Loss Prevention (LP) managers have a greater variety of technologies at their fingertips than ever in the prevention, mitigation, and recovery of lost corporate and commercial assets. Greater reporting capabilities, as well as a host of tools for alerting have reduced thefts in all areas from retail to warehousing, to transportation and logistics. One relatively new entrant in the field, GPS asset tracking, now offers even greater value to managers looking to prevent shrink and recover lost assets.

The adoption of world-wide cellular connectivity has revolutionized GPS tracking, transforming it from something Agent 007 would perform, into an economical and cost effective tool for business optimization.

GPS trackers that previously required the user to recover the device and manually download the tracking information onto a computer, now transmit data wirelessly to a web interface, allowing Loss Prevention specialists to monitor and recover goods that have been lost regardless of their position on Earth. Technology however did not stop at  wireless transmission. These additional technologies below are empowering Loss Prevention personnel to succeed at a greater rate – and to re-coupe lost or stolen assets which would otherwise remain lost:

Removal Detection:
A common feature of tracking devices for loss prevention, removal detection sends instant notification to personnel if an asset is removed from its location or if a container, crate, or box is opened. Instantaneous alerts via SMS text and email empower LP professionals to act sooner rather than later.

Asset Geofencing:
With geofencing, LP personnel can receive instant notification if an asset or shipment exits or enters a specified region. Using this technology, a LP team can fully customize geographic areas of regions in which assets should remain. If the asset is removed from that region, an alert is instantly sent out, notifying all relevant personnel.

Ongoing Real Time GPS Tracking:
Once an asset is stolen or lost, recovery can become very difficult or impossible without some kind of location information. With updated location and status information readily available in a web portal interface, responders such as the police can quickly and easily find the lost assets and recover them with minimal lost time and wasted resources.

Tracking technologies offer a wealth of possibilities to Loss Prevention professionals. Lower frequency of thefts, faster, and more effective loss recovery, and instant notifications offer the chance to optimize any LP's plan and achieve winning shrink rates. Opportunities exist as well for lower insurance rates.

At Blackridge Solutions, they have tested them all and only the GPS tracking devices that finished first in their benchmark tests made it into their product portfolio. Check them out at:  www.BlackridgeSolutions.com 

...... providing you the ability to Locate Anything, Anywhere, Anytime!

According to Statistics Canada, 14% of the population was over 65 in 2011. That's expected to grow to about 25% in 2051. Unlike previous generations, whose seniors spent their final days in a hospital, today's boomers - many of whom have a lot of disposable income - want to live out the rest of their lives in the comfort of their own homes.

With that in mind, Joel Liederman, vice-president of physical sciences at MaRS Innovation, sees major entrepreneurial opportunities in the home-care industry. Specifically, any technologies that can help families know when an aging parent is in trouble.

"The same way parents have given kids cell phones, people want some sort  of tether to their parents, so if they forget to take their medications or wander off, they can be found," he says. These tools could come in the form of apps or devices or anything that not only helps the aging population live better, but also gives kids piece of mind. "Don't underestimate the size of this market," says Liederman.

Source: Connected for Business, Spring 2013, Issue #10

Blackline GPS is proud to announce that cellular ID and is now being activated on all loss prevention devices using Silver or Gold plans and on all Loner safety monitoring devices.

Cell ID allows devices to gather location information from nearby cell towers when GPS signals are insufficient or non-existent. Upon being unable to achieve a GPS location fix during a brief period of time, Blackline devices will use their integrated cell ID capabilities to determine their approximate location from nearby cellular towers.

The Portal interface for both loss prevention devices (Dart, Javelin, and Flat Track) as well as the Loner Portal interface demonstrate cell ID information in the same manner.

Devices using Cell ID now have a unique pushpin to indicate that they are using alternative location information for lack of a sufficient GPS signal. The new antenna icon indicates that a device is utilizing cell ID

The sphere surrounding the pushpin indicates the potential area in which the device may be located. This area is determined and generated by Blackline’s background services which compares the areas of overlapping cellular coverage.

The images below display cell ID in the Portal for Dart, Javelin, and Flat Track devices. Note that devices listed in the device list that are using cell ID will have an aqua-coloured (Approximate Location) tag to indicate that they are using triangulation instead of GPS.

All Blackline devices have been updated automatically to support cell ID. Bronze plan subscribers (Dart, Javelin, and Flat Track only) will not see any change in their service. Silver and gold plan subscribers as well as Loner users should have already begun to see cell ID take effect with their accounts.