Design Against Crime
The Chipping Of Goods Initiative
Marking and tracking systems based on electronic data tags can overcome many of the limitations of conventional systems to identify the ownership of personal property. Such systems are expected to assist investigators or police officers in identifying and recovering stolen merchandise, and be a powerful deterrent to would-be thieves. Tagging systems are also expected to provide evidence that is admissible in a court of law and which can help to convict those responsible for selling stolen merchandise.
The Home Office has recognised that with recent technological advances in wireless communications that electronic data tags now provide a significant opportunity for a large-scale Chipping of Good Initiative with the following targets:
To build stakeholder engagement prior to launching a major joint initiative with industry to commence the commercial introduction of electronic chipping into targeted items of property
To demonstrate the effectiveness of chipped goods within supply chain in combating property crime
To accelerate the wider adoption of the technology
To this end, the chipping of goods initiative has established a number of demonstrator projects across a range of product areas to meet these aims.
TRI-MEX will be working with mobile phone manufacturer Nokia to tag consignments of mobile phones that will be followed through their distribution network via TRI-MEX's satellite tracking system. The new technology will help them to identify quickly if any part of their cargo is missing, allowing police to react quickly to reported thefts.
HPI is linking up with the British Marine Industries Federation to tag both newly-manufactured and second-hand boats. The tag will bear the industry standard unique 10 character Hull Identification Number (HIN), and will be embedded in the boat's structure to make it impossible to destroy. The information carried by the tag will be recorded on HPI's database and will allow both police and potential buyers to identify whether a boat has been stolen.
Allied Domecq Spirits and Wines has joined with De La Rue Brand Protection, pallet pool operator CHEP International and systems integrator APT Smart Solutions in a project to reduce the impact of theft, fraud and counterfeit of product in the fast moving consumer goods supply chain. This project will test new technology and learn how the results can be applied in the future. Individual bottles of spirits will be labelled with a unique serial number encrypted in a 2 dimensional bar code. When the bottles are packed into cases this information will be used to identify individual bottles within the case and will be associated with a unique case serial number. The numbers for every case will be associated with the Radio Frequency Identification tag of the pallet on which the goods are transported enabling the movement of product to be tracked through the supply chain.
Unilever's UK Home and Personal care company, Lever Fabergé, in partnership with Safeway Stores and logistics providers Tibbett & Britten and Wincanton, will tag packs of personal care products at the point of manufacture. The electronic tags will be used to trace the goods through the supply chain to the point where they reach retail store shelves.
This project will assess the ability of this technology to reduce theft, counterfeiting and fraud in the UK supply chain by uniquely identifying packs and tracking their exact location within the supply chain. The business and crime reduction benefits will be realised as information on the exact location of goods within the supply chain will enable an efficient collaborative process between manufacturers, logistics providers and retailers.
Argos in conjunction with Integrated Product Intelligence (IPI) is developing an electronic tag based system for the tracking and tracing of jewellery and other high value products from a central distribution point to a number of retail stores in the UK and Ireland.
The current method of distribution requires the use of specialist carriers with high security vehicles. This is restrictive and results in loss of visibility and control within the supply chain.
The demonstrator project will use RFID technology on individual transit packs and roll cages. These will be read at every point where products are handled, from when they are picked in the central warehouse to when they are received at the retail store. The same process will be applied to all products on the reverse journey from retail stores to the warehouse.
This will provide real time tracking of high value products with the ability to pinpoint where and when items are removed unlawfully from the supply chain. This will reduce the opportunity for crime and increase the chances of offenders being caught.
Woolworths will be working with Integrated Product Intelligence, Microlise and Savi Technology to demonstrate the effectiveness of RFID technology in combating crime within the retail supply chain. Clothing, CDs and mobile phones are amongst the range of high risk products that will benefit from the enhanced security.
The RFID based track and trace system will protect consignments by providing dynamic, real-time information about their identity, source, current location and intended retail destination. Using sophisticated software, the system is able to highlight any error or deviation immediately thus enabling prompt action to be taken.
Small RFID tags applied to each consignment will both prevent supply chain losses and disrupt the increasingly organised criminal networks that target deliveries of goods destined for high street shops.
e-centre, the e-business and item numbering specialist, together with EMI Distribution, Handleman UK, ASDA Stores and Microlise, will tag CDs and track them through the supply chain to the consumer. The tag technology will also be used to track and analyse returns from consumers, back through the reverse supply chain to the point of manufacture.
By uniquely identifying and tracking each individual CD according to proposed international RFID standards, the project aims to help differentiate between genuine and counterfeit merchandise, and to reduce theft whilst improving supply chain efficiency and reducing costs.
Dell Computers, in partnership with BT and Marconi Infochain are working to integrate an RFID tag into laptop computers during the manufacturing process.
Dell's unique build-to-order manufacturing capabilities will enable a passive RFID tag containing owner information to be embedded into individual laptop computes. In the event that one of these laptops is stolen, police offices, equipped with the appropriate RFID scanning device, can scan the suspect laptop. The scanner will read specific fields within the RFID tag, thereby providing verification of the original owner of the laptop. Any attempt to eliminate the tag will render the laptop virtually unusable and therefore of little value if stolen.
For further details of the Chipping of Goods Initiative, including information sheets and latest briefings, visit the Home Office PSDB website, or email chippingofgoods@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk.
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