Kosran Plant Security Blog

Contractors should call the shots to stop plant theft

2011-07-07T09:20:00.001+01:00

European Union contractors are in control when it comes to plant security, because they have contracted out of plant theft.

They refuse to hire or allow unsecured machines on their sites, and refuse to
accept responsibility for the security of machines hired to them. They do not sign hire conditions that make the hirer responsible if a hired in machine is stolen.

European contractors specify the security they want on the machines. The
hire companies pass their customers' requirement to the manufacturer, who
supplies the specified security. In the UK a procedure whereby the contractor can specify the security and safety features he requires would present UK hire companies and manufacturers with some difficult choices.

In the past two years UK contractors have indirectly spent about £250M to replace the 11,000 machines that were stolen and not recovered. How can UK contractors manage resistance from their suppliers?

• Evaluate how much money your company has paid out in the past three to five vears because of machine theft. downtime, crosshire, admin, safety claims, insurance excess and increased premiums.
• Ask security system suppliers what their product does, get customer references and demand to see the product demonstrated on your machines.
• You need a flexible, fit for purpose anti-theft system. Electric immobilisers only disable a machine's wiring with coded electronics and relays. A machine with a diesel engine can easily be started by
supplying power directly to the starter circuit. It takes less than 90 seconds to isolate and hot-wire bypass, without using a key, cutting a wire or damaging the machine in any way, and thieves know this. Think about asking for an immobilisation system that shuts off the diesel fuel supply, hydraulics and machine electrics.
• 92 percentage of stolen plant is never recovered. Trackers provide super asset management facilities but will not stop your machine been stolen. Nor will a registration or identification system.

British contractors are their own worst enemy. They are the ultimate customer of manufacturers and hire companies, but they need to take control.

Patrick Sheeran is founder & CEO of Kosran.
Taken from May 2011 issue of New Civil Engineer Magazine.

Immobilisers fit for purpose?

2011-03-09T11:36:00.008Z

(Source James Boley of Construction News)

Not all Immobilisers are appropriate for plant - but guidance means you don't need to be caught out.

Engine immobilisers are recommended by both the Home Office and Thatcham to help prevent theft. But picking the right immobiliser can be a challenge. Some of the options which are available on the market may not be fit for purpose, according to government advice.

The Home Office has previously published official advicein its Security Guidance Document for Agricultural and Construction Plant, which details a range of various systems that are appropriate for securing equipment. According to the guidance, engine immobilisers are probably the "most practical" method of preventing mid-range equipment being stolen. Immobilisers should also be able to withstand attack for at least 12 minutes.

THIEVES RETURN FOR JCB 3CX & FAIL AGAIN

2010-07-27T19:57:00.001+01:00

As previously reported on the 7th February last by Glen Crowther Fleet Officer at the CEMEX Castleford Depot in West Yorkshire WF1 2LA, a JCB Backhoe Loader valued at £48,000 was attacked by thieves who failed to steal the machine.

Only two weeks previously CEMEX had commenced installing the Kosran ECV Immobilisation Tracking System on their fleet and this was one of the first machines to be secured.

But this all adds up. Insurance & Police PANIU Statistics published for the period Oct 08 – Sept 09 stated that the JCB Backhoe Loader is the most stolen machine in the UK.

Wait for it - on 23rd May the thieves returned again to Glen Crowther’s CEMEX depot and tried again to steal the same machine serial number 328999/fleet number B019 without success.

Kosran predict that the thieves will not return to this depot. The Kosran ECV integrated Security, Safety & Asset Management ECV System pays for itself in 40 days and then makes you money – we can assume CEMEX agree!

Ask FM Conway, they have been using Kosran for four years and have never had a machine stolen.
Find out more at www.kosran.com

2010-02-17T19:23:00.001Z

Health & Safety

There were 52 Deaths in the 12 month period to April 2009 on UK sites.

