TO EAR MARK OR NOT TO EARMARK, THAT IS THE QUESTION.

MANY OF OUR CLIENTS HAVE ASKED ME WHETHER OR NOT PUTTING A SUPER SEAL TAMPER EVIDENT MARKING ON A PACKAGE IS OF VALUE IN DETERRING CRIME. THEY WANT TO KNOW IF THE SUPERSEAL ITSELF BECOMES THE TRIGGER FOR A THIEF TO RECOGNIZE THAT THE PARTICULAR BOX CONTAINS VALUABLE GOODS. IS THE EARMARK THE SEAL OR IS IT THE GOODS? I HOPE THAT THE EXPLAINATION TOP FOLLOWS HELPS TO BRING OUT SOME ANSWERS TO THIS QUESTION. THE NATURE OF A SECURITY TOOL SUCH AS OUR SELF VOIDING SUPERSEALS IS TO IDENTIFY CONTAINERS AS PILFERED. SUPERSEALS THEREBY ALLOW THE USER OR RECIPIENT TO CONTROL HIS LOSSES BY NOT ACCEPTING TAMPERED BOXES IN GOOD ORDER, EVEN IF THEY APPEAR TO BE IN TACT. SUPERSEALS EFFECTIVELY DO THIS IN TWO SIGNIFICANT WAYS. FIRST, BY CREATING A VISUAL CHAIN OF CUSTODY MONITORING TOOL IT ALLOWS THE SHIPPING, LOGISTIC AND RECEIVING PARTIES COLLECTIVELY, TO MONITOR THE BOX FROM POINT TO POINT. WITH A CLEAR VISUAL RECOGNITION OF A BREACH THE SEAL FUNCTIONS AS A SECURITY GUARD FOR THE BOX. SUPERSEALS EFFECTIVELY ALLOW THE BOX TO BE MONITORED BY EVERYONE COMING INTO CONTACT WITH THE BOX. ALL EYES LOOKING AT THE PACKAGE SHOULD BE MADE AWARE OF THE USE OF THE SEAL TO INCREASE ITS MONITORING POTENTIAL. POSSIBLE ENTRY INTO THE BOX CAN THEREFORE BE RECOGNIZED AND THEREBY ALLOW EACH OF THEM TO STOP THE BOX AT ANY POINT IN ITS MOVE. BY AFFORDING THE RECIPIENT A CLEAR VISUAL INSPECTION TOOL BY WHICH TO RECEIVE THE BOX IN GOOD ORDER, IT ENABLES A CHAIN OF CUSTODY LOOP TO CLOSE IN ON THE CONTAINER AND POSSIBLY THE THEIF.

THE USER OF THE SEAL ALSO GIVES NOTICE TO HIS CUSTOMER THAT HE IS TAKING A PROACTIVE APPROACH TO SECURITY TO INSURE THE INTEGRITY OF THE CONTAINERS HE SHIPS. BY DOING SO HE ALSO NOTIFIES THE CARRIERS THAT THEFT IN TRANSIT WILL NOT BE TOLERATED AND THAT LIABILITY FOR THESE LOSSES WILL FIND ITS WAY TO THE PERPERTRATOR RATHER THAN GO UNNOTICED AND BE WRITTEN OFF AS SHRINK. BY RECEIVING THE SEALED PACKAGE IN GOOD ORDER, THE RECIPIENT KNOWS THAT IF THE BOX DOES NOT CONTAIN THE MANIFESTED ITEMS, THEN THE HIGH LIKELIHOOD IS THAT THE BOX WAS SHORT PACKED. IT CONVERSLY CAN TELL THE CARRIER THAT HE IS CLEAR OF ALL LIABILITY OF SHORTED GOODS AS THE PACKAGE ITSELF, IS PROOF POSITIVE OF THE FACT THAT IT WAS DELIVERED IN GOOD ORDER AND SHORTAGE OCURRED ELSWHERE.

BY HAVING ALL PARTIES IN THE LOOP, IT INSURES THAT EVERYONE IS AWARE OF THE SYSTEM AND ITS USE IN MITIGATING TRANSPORT PILFERAGE. BY EDUCATING THE CARRIERS YOU INSURE THAT MORE POLICEMEN IN ROUTE ARE ACTIVELY MONITORING THE INTEGRITY OF THE FREIGHT. IF SUCH A SEAL IS NOT EMPLOYED, THE SPECIFIC BOX BECOMES JUST ANOTHER CONTAINER, LIKE ALL THE REST, THAT BLENDS INTO THE SHIPPING SCHEME MUCH THE SAME AS SINGLE ROCK DOES AMONG MILLIONS OF DRIVEWAYS STONES. WITH A SUPER SEAL IN PLACE, THAT ROCK STANDS OUT AS A BEACON AND IS AUTOMATICALLY SEEN BY EVERYONE HANDLING IT. SO TO MAKE A HIGH VALUE BOX MORE SECURE, YOU NEED TO ALLOW SOMONE OTHER THAN THE THEIF TO SEE AND MONITOR IT.

