DataDot

From vehicles to cables, microdot technology gains asset recovery traction

Microdot technology, which is a process whereby valuable assets are given a 'DNA' invisible to the naked eye, appears to be gaining increasing acceptance as a helpful asset recovery tool among crime-wary South Africans.

Business Against Crime South Africa (Bacsa) reported recently that, since the country's initial adoption of the solution, the recovery rate of microdotted vehicles has risen to between 60% and 80%, compared with an overall 43% recovery rate for all vehicles stolen, or hijacked.

In the case of vehicles, 10 000 1-mm × 1-mm dots are sprayed onto a vehicle in 88 different places, including the subassembly, the inside of the rims, the motor, the inside of the headlight lenses and the ribbing in the boot and bonnet.

Each microdot has a 17-digit vehicle identi- fication number (VIN) or personal identification number (PIN) registered to the owner of the asset. The adhesive used has ultraviolet (UV) properties and the number is visible only under a UV light or through an inexpensive magnifying lens, called a torch.

Microdot manufacturer DataDot Tech-nology South Africa reports that over 6 300 stolen microdotted cars have been recovered by the South African Police Service (SAPS), while about 560 000 cars have been micro-dotted across the country to date. The company even argues that the chance of robbery or theft of microdotted vehicles is reduced by at least 50%, compared with the chances of undotted cars.

The solution's resilience was also well established in a test conducted by Bacsa, the SAPS and South Africa's four microdot suppliers in 2009 at a military base outside Kroonstad, in the Free State. After a Nissan Almera was loaded with explosives and detonated, microdots from all four suppliers were found to still be intact.

Microdot manufacturer Recoveri CEO Philip Opperman adds that the nontoxic product is also resistant to water, heat and corrosion.

But Bacsa project manager and chairperson of the standard writing committee Fouché Burgers argues that the true power of the microdot lies not merely in its resilience, but in the fact that there are so many microdots on a product.

Bacsa's records confirm that all recovered vehicles of models that are 100% microdotted have been identified by the SAPS. This includes all vehicles imported and manufactured by Nissan South Africa from October 2006, all BMWs manufactured in South Africa after October 2007, all Toyota Quantum vehicles from March 2005, and all vehicles bought by the SAPS from April 2006. DataDot was also awarded contracts to microdot all locally manu- factured and imported Renault and Suzuki cars, from November 2010.

Initially, the SAPS announced that, as from January 1, 2011, microdots will need to be applied to all new vehicles, vehicles to which the SAPS allocates a new VIN and all vehicles imported into South Africa.

However, the publication of amended regulations to legislate the application of microdot technology in line with South Africa's microdotting standard SANS 534-1, in terms of the National Road Traffic Act 93, of 1996, is still awaited from the Minister of Transport. The microdots used to mark vehicles also have to comply with SANS 534-1, approved in 2008. Therefore, microdotting is not yet compulsory.

Nevertheless, the solution appears to be gaining prominence and critical mass, locally and internationally. Bacsa reports that microdot technology is used in Australia, Taiwan, Italy, Canada, the US, Mexico, New Zealand and the Eurozone. Recovery rates for these regions range from 50% to 80%.

In a study undertaken on the profile of a wanted vehicle, Burgers found that the average age of a stolen vehicle is about 12 years. These vehicles are generally easier to steal and hide their original identity, and many of the older vehicles fall into the large market volume segment, where there is a high demand for second-hand vehicles and second-hand parts.

But how much does it cost to microdot a vehicle after sale? The recommended retail price of fitting microdots on after-sale cars is between R1 800 and R2 400, and the uptake from this market is not yet adequate, he says. Recoveri adds that its recommended price is R699.

"To keep organised motor vehicle crime a lucrative business, criminals must sell or dispose of the stolen, hijacked and illegally imported vehicles or parts. To do so, the original identity of the vehicles must be concealed or removed," says Burgers.

The improvement of the identification of motor vehicles has been a priority of Bacsa and its partners for many years. Assessments of other alternatives have shown that the use of microdot technology in securing the identity of a vehicle has been most successful in terms of its cost, practicality, accessibility, effectiveness and ease of fitment, he says.

The SAPS has supported the technology for almost a decade and has consistently asked local manufacturers and importers to use it, thereby assisting the SAPS to identify stolen vehicles and return them to their rightful owners, explains DataDot director Derek Menday. DataDot trains SAPS officers, mostly at the Hammanskraal SAPS training centre, in Gauteng, where microdot tech- nology and how it works have formed part of the curriculum for a number of years.

Bacsa reports that between 12 000 and 14 000 recovered vehicles, with a combined value of more than R1-billion, are not able to be identified and are compacted or destroyed every year. This disposal method is chosen to avoid inadvertently selling the vehicles to companies covertly affiliated with organised crime, says Menday.

Thus, the insurance industry, self-insured fleet owners and uninsured victims of theft are not getting their assets back. Further, although the SAPS has recovered these cars, because their owners are not identified, the recoveries are not included in statistics.

Several local insurance companies reportedly offer a discounted premium based on an applicant's risk profile.