The Health & Safety obligations of the owner and hirer of a machine under the Corporate Manslaughter & Homicide Acts 2007 include:

Directors and their companies can now be charged with

– ‘Gross Breach of Duty of Care’
- ‘Disregard for life’
- ‘Recklessness - void of any assessment for safety of operator’

THE SOLUTION EXISTS:
ONLY AUTHORISED USERS OPERATE KOSRAN SECURED MACHINES.

This Financial Times article published on February 15th 2010
Explains what could happen to you and your company.
View it via our site at http://www.kosran.com/health.asp

PANIU report Kubota recovered with ID markings removed. - Do u own this machine & Would a CESAR sticker have made any difference? (NO)

2009-12-16T18:34:00.001Z

From Hire Association Europe at www.hae.org.uk, December 2009

Missing a Kubota KX Series Mini Digger?

We have had information from a Detective Sergeant in the Met Police Stolen Vehicle Unit (who also has responsibility for the Plant & Agricultural National Intelligence Unit, PANIU) and have been asked to distribute it amongst our member companies.

Last week, the Metropolitan Police assisted their colleagues in Sussex in a police operation whereby they recovered a Kubota (KX series) mini digger, orange in colour. This machine is undoubtedly stolen as it has had the engine number (stamped in and sticker) removed and the VIN number (again stamped in and VIN plate) also removed in a clear effort to disguise its true identity.

The only possible means to identify the true owner of this machine seems to be that it has one of our HAE 'Do Not Use This Excavator As A Crane' stickers still on it. It also has a black stencilled number, which they believe to be a fleet number, painted on the lower part of the boom arm, near the King Pin. The lettering is black capital letters 'KRE 91'.

Are you missing a Kubota mini digger fitting this description?

Kosran ad broke rules says ASA

2009-07-31T19:15:00.000+01:00

By Colin Sowman of ContractJournal.com, 30 July 2009
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint by Kubota about a Kosran advert in which the immobiliser manufacturer claimed Kubota’s immobilisation system could be overcome in 90 seconds.

In its defence Kosran submitted a DVD showing a Kubota machine apparently being ‘hot wired’ in 74 seconds but the ASA dismissed this saying: “…there was no independent verification to show whether the immobiliser had been operating correctly or that the process shown was accurate of real-life conditions.”

The ASA also partly upheld a complaint about a phrase in the advert …Electronic immobilisers on plant - unbelievable price - unbelievable if it stops your plant being stolen! Kubota said its immobiliser was a standard fitment, came at no additional cost and it was unaware of any protected items being stolen.

For its part Kosran said no-cost was an ‘unbelievable price’ and its aim was to draw attention to the effectiveness of electronic immobilisers. It also highlighted police records that showed between October and December 2008 there were 926 items reported stolen in the UK, of which 62 were Kubotas.

While the ASA agreed the wording did not imply a high price for immobilisers, it said there was no evidence about how the 62 machines were stolen, adding: “…Kubota’s electronic immobiliser was certified by Thatcham as a Category P2, which we understood was the generally accepted industry standard that meant that it could resist attack for 15 minutes.”

The ASA said the advert must not appear again in its current form. It also told Kosran not to denigrate competitors in future and not to make claims without robust substantiation.
Richard Harrison, sales and marketing manager for Kubota UK said: “We’re absolutely delighted we won our two major points. We were not happy to have our products unfairly denigrated in the press.”

Kosran’s chief executive officer Patrick Sheeran said: “We are not impressed by the ASA’s diligence and technical expertise and are considering a judicial review.”

Plant theft: bogus firms can be outsmarted

2009-04-03T10:18:00.000+01:00

We're featured in Contract Journal article...

Intermat 2009 News

2009-02-11T11:24:00.000Z

Launch of Kosran ECV (Europe) at INTERMAT 2009

Kosran announced the launch of our European bussiness which will be based in France. This is an opportunity for European Companies who service construction machines to participate in a profitable growing business in their country.

