INTRO

Tracking industrial containers and skips is critical to improving their security and logistics. Dumpsters, portable storage units, scrap bins, mobile toilets, and large containers are often left unattended at various locations, making them vulnerable to theft and misplacement. Teltonika offers battery-powered asset trackers that provide periodic location reports, ensuring efficient and secure monitoring of objects.

CHALLENGE

Theft is a major concern for companies managing various industrial containers or even mobile construction office buildings. These items, sometimes filled with valuable materials, can become prime targets for thieves. It is especially concerning as construction theft is as significant as $1 billion per year in the United States alone. Losing a container leads to costly replacements and project delays.

Moreover, these containers are frequently moved between sites, making manual tracking difficult and unreliable. Misplaced and missing containers can result in significant financial loss and operational disruption, including delays to construction projects.

Here, traditional security measures, such as manual checks have proven to be ineffective. Containers can be moved around undetected, especially on large sites, and the lack of location data often results in permanent loss and containers not being available where and when they are needed. Companies need a reliable solution to monitor each container independently, ensuring accountability, optimal utilisation, and recovery in the event of theft.

SOLUTION

As a demonstration of the solution, we choose Teltonika TAT240 asset tracker. It effectively monitors construction skips, dumpsters, portable storage units, and similar industrial containers. The GPS tracking device provides periodic location reports, enabling businesses to track containers independently and accurately.

How it works – TAT240 model features configurable location reporting settings that include:

• Movement-based periodic tracking, allowing companies to set the tracker to report more frequently when containers are moving and less frequently when they are stationary.
• Scheduled tracking, allowing companies to select specific times and days to track, such as every working day at 5 pm.
• Movement events, which allow a location event to be received when the container starts or stops moving, informing an operator/manager of the container’s movement and location. This means the person in charge can take immediate action if the container is being moved when it shouldn’t be.

Additionally, TAT240 has a tamper detection feature that sends alerts if the tracker is removed, ensuring security and reliability. The supplied magnetic holder makes installation and repositioning simple, as it can be easily attached to any metal surface of the container. This design provides robust monitoring and easy management of containers across various sites.

Last but not least, TAT240 is equipped with smart features that extend its battery lifetime depending on the chosen scenarios. Let’s explore some of them and configuration options for maximum container tracking value and extended lifetime.

Scenario #1. A container is moved once a day for 10 minutes. The recommended configuration:

• On move events enabled (transmits the location data each time the container is moved).
• On move tracking every 1 hour (location updates every hour when the container is moving, intended for tracking unexpected longer movements, e.g. during a theft in progress).
• On stop tracking every 24 hours (location updates each day when the container is stationary, intended as an additional safety for getting location if someday the container does not move, and for TAT240 to receive pending commands, such as recovery mode activation if needed).
• The location source is GNSS.

The estimated battery life with this configuration: up to 3 years.

Scenario #2: A container is moved once a week for 30 minutes. The recommended configuration:

• On move events enabled (transmits the location data each time the container is moved).
• On move tracking every 1 hour (location updates every hour when the container is moving, intended for tracking unexpected longer movements, e.g. during a theft in progress).
• On stop tracking disabled (no location updates when the container is stationary).
• ‘I’m alive’ feature to check for pending commands every 24 hours (so you can send a command to retrieve a location or enter recovery mode (frequent location tracking), and TAT240 would react to this command in no more than 24 hours).
• The location source is GNSS.

The estimated battery life with this configuration: up to 4.5 years.

Scenario #3: A container is moved once a month for 1 hour. The recommended configuration is the same as in scenario #2.

The estimated battery life with this configuration: up to 5 years.

Please note that battery life estimates are based on these specific scenarios and may change with unexpected movements. These estimates do not consider theft or recovery needs. Factors, such as GNSS and cellular signal strength, outdoor temperature, and device installation position can also affect battery life.

TOPOLOGY

BENEFITS

• Periodic location reports – TAT240 tracker provides regular updates on container locations for improved security and management.
• On-time construction projects – having the required containers on time helps prevent project delays, saving businesses significant costs.
• Efficient recovery – location data helps to quickly recover stolen containers.
• Configurable reporting – customisable intervals based on container movement to optimise battery life.
• Tamper detection – alerts users of Teltonika asset tracker removal events, increasing container security.
• Easy installation – TAT240 model is quickly and securely installed using the supplied magnetic holder.

SUCCESS STORY

A French company that rents skips to construction sites faced challenges managing them. With skips often being moved to different locations, managers struggled to keep track of their whereabouts and ensure their security. This lack of visibility posed the risk of operational inefficiencies, theft, and potential delays, which affected their business operations.

The company installed TAT240 asset trackers on each skip to overcome these difficulties. Using the scheduler feature, these GPS devices were configured to send two location updates daily at 6.30 AM and 5.30 PM. This improved security measures by providing managers with accurate morning and evening skip location updates. Another reason why TAT240 was the right choice is the tamper detection, which senses if the tracker is removed from its holder or detached from a metal surface, and sends an instant alert.

The solution enabled the company to monitor its 50 recycling skips, providing seamless management and reducing the theft risk. By using Teltonika’s asset trackers, the business improved operational efficiency, minimised asset-related risks, and gained peace of mind.

WHY TELTONIKA?

Teltonika’s telematics division offers innovative IoT solutions tailored to industries with high-value assets such as industrial containers. TAT240 GPS tracker enhances security and provides peace of mind, allowing companies to focus on operations without worrying about asset loss. With Teltonika, companies can improve their security infrastructure and reduce the risks associated with container theft, benefiting from user-friendly, easy-to-use technology and expert support. With a portfolio of asset trackers and constant innovation, we help businesses achieve their goals.