While the technology was originally only used on cars, it has now been expanded to a wide range of assets, including boats, computers, DVD players, jewellery and even cattle.

An exciting new application being developed by DataDot is known as trace DNA, which, apart from many other applications, is used in conjunction with microdots to verify the identity and batch number of engineered seed.

The nontoxic, heat-resistant trace DNA is combined with normal seed coatings and microdots to verify to suppliers and customers that the correct seed has been supplied. Leading healthcare company GlaxoSmithKline uses this technology to verify the authenticity of poppy seeds along the supply chain, says Menday.

He adds that the local seed industry has shown interest in the product. DataDot is also involved in the continuous research and development of new uses for its technologies, including textile authentication, plastic manufacturing and concrete certification.

Recoveri also hopes to use its microthread – a 1-mm × 0,2-mm thread with microprinting – in copper cables to curb theft. Removing this thread is impossible, so any length of copper cable can be positively identified as having been stolen, while its owner can also be traced.

The sequential numbers, which are etched into the thread and then inserted into the cable, are logged on the Recoveri website's database, and, if any length of this cable is stolen, the cable numbers are marked as a 'hot thread' on this internationally accessible site.

Recoveri is gaining ground in talks with Eskom and local metropolitan councils to test the microthread, and enquiries on the use of microthreads in copper cables are increasing as people realise that it can result in theft convictions and is a proactive theft prevention product, says Opperman.

The company has also used the microthread to validate university degrees and clothing authenticity, and is in talks with several mines to use microdots and microthreads in tools, plants and equipment, as well as copper cables, as these are all subject to theft and the product is robust enough for underground use.

DataDot is also involved in the Gauteng Online project, which aims to provide computer laboratories to Gauteng schools. DataDot is providing jobs for unemployed school leavers to microdot the computers and servers for the project. The company has also donated 1 000 microdot bike kits to cycling retailer Cyclelab.

Recoveri's affordable do-it-yourself (DIY) microdot kits have met with exponential success and are being used by consumers and in industrial applications.

The kits range from the motor vehicle kit with 15 000 microdots and a corporate-type kit with 3 000 microdots to a 1 000-microdot kit for high-value household assets, which can be used for up to five items. The latter is especially used for televisions, computers, notebooks, DVDs and music centres, the top five assets targeted by thieves.

The microdot asset identification numbers are registered on Recoveri's website and, if recovered, the asset can be returned to the original owner, or the insurer. The kits include a sticker to serve as a deterrent and warn that the asset is microdotted.

DataDot is also targeting the household asset market and suppliers.

Meanwhile, Recoveri is still investigating microdotting rhino horn in an attempt to deter poaching. Opperman explains that 3 000 microdots would be applied onto a horn and would embed in its rough surface, and he believes that they would survive the grinding down of the horn.

The microdots would also be fitted with a short-term tracing device and would be hard to see as they are almost the same colour as the crushed horn powder. The registered code on each dot would be linked to a database on a website, with details of the rhino and its owner, should the powder be analysed by security and the microdots be found.

The company is targeting private game farms and a large African conservation foundation is assisting them in the product's roll-out.

Facts

Pioneers in the adoption of microdots, car rental company Avis and taxi insurance company Clarendon Transport Underwriters (CTU) have experienced a drop of more than 52% in vehicle theft and a dramatic increase of 87% in the recovery rate, reports Datadot.In a study undertaken on the profile of a wanted vehicle, Burgers found that, although sedans are the most frequent target for criminals, minibuses and pick-ups are at a much higher risk of being stolen or robbed than any other type of vehicle. CTU made the fitment of microdots through Datadot on all Toyota Quantums standard and DataDot used revenue from the sales to train over 11 000 SAPS officers in microdot technology. Menday reports that since the adoption of this technology, 82% of CTU's microdotted vehicles that were stolen have been recovered.Avis has microdotted all its cars over the last seven years, says Menday. Understanding the use and successful implementation of microdot technology in Australia and other parts of the world, Avis and the South African Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association have urged vehicle manufacturers to apply microdot technology to all their cars, from 2003.Meanwhile, in mid-2010, a successful pilot study was undertaken at a retirement village in Irene, Gauteng, The assets of 120 retired war veteran households, at the Gunners and Engineers Memorial Village (Gem Village), were microdotted by DataDot. The initiative was organised by the local crime prevention forum as the veterans had been regularly attacked and robbed . Lyttelton SAPS station commander Neels Kleynhans confirms that, since the launch of the project in May 2010, no crime has emanated from Gem Village. Another pilot initiative designed to reduce property-related crimes through microdotting was launched in the Westonaria region, in Gauteng, in November 2010. The DataDot-sponsored project will see newly trained youths apply microdots to the valuables of 500 households within the region. Westonaria SAPS brigadier Frank Mtombeni said that the pilot project could prove beneficial in combating crime in the area, which was still experiencing high crime levels, with around 60% of these incidents being property theft related. It is planned to roll this initiative out to other regions and to grow the microdot footprint nationally.