TO BE OF THE OPINION THAT A CARGO THIEF IS TAKING RANDOM SHOTS AT CONTAINERS TO HOPEFULLY FIND THE ‘GOLD’, IS TO BE NIEVE. CARGO THIEVES ARE AWARE OF THE GOODS THEY WISH TO STEAL WAY BEFORE YOU ARE! JUST THINK OF IT IN THIS LIGHT. THE PICKUP DRIVER KNOWS WHAT YOU MAKE OR DO. HE HAS THE DESTINATION, THE MANIFEST OF GOODS SHIPPED, THE WEIGHT OF EACH BOX, THE INSURANCE DOCUMENTS IF ANY, THE PACKAGE ITSELF AND THE TIME IN WHICH TO DETERMINE IF THERE WILL BE ANY PROBLEMS OPENING THE CONTAINER. HE HAS MORE OF THE SAME CONTAINERS, HE PROBABLY HAS MORE OF YOUR OWN TAPE, HE HAS A CLOSED TRUCK AND A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF PRIVATE TIME WHILE ALONE IN THE TRUCK TO MAKE HIS DECISIONS AND PILFER THE CONTAINERS. THE LOGISTICAL PEOPLE AT THE DISTRIBUTION CENTER FOR THE CARRIER HAVE THE BOX SEGREGATED INTO THE ‘HIGH VALUE’ CAGE AND, ALTHOUGH THEY HAVE NO REAL PRIVATE TIME, THEY DO HAVE THE ABILITY TO SWITCH BOXES OR PASS THROUGH A DAMAGED BOX WITHOUT HAVING ANY IDENTITY OF THAT BOX TO THEM PERSONALLY. THE DELIVERY DRIVER KNOWS THAT HE IS DELIVERING TO A JEWELRY STORE OR LIKE HIGH VALUE RECIPIENT. HE HAS THE TIME, THE BOXES AND MORE LABELS AND CLEAR TAPE. HE KNOWS THAT IF HE GIVES YOU 20 BOXES AT ONCE IN A MANNER CONSISTENT WITH A CRIMINAL MIND, THAT THE SLIT BOX, BURIED ON THE BOTTOM, WILL PROBABLY GO UNNOTICED. HE KNOW YOUR SYSTEM AND HIS. HE HAS HAD A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF EXPERIENCE TO TELL HIM THAT HE CAN GET AWAY WITH IT AND HE IS BRAZEN ENOUGH AND SMART ENOUGH TO STEAL AT ALL THE RIGHT TIMES.

BY AND LARGE, MOST EVERYONE IN THE MOVEMENT CYCLE KNOWS WHICH BOXES TO HIT AND WHICH ONES TO LEAVE. IF GUESSWORK WERE THE ONLY ACTIVE INGREADANT TO CRIME, NO ONE WOULD HAVE ANY APPRECIABLE THEFT. BY PLACING A SEAL ON THE BOX, YOU THEREFORE DO NO MORE TO IDENTIFY THAT BOX TO THE PERPETRATOR, THAN JUST THE MERE PICK UP DID. THE FACT THAT HE NOW HAS A BARRIER TO THE THEFT OF YOUR PRODUCTS, WILL ALMOST ALWAYS, FORCE HIM TO RECONSIDER THE THEFT OR GO TO ANOTHER MORE EASILY COMPROMISED BOX OF LIKE PRODUCT. A PICK UP DRIVER IN THE JEWELRY DISTRICT OR IN SILICONE VALLEY AS AN INNUMERABLE AMOUNT OF CHOICES. HE DOES NOT CARE IF IT IS YOUR COMPANY OR THAT OF YOUR COMPETITORS, HE TREATS ALL OF YOU THE SAME. THE THEIF IS AFTER GOODS TO CONVERT TO CASH AND DOES NOT CARE WHOSE THEY ARE. WHY RISK HIS JOB, HE WILL THINK, OVER A PROTECTED PACKAGE WHEN THERE ARE SO MANY MORE FISH!