Kosran foils thieves determined to steal a Cat 301.6C

2008-12-18T11:19:00.000Z

By Colin Sowman of ContractJournal.com
Kosran’s ECV proved to be an insurmountable barrier to thieves set on stealing a Cat 301.6C belonging to Hewden and on hire to CIK Construction of Basildon, Essex.
The £12,000 machine was parked for the weekend at St Alban & St Stephen School when it was attacked by the thieves who spliced the loom and hot wired its electrical system.
However, they weren’t prepared for Kosran’s electro-mechanical valve (that cuts the diesel supply and requires an electronic code to open) which is integrated into the engine systems and secured with a hardened steel shield, and so left empty handed
Insurer Allianz estimates the cost to the contractor of each plant theft is £7,500 due to the hassle and disruption to business, downtime, idle crew and cross-hire charges.

Users paying price for UK equipment theft

2008-12-18T10:57:00.000Z

Written by Patrick Hill of International Rental News magazine - 03 Dec 2008

"There are seven winners in construction equipment theft and only one loser -- the contractor," said Ian Fletcher, director, Bridle Plant Insurance, a broker specialising in construction risk in the UK. "We put up the [insurance] premium; you pay for it."

Speaking at the Civils 2008 exhibition in London in November, the head of the Lyndhurst-based company said that contractors "...are the only ones who can affect the situation." Mr Fletcher urged that only equipment protected by an immobilisation device - certified to withstand 15 minutes of assault - be used and rented.

Norwich Union and four other leading insurance companies, according to Mr Fletcher, offer up to 35% discount on premiums to cover equipment so protected. If the item is also CESAR (Construction Equipment Security and Registration) scheme qualified, the discount rises to 50%, he said.

Other insurance cover benefits are: zero claims excess, the free rental of an equivalent machine for 28 days, replacement with a new machine if the stolen machine is less than one year of age, and a depreciation basis of 10% per year for covered machines that are two to five years old.

Kosran ecv Ltd, a manufacturer of 20000 devices currently in service, now offers a £1,000 ‘guarantee' on equipment with its product installed. The Irish company, which claims never to have failed to prevent a theft, makes the offer to offset contractor costs of stolen items. Allianz Insurance estimates those total costs now to be £7500, on average, per theft.

Patrick Sheeran, chief executive officer, told IRN that he expects 30% of the company's sales in 2009 will be driven by safety considerations. Keeping unauthorised individuals off machines in order to prevent liability and damage awards will become increasingly important to contractors, he said. The use of effective immobilisation devices will "make a contractor an insurable risk."

Extension of the EU 95/56/EC directive, enacted to help prevent unauthorised use of automobiles, to construction equipment is also one of Mr Sheeran's objectives. "Contractors need to get vocal," he said, in order to reduce their stolen equipment costs.

EJK Building Contractors Feel the Benefits of Kosran

2008-11-07T15:56:00.001Z

Testimonial from a Building Contractor

Credit where credit is due, Kosran's brochure wasn't just bull, it really did save me £300 per machine on my insurance. I lost machine before fitting Kosran
and now I know that my machines are safe and secure for very little outlay.

Signed:
Mr Eddie Kidd

Contractors & Security Needs

2008-11-07T15:13:00.000Z

Does your Plant Work Weekends? - Benefits for Contractor & Hire Company's

2008-11-07T13:55:00.000Z

It's official, most Hire Co's profiteer from Plant Theft at the expense of their Contractor Customers

2008-11-07T13:54:00.000Z

A-Plant Steal Kosran Clothes - and Kosran Love It

2008-10-22T16:05:00.000+01:00

The Evangelist says:
Can u see any similarity between the language used by Mr. Sat Dhaiwal CEO of A Plant and Kosran’s September publicity from the two articles below?

Are A Plant & Kosran singing from the same hymn sheet?

... let me give you a few clues and u decide

Taking A Plant's hushed performance on the acquisition front over the last few years, it would look like the company was a sleeping giant.

But with healthy results and programmes to trial insurance for small companies and build relationships with construction's big players, it is a formidable operator.

In light of the current economic conditions, managing director Sat Dhaiwal is cautious to commit the company to one particular policy in the short-term.

Yes, A Plant has a programme of organic growth, but no, it would not be averse to any opportunistic moves. "We're not looking for acquisitions at the moment," he says, "but over the next 12 months there will be a lot of uncertainty in the market so there may be some bargains around."

