaves our control."