Protecting your construction machinery from theft

In recent years, construction machinery theft has become a pressing concern across Europe, posing significant challenges to contractors, rental companies, and manufacturers. As a leading equipment provider, we are committed to providing customers with solutions to protect their investment and prevent it from being stolen.

The scale of equipment theft in Europe

Industry statistics reveal the alarming scale of the problem in Europe. According to the European Rental Association, machinery theft costs the industry an estimated €1.5 billion per annum across the continent. This figure represents not only a substantial financial loss but also underscores the disruptive impact of theft on construction projects – leading to delays, increased costs, and operational setbacks.

Our commitment to machinery security

Recognising the importance of safeguarding construction machinery investments, HCME has taken proactive measures to integrate advanced security features into equipment. For example, AEMP API (ISO standard compliant – ISO15143-3) provides data on machinery’s last known location, and geofencing can also be used to set up alerts when machinery is breached. 

“Telematics API gathers information from the onboard controllers on Hitachi machines every 24 hours, as well as every 10 and 60 minutes,” says Pooja Gupta, Business Development & Digital Solutions Sales and Service for HCME.

“It gives customers almost ‘real-time’ location data, bringing them the latest and most up-to-date location of their machinery.”

Apps like Consite Pocket app can be used to monitor machines wherever they are. Offering instant updates on-the-go. This can be downloaded on Apple and Android devices.

Hitachi Construction Machinery (UK) team up with CESAR Security

UK dealer HCMUK equips machinery with CESAR – the official construction equipment security and registration system – as standard.

Each CESAR system includes a number of unique Datatag® transponders, or ‘tags’ permanently hidden within the machine that can be located and read with Datatag’s unique infrastructure of special readers.

A successful recovery

Last year HCMUK located a stolen customer machine using its mixed fleet telematics system, CTFleet Link. The machine’s GPS location was identified using “What3Words” which is built into the CTFleet Link portal. 

The customer contacted the UK dealer on Monday to let them know a machine had been stolen over the weekend. With the location information provided by HCMUK, the police were able to recover the machine by close of business that day. 

Looking ahead

In conclusion, construction machinery theft poses a significant challenge across Europe, impacting the construction industry's productivity and profitability. However, with security solutions from Hitachi Construction Machinery and its dealers, customers can mitigate the risk of theft and safeguard their investments effectively.