WE HAVE HAD MORE THAN 2 MILLION SEALS USED DURING 1994 AND WE HAVE FOUND THAT STATISTICALLY YOU CAN ALL BUT ELIMINATE THEFT FROM THE CONTAINER WITH THE USE OF SUPERSEALS. WE HAVE FOUND THAT PACKAGE THEFT ALL BUT DISAPPEARS IN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS. WE HAVE FURTHER FOUND THAT A MISSING BOX IS THE FIRST APPRACH TO A THEFT OF A PROPTECTED PACKAGE, BUT THAT AFTER A FEW TURN UP MISSINGH, THEFT DECLINES TO ZERO. THIS FACT, DEVELOPED THROUGH OVER 50 CLIENTS, PUTS TO REST THE NOTION THAT AN EARMARK IS CREATED BY THE USE OF A SEAL. THE BARRIER TO CRIME GAINED BY THE USE OF THE SEAL RENDERS IT AN EXCELLENT CHOICE IN AN OVERALL SCHEME OF PACKAGE SECURITY.

THE USE OF A SUPERSEAL IS QUITE SIMPLE. BY REMOVING THE SEAL, A PERMANENT WORD APPEARS ON THE CONTAINER MARKING IT AS SUSPECT TO THE RECIPIENT. BY SLITTING THE SEAL OPEN AND THEREBY OPENING THE CONTAINER, THE THIEF MUST RESEAL THE BOX TO AVOID DETECTION. BY SO DOING, A WORD, TYPICALLY ‘OPENED’ APPEARS IN THE CENTER PORTION OF THE TAPE, OBER THE BOX OPENING JOINT, AFTER APPROXIMATELY A FEW HOURS. THIS GIVES THE THIEF PLENTY OF TIME TO REPLACE THE PACKAGE TO AND FEEL THAT HE HAS AVOIDED DETECTION. AFTER A FEW HOURS, IF HE APPROACHES THE CONTAINER AGAIN HE WILL SEE THE WORDS OPENED HAVE APPEARED IN YELLOW ON A WHITE FIELD IN THE CENTER OF THE SEAL. IF HE THEN TRIES TO REMOVE THE TAPE, THE WORD OPENED APPEARS IN WHITE ON AN ORANGE FIELD, GIVING SUPERSEALS THREE BASIC LEVELS OF REDUNDANCE. AS SEALS ARE TYPICALLY NUMBERED AND THEY ARE ALWAYS MADE INDIGENOUS TO EACH CLIENT COMPANY, CONTAINER TAKE ON THEIR OWN PERSONAL IDENTITY. AT THIS POINT THE THIEF MUST CHOOSE WHETHER OR NOT TO LEAVE THE TAMPERED BOX AS EVIDENCE OF THE CRIME OR DESTROY IT. IF THE BOX IS REPLACED, IT WILL ARRIVE WITHOUT A SUPERSEAL IN PLACE, RENDERING IT PILFERED. IN EITHER CASE THE CHAIN OF CUSTODY LOOP IS EFFECTIVEY BROKEN AND THE CARRIER BEARS THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE LOSS.

IN USING A SYSTEM SUCH AS THIS THE SHIPPER BENEFITS BY SECURING HIS BOX IN A PROVEN WAY SO AS TO REDUCE HIS LOSSES BY PILFERAGE. THE CARRIER BENEFITS BY BEING ABLE TO HAVE A FORENSIC PROOF OF TAMPERING SO THAT HE CAN TAKE STEPS TO FIND THE THIEF. THE INSURANCE COMPANIES BENEFIT BY HAVING SPECIFIC INFORMATION ON WHO STOLE THE GOODS SO AS TO RELIEVE NON INVOLVED PARTIES FROM LIABILITY. THE RECIPIENT BENEFITS BY BEING CERTAIN THAT GOODS RECEIVED ARE IN GOOD ORDER AND HAVE NOT BEEN TAMPERED WITH.

THE USE OF SUPERSEALS IS THEREFORE A WIN ALL AROUND SYSTEM. WHAT MAKES SUPERSEALS EVEN MORE ATTRACTIVE IS THEIR LOW COST OF USE. WITH A TOTAL UNIT COST OF APPROXIMATELY $.20 CENTS PER SEAL, NO ONE SHIPPING HIGH VALUE GOODS CAN JUSTIFY WHY NOT TO USE IT. THE NORMAL COST OF INSURANCE IS FAR GREATER THAN THIS AND THAT DOES NOT ELIMINATE OR REDUCE THEFT, IT MERELY HIDES IT BEHIND A ‘SHRINK ELIMINIATION SYSTEM, THAT IS HIDDEN BY MOST COMPANIES AS A WRITE OFF. BY LOOKING AT ITS USE IN TERMS OF INCREASED EARNINGS PER SHARE ITS USE BECOMES AN EASY DECISION. WHILE NO PRODUCT CAN STOP THE THEFT OF THE ENTIRE BOX, THIS PRODUCT IS THE BEST APPROACH TO PLACING THE APPROPRIATE BARRIER TO THEFT AND TAMPERING THAT EXISTS ON THE MARKET TODAY.