Europe. Portugalenses Transportes, a logistics and distribution company has routes from Portugal to Spain, Italy and the south of France, among other routes. This company implemented, with the help of Ajax, a customized tank cap, as a security measure to prevent fuel theft from its trucks.
Guaranteeing the care of goods and the best performance of vehicles on long journeys, as well as at the time of rest of the drivers, are the day to day transport by land. Portugalenses Transportes is no stranger to this dynamic, founded 20 years ago this company currently has a fleet of more than 100 trucks and projects rapid growth, as it has planned the expansion of its fleet to 150 trucks by the end of this year.
In that sense, this company is clear that efficient cost management is a key factor when addressing security issues. That is why it was proposed to generate a protection of vehicles against fuel theft and greater control in the refueling process, which also helps control operating costs for the same logistics company.
Background to fuel theft
Keep in mind that the tank of a truck fits an average of 1 400 liters of fuel. In this case, Portugalenses Transportes has 100 vehicles, if we add to this the monthly thefts they suffer (up to 10) and the average value of the liter of fuel (€ 2) we have an estimated annual value of up to € 150,000 of losses due to theft. Therefore, the protection of these tanks in rest areas and service stations, as well as the monitoring of the gasoline refilling process was important for the company.
Solution Implementation
Portugalenses Transportes contacted Oliveira&Canha Lda., a company dedicated to the installation of security devices, which developed a tailor-made proposal, based on Ajax security systems. The solution was a custom fuel tank cap that helps prevent losses.
That is, Oliveira&Canha developed and patented the cap. The highlight of this device is that it features a built-in magnetic aperture detector, the Ajax DoorProtect. In addition, the cap can activate the Ajax StreetSiren siren and instantly notify the driver and the company's control center about the unauthorized opening of the fuel tank.
This new cap successfully passed the quality tests, which took into account the prevention of fuel losses and the protection of the entire electronic circuit, among other parameters.
Luís Sousa, fleet manager of Portugalenses Transportes, commented: "Oliveira&Canha has created a solution adapted to our needs. He implemented it with the greatest efficiency and professionalism. This led him to become a reliable and indispensable partner in the day-to-day life of our company."
Miguel Oliveira, CEO of Oliveira&Canha Lda, commented: "Ajax has been our choice for its reliability, price/quality ratio and ease of use for the user. Since the beginning of our relationship with Ajax, we have seen continuous product development with constant improvements and updates, which further increases our confidence in the Ajax brand. Thanks to its versatility, it has allowed us to develop solutions for our customers."
Operation of the safety plug
Each truck features an Ajax Hub 2 control panel connected to the vehicle with Ajax 12V PSU and to the company's control center, using 2G data. In case of alarm, the control panel activates the siren and sends notifications to the Ajax App of the driver's mobile and to the Ajax PRO Desktop app of the Portugalenses Transportes control center.
For the controlled opening of the fuel tank cap, at a service station, the driver needs to disassemble the system with the Ajax SpaceControl control or through the App and reassemble it once the gasoline loading has finished. In this way, the process is recorded and notifications about the security status of the hub are transmitted in real time to the company. With an individual identification of each vehicle, the company obtains relevant operational information for further analysis.
Finally, the vehicle's security system includes the Ajax StreetSiren outdoor siren, an acoustic alarm that has proven to work optimally in the prevention of theft in rest areas and service stations.
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