For the firm, organic growth means taking chances and thinking of innovative ways of engaging with its customers.

The A Plant Guarantee, which gives customers free rental for deliveries that arrive an hour late, is now up and running and Mr Dhaiwal says the company wants to use it to exceed contractors' traditional expectations of the hire industry.

"As we go into difficult times, we want our people looking at the customer," he says.

The E replies: Over 150 Hire Companies today put their customers at the heart of their business and supply 15,000 Kosran secured machines nationwide – unfortunately none are available from APlant.

"People order things for 8 am to be on the safe side because they don't expect it to arrive until much later.

If they order it for 10 am we will promise to deliver it at that time or they can have the hire for free."

Perhaps more innovative from the customer's point of view is a scheme the company is currently putting through its paces to deliver an insurance package when they hire its kit.

"We're trialing a scheme at the moment where customers don't have to pay an excess," says Mr. Dhaiwal.

The E replies: Promoted by Kosran amongst our Hire Company Customers since our first policy with Norwich Union was put in place in 2006 – congratulations to A Plant great initiative – now can some of our customers do the same? Come on we will help you we have endorsements and exclusive policies (not available to A Plant) for your Contractor customers.

"It is aimed at the general builder who may not hire larger equipment very often. It's trialed in certain regions to see what the attitude is and we may roll it out over the rest of the country."

Remove a headache Contractors pay an extra 15 per cent on the hire cost for coverage in case of theft or damage. Mr Dhaiwal says the scheme will take the headache away from A Plant employees at its depots who sometimes find themselves sending contractors off to find insurance themselves.

The E replies: EXCELLENT –plant security pays provided it’s not a one circuit electronic immobiliser with a tracker – if it is not an electro-mechanical immobiliser shutting off the diesel fuel supply - it won’t stop your plant being stolen.

Mr Dhaiwal says he wants the company to move away from seeing plant theft as an opportunity to renew kit.

"Historically, the mindset was that the responsibility was with the contractor," says Mr Dhaiwal.
"But the hirer would still have to go out and buy a new machine and that could mean waiting six weeks for a telehandler and possibly losing a customer. We make our money from renting equipment, servicing it and renting it again, not from lost equipment."

The E replies: Hire Companies should listen to Mr. Dhaiwal – Plant Security Pays and is progressive – the industry is changing forever – it is time to change old ways - are you what is your plan? Dial 0870 787 5687

At the other end of the construction industry, A Plant is also nurturing relationships with major contractors and started the year winning its largest supply contract to date – a £16 million deal to provide kit to Wates Group.

Mr Dhaiwal says the company wants to tap into the move by major contractors to let hire firms take care of the machines they use.

More sophisticated "Our customers have got more sophisticated in bringing in procurement teams, who are asking whether plant is their core business," he says.

"There are a few firms with big fleets and it will be interesting to see if they will maintain those or divest them and it will also be interesting to see if we will enter agreements with them."

A Plant might not have entered into many headline grabbing deals to swallow its competitors in recent times, but it has stuck its neck out and developed new ways of operating within the plant hire industry. The coming months will see how a hire giant adapts itself to a slower market.

The E replies: APLANT offer enigma tracking with a one circuit electronic immobiliser – this will not stop the machine being stolen in the first place, – sorry wrong product solution. Kosran electro-mechanical immobilisation is just too much for a thief. This would all be super if only A PLANT supplied Kosran – Dial 0870 787 5687. I am waiting by the phone.

Attacks increase by 100% on Kosran immobilised plant - here are 4 sample Case Studies - Recession means more Plant Theft Not less

2008-09-30T09:58:00.000+01:00

Industry "Indifferent" to Plant Theft Claims TER

2008-09-29T10:57:00.000+01:00

The National Plant and Equipment Register (TER) has accused insurers, owners and users of construction equipment of being "institutionally indifferent to plant theft".

South and south-east England accounted for almost 20% of stolen items, with Thames Valley alone recording 170 thefts.TER's manager Tim Purbrick identified a "vicious circle", with poor machine protection and low site security allowing plant to be taken.

