Why you should opt for the 'Smart' seal?

Are you a user of a Tamper Evident Seal?

Chances are that you have witnessed the numerous ways in which lawbreakers have managed to get around the strongest security seals and caused you major losses. Attempts at making the seal strong and secure has so far just pushed the replication or tamper method forward by few weeks or months.

Digitization in tamper evident seals is the industries shift from mechanical seals to smart seals which are able to communicate their tamper status along with authenticity via irrefutable digital means.

One such major shift is in the use of RFID eseals instead of the traditional bolt seal for container movement. The ability of processing/storing or transmitting data makes the product smart. The RFID eseal with the help of an RFID chip can store data and transmit the same upon being scanned by any RFID scanner. Similarly, other security seals such as Roto or Meter seals, Strap seals can be strengthened with QR codes or RFID chips giving them the ability to communicate with other devices upon each scan.

What advantage does a smart seal have over a traditional security seal

Every physical aspect of seals available in the current market has been copied and deconstructed and assembled back. The access to goods becomes easy with replaceable seals with no visual distinction. There is no space to give the ‘tamper evidence’ and in most cases, the status cannot be observed unless the package/goods are checked. Smart seals bring the possibility of shooting alerts, linking product to the seal and allotting responsibility to access the seal in use.

A few examples of the benefits can be understood by the following examples: -

1. Roto seal / Meter Seals with QR codes: -

Meters used to regulate the utility use are often tampered by accessing the meters and changing the reading. The implementation of roto or meter seals with QR allows the utility providers to link the meter to the seal. Any attempt at changing the seal can now be easily identified by the on-field inspector during periodic inspection. Scanning would not only allow the inspector to easily login and push data in the meter records with images and readings but also allow them to reduce paperwork and automate the operations with the help of Smart meter seals.

2. RFID Eseal

This mandated seal by the Indian government and Taiwan government is a smart seal. If a seal is tampered it cannot be read or will indicate that it has been tampered. This has reduced the chances of pilferage or theft of cargo during transport, and could also help an exporter to detect pilferage and monitor cargo movements, providing all-round cargo protection. Only Customs, the exporter and the e-seal vendor can access data from the container’s e-seal, but the technology has shown great potential for use in cross-border data sharing for security purposes.

Since the mandate, the improvement of operations and better security has pushed many such countries to consider this option and many have already processed the seal to be soon mandated.

Another heavy duty seal used for on road movement is electronic cargo tracking system which is an active seal with real time alerts and reusable in nature. This has also replaced the traditional padlocks which are used globally for movement of valuables. Electronic cargo tracking system is an IoT product and required internet to function against the RFID technology we have previously discussed.

3. Strap seal with RFID-

Seals used mostly in postal and courier services to secure bags which carry parcels is now made smart using RFID technology. The importance of speed in such business operations are also taken care off with RFID. The loading and unloading speed is often times hampered due to the manual dependency for accounting each bag.

A smart seal allows the companies to save on the manual labour and give the speed up the process using RFID tags on the security seals. These are scanned at every check point with the help of stationary RFID scanners to identify if the product is coming in or exiting the premises along with the time stamp. The solution can be easily integrated with the company’s existing ERP to ensure an automatic update and generate reports as well as regulating the operations remotely.

Smart seal’s are the next step in the future of security and supply chain.

To get a better understanding into such products, contact Sepio Products Private Limited at hello@sepioproducts.com

Raunak is an avid reader and likes to spread a word on smart logistics and digital supply chain.