Using technology and innovation to change cross-border controls for goods not covered by eNaTIS
By Kyle Dutton, Southern African Moveable Asset Register (www.samar.co.za)
The Inter Provincial Policy and Procedural (IPPP) committee in 2011 instructed the NCRS to stop providing eNaTIS model numbers for all vehicles outlined in Regulation 5 of the National Road Traffic Act 1996. This ruling shifted anything from the jet ski to the generator out of the protective eNaTIS remit, leaving them without a trackable and robust record or the ability to manage and control them tightly. That’s a staggering total of nearly R40 billion in movable assets with no record. The doorway for the illegal movement of mining machinery, also known as yellow metal equipment, across borders was wedged wide open.
Crime syndicates and criminals, emboldened by limited controls and inspired by increased demand – the growth of the illegal mining industry – are moving this machinery over the borders at a rapid rate. Without the protection provided by eNaTIS, the mining industry is faced with a complex landscape that demands more rigorous controls over yellow metal equipment while the criminal element finds increasingly ingenious ways of overcoming these controls.
The result is increased pressure on mining organisations, higher premiums as insurance companies feel the financial pinch of theft, and everyone, from the manufacturers and plant hire organisations to the mining companies, feeling the impact of the loss across balance sheets and budgets. What is needed is a way of increasing visibility and control over these valuable assets that not only supports the industry, but the authorities that police borders and the South African Revenue Services.
For border control officials, one of the biggest challenges they face is proving that a vehicle is going in the right direction, with the right person behind the wheel. Most tracking solutions are easily moved from vehicles before they’re driven up to border control. Often, all that’s left of a costly solution implemented by the ex-owners of the movable asset is the broken device lying on the ground at the last known location. And registering an asset to a mining company is as useful as tagging clothing with an invisible pen – the registration may be there, but in another country, who cares?
There is need for a system that both the industry and the officials can use to check the status of an asset, on demand. When it arrives at border control, the border police need a way of determining whether it’s supposed to be there and if it is heading to a legitimate destination. A reliable record that’s both visible and trackable has the potential to utterly change how these assets are protected and controlled.
This is where the Southern Africa Movable Asset Register steps in. Known SAMAR, it uses innovative technology and materials to create a trackable and robust record of all the assets that have been left by the eNaTIS wayside. Want to protect mining equipment that costs millions? SAMAR’s system covers anything from the jet ski to the piece of mining equipment that was nicked last night. And it has been designed with the unique challenges presented by the African landscape in mind.
The SAMAR register is easily accessible by border officials – they can now use this register to identify property and its owner, and they can do so in real time. The records are an accurate reflection of the exact status of the asset in question, so the police gain immediate insight. The SAMAR high-security asset labels that mark each asset are designed to withstand significant pressure and tampering. They can withstand the pressures that standard tracking devices cannot, and they’re made from materials that have a high resistance to heat, frost, abrasion, chemicals and humidity. The labels are also tamper evident and can’t be removed without being destroyed.
SAMAR was created to provide secure visibility throughout the lifecycle of an asset. In addition to the labels, the names of both the titleholder and the owner are maintained and updated in real time. A certificate of registration is also provided by SAMAR that has the same look and feel as the one issued by eNaTIS.
Surrounding the hardware and software that encapsulate the SAMAR solution is a customer relationship management tool that provides exceptional insight that can be used to monitor and manage an asset throughout its lifetime. Using the dashboard, stakeholders can determine where an asset is based, who is using it, its payment status, the last known location and so much more. The system allows for exceptional visibility into the ownership of the asset throughout its lifecycle and irregularities are quickly caught before they become problems.
South African ingenuity can often sit on the side of the crime syndicate, but in this case it finally rests in the hands of the mining industry. Using this tool, the industry gains much needed visibility and control over its assets, mitigating the risk of theft and the impact of this theft on their bottom line.
Using technology and innovation to change cross-border controls for goods not covered by eNaTIS
By Kyle Dutton, Southern African Moveable Asset Register (www.samar.co.za)
The Inter Provincial Policy and Procedural (IPPP) committee in 2011 instructed the NCRS to stop providing eNaTIS model numbers for all vehicles outlined in Regulation 5 of the National Road Traffic Act 1996. This ruling shifted anything from the jet ski to the generator out of the protective eNaTIS remit, leaving them without a trackable and robust record or the ability to manage and control them tightly. That’s a staggering total of nearly R40 billion in movable assets with no record. The doorway for the illegal movement of mining machinery, also known as yellow metal equipment, across borders was wedged wide open.
Crime syndicates and criminals, emboldened by limited controls and inspired by increased demand – the growth of the illegal mining industry – are moving this machinery over the borders at a rapid rate. Without the protection provided by eNaTIS, the mining industry is faced with a complex landscape that demands more rigorous controls over yellow metal equipment while the criminal element finds increasingly ingenious ways of overcoming these controls.
The result is increased pressure on mining organisations, higher premiums as insurance companies feel the financial pinch of theft, and everyone, from the manufacturers and plant hire organisations to the mining companies, feeling the impact of the loss across balance sheets and budgets. What is needed is a way of increasing visibility and control over these valuable assets that not only supports the industry, but the authorities that police borders and the South African Revenue Services.
For border control officials, one of the biggest challenges they face is proving that a vehicle is going in the right direction, with the right person behind the wheel. Most tracking solutions are easily moved from vehicles before they’re driven up to border control. Often, all that’s left of a costly solution implemented by the ex-owners of the movable asset is the broken device lying on the ground at the last known location. And registering an asset to a mining company is as useful as tagging clothing with an invisible pen – the registration may be there, but in another country, who cares?
There is need for a system that both the industry and the officials can use to check the status of an asset, on demand. When it arrives at border control, the border police need a way of determining whether it’s supposed to be there and if it is heading to a legitimate destination. A reliable record that’s both visible and trackable has the potential to utterly change how these assets are protected and controlled.
This is where the Southern Africa Movable Asset Register steps in. Known SAMAR, it uses innovative technology and materials to create a trackable and robust record of all the assets that have been left by the eNaTIS wayside. Want to protect mining equipment that costs millions? SAMAR’s system covers anything from the jet ski to the piece of mining equipment that was nicked last night. And it has been designed with the unique challenges presented by the African landscape in mind.
The SAMAR register is easily accessible by border officials – they can now use this register to identify property and its owner, and they can do so in real time. The records are an accurate reflection of the exact status of the asset in question, so the police gain immediate insight. The SAMAR high-security asset labels that mark each asset are designed to withstand significant pressure and tampering. They can withstand the pressures that standard tracking devices cannot, and they’re made from materials that have a high resistance to heat, frost, abrasion, chemicals and humidity. The labels are also tamper evident and can’t be removed without being destroyed.
SAMAR was created to provide secure visibility throughout the lifecycle of an asset. In addition to the labels, the names of both the titleholder and the owner are maintained and updated in real time. A certificate of registration is also provided by SAMAR that has the same look and feel as the one issued by eNaTIS.
Surrounding the hardware and software that encapsulate the SAMAR solution is a customer relationship management tool that provides exceptional insight that can be used to monitor and manage an asset throughout its lifetime. Using the dashboard, stakeholders can determine where an asset is based, who is using it, its payment status, the last known location and so much more. The system allows for exceptional visibility into the ownership of the asset throughout its lifecycle and irregularities are quickly caught before they become problems.
South African ingenuity can often sit on the side of the crime syndicate, but in this case it finally rests in the hands of the mining industry. Using this tool, the industry gains much needed visibility and control over its assets, mitigating the risk of theft and the impact of this theft on their bottom line.
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