He said second-hand buyers are only interested in the machine's condition, while insurers have few if any records of the items they cover."With plant hire companies placing multi-machine orders, the insurance often pays out more for a stolen item than the original purchase price," said Purbrick."The police are trying hard, but their priorities are set by the Home Office and that doesn't include plant theft," he added.Purbrick expects the UK's economic downturn will result in more fraudulent claims, with dishonest owners selling machines abroad before reporting them as stolen.

He also expects more stolen machines to end up in the Middle East and Eastern Europe.

A-Plant tracks stolen skid steer to Sharjah

2008-09-24T15:48:00.000+01:00

15:00 09 Sep 2008 By Colin Sowman - Contract JournalA-Plant has traced a JCB skid steer loader stolen from the UK to Sharjah in the Middle East using its A-Trak system and positively identified it using Cesar.

Enigma, which hosts A-Plant’s A-Trak system, followed the satellite reports from the stolen skid-steer’s tracking devices showing the machine left Southampton docks nine days after it was stolen.Having contacted the docks it was evident the machine was bound for Gibraltar and on to Oman, where it was unloaded. Once unloaded, Enigma pinpointed the machine’s final location in the neighbouring UAE state of Sharjah.

An undercover visit was arranged through a joint venture partner in Dubai who paid a deposit to ensure the machine wasn’t moved while Interpol completed the necessary paper work for its recovery.

Enigma chief executive Ian Keam-George travelled to Dubai with Data Tag scanning equipment and identified the machine by the hidden transponders because the UPN plate had been removed.

Three days later the Sharjah police arrested two suspects and ceased the skid steer and a generator stolen from another plant hire company in the Manchester area.

A-Plant recovers Machine in Sharjah - Response by the Evangelist

2008-09-24T15:44:00.000+01:00

THE IRISH ENTEREPENUER & TOYOTA CAR DISTRIBUTOR THE LATE TIM MAHONY ONCE SAID TO HIS EXTENSIVE SALES FORCE – “WHEN U HAVE HAD THE EXPERIENCES I HAVE HAD WITH THE PROFESSIONAL BANKERS & LAWYERS CLASSES, - IT IS REFRESHING TO LOOK INTO THE EYES OF A USED CAR SALESMAN!”

We are all given to exageration and some get more carried away than others!The Home Office & Police Statistics confirm that less than 5% of all stolen plant is recovered. This means that After-Theft Tracking & Location Systems are not recovering plant.

That’s why Kosran offer an anti-theft deterrent, to stop plant being stolen in the 1st place … anti-theft versus after-theft recovery – its a no brainer. But the less than 5% statistics makes some tracker sales people very nervous for example; A-Plant & their Enigma Tracker constantly claim to have bucked the UK trend and claim they have a 98% recovery rate... Well that could be 97% or 99% the exact stat has slipped my mind but the point is that there is an unbelievable record & achievement against the national average.

Some lateral thinkers might say it is... not believable.But there are no lengths to which A-Plant & Enigma will not go to - to convince you of this for example 12 days ago an A-Plant skid steer was stolen in the UK and found in Sharjah.... Where? Sharjah (Middle East)

The value of the machine was probably £10,000

But wait for it... Ian Keam George, the Chief Executive of Enigma was despatched by A-Plant with a CESAR scanner and left his office in Benfleet, Essex and travelled with due haste to Sharjah with scanning equipment to identify the machine... Now if that doesn't convince you of the lengths to which A-Plant & Enigma will go to convince you that they recover 97, 98 or 99% of stolen plant - maybe its 100% now? what will?

But who will pay the bill to (1) Ship the machine back to the UK & (2) pay Ian's 3-4day round trip for the 2 min ID job?
I think they should say to hell with the expense, don't flog the machine off locally again to the guy who bought the machine in Sharjah but take it back to the UK and exhibit it at the Civils show in London in November - So you can see & experience a recovered machine for yourself - now wouldn't that be a site for sore eyes?!

