Technological Innovation is Driving the Tracking Industry Forward

It is becoming increasingly apparent that technological innovation is driving the asset tracking industry forward. In the event that commercial vehicles, construction machinery or other valuable assets are stolen, criminals will often strip the equipment down to try and find a tracking device. If successful, they will simply remove and destroy the tracking device which effectively renders it useless in terms of equipment recovery.
Leading players are making their tracking devices smaller and smaller to avoid detection by thieves. In the case of AMI tracking devices, they are amongst the smallest in the industry and are covertly installed on equipment. When AMI Group was first formed back in 2004, our original MTrack system was revolutionary at the time and utilised GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) and RF (Radio Frequency) technology to locate stolen equipment.
Since then, our technology has moved on tenfold and our latest tracking devices are now a third of the size of the originally launched MTrack system. The AT5, for instance, is a self-contained, wireless, battery operated tracking device which has no hard wires to trace. Extremely compact at just 54 x 65 x 37mm in size, the AT5 has a battery life of up to 20 years and it utilises highly sensitive assisted GPS positioning accurate to within 1 metre. The AT5 provides a ‘fit and forget’ solution and it can be transferred from machine to machine with ease within minutes.
Technological innovation is key at AMI Group, as illustrated by the fact that we have won a prestigious industry award for the second year running at the 2017 Technology Innovator Awards. AMI Group has been crowned ‘Best Asset Tracking and Fleet Management Solutions Provider – UK’ as part of the awards which are held in conjunction with CV magazine and are designed to recognise and reward the individuals and companies whose innovative thinking