The Envangelist

Kosran Saves EPS Hire Machines

2008-09-24T11:33:00.000+01:00

STOLEN PLANT

On Saturday 9th March thieves broke into a secure compound at E.P.S. Hire Centres, Mytholmroyd depot. They were confronted with 2 mini excavators, a 1-ton and 1.6-ton, both equipped with KOSRAN ECV Plant Immobilisers. Fortunately they were unable to start these machines, however, using scaffolding planks in the yard they managed to move the 1-ton excavator enough to get behind it. Behind it were parked 2 Kubota U10 1-ton excavators, a Takeuchi TB016 excavator and a Thwaites 1-ton hi-tip dumper. All 4 were loaded on their vehicles and several other machines were damaged in the process.

I received a ‘phone call on Sunday about 11am to inform me that the gate was open and damaged but at the time I was enjoying the hospitality of the Sussex branch of CMPE. I made a call to my staff back at home who attended the site to secure it and inform the police. To my amazement the police were there within an hour. 2 of the excavators were equipped with ‘SATTRACK’ plant tracking units. We were unable to track them because by this time at least 12 hours had elapsed and they had already been found and disabled. We were unable to contact ‘SATTRACK’ as their emergency number was an answering machine. However, on Monday morning I did get an answer and they managed to ascertain the tracker had triggered a signal in the Seacroft area of Leeds at 10.10pm on Saturday night and this was conferred to the police at 10am on Monday.

At 10.30 am we had a call from the police who had spotted a Takeuchi excavator on a trailer in the Leeds area and when checking the van they found the dumper inside. The van and trailer were also stolen. During further investigations in the area by Jason and myself, we found a roll bar off one of the Kubota excavators, again, we contacted the Leeds police who gave us support within 10 minutes to enter the Gypsy site.

We recovered further panels off the Kubota and panels off one of our Benford rollers, which had been stolen 4 months earlier. On this occasion it appears that our plant tracking system is limited to only the first few hours after theft. But KOSRAN ECV stops them going in the first place.

Thanks have to go to the police who, on this occasion, moved very quickly to cut our losses to a minimum. As a company we believe if KOSRAN ECV had been fitted to all machines losses would have been limited to only damaged gates.

David Fielden

MD E.P.S. Hire Centre Limited
Member YORKSHIRE CMPE

Plant Hire companies don't want to help theft victims

2008-09-19T10:04:00.003+01:00

It's Official DC Ian Elliott of the "Stolen Plant Unit" at the Met has confirmed what everyone knows "the majority of Plant Hire Companies are using plant theft to upgrade fleets and profiteer at the expense of their contractor customers. Good times are ahead for hire companies in recession with plant theft up 100% in July.

Donnelly & Bailey got screwed on the hire charges and all contractors get screwed on residual values. Hire Companies buy 80% of plant and get a minimum 20% discount + capital allowances. Contractors hire in 80% but pay list price to owners when stolen.

The owner paid £26.9k for the CAT 304.5; breaker £3.4k, trailer £2.5k. Total £32.8k. Donnelly & Bailey paid over £38k for used equipment. £45.5k was the real cost paid to Ray Cross's profits because statistics prove every theft costs the contractor over £7.5k in downtime, disruption to business, crosshire etc. and it happens every day!

Tarmac & Ringway are excluded from all of this because they refuse to hire machines not secured by the Thatcham Cat P2 Certified Kosran ECV Plant Immobilisation System. This week Kosran saved two Ringway machines a JCB 530-70 and a TB016 Takeuchi both hired from GE Plant Hire.

Manufacturers' factory fitted electronic immobilisers as supplied by JCB; Kubota & Manitou will not stop plant being stolen.

Over 150 hire companies today put their customers at the heart of their business and supply 15,000 Kosran secured machines nationwide.

Call us for your nearest depot.

For a demonstration at your depot Call: 0870 787 5687. Or visit www.kosran.com.

Welcome to the new Kosran blog

2008-09-17T19:33:00.000+01:00

Welcome to the new Kosran blog where the Kosran team will be bringing you news from Kosran and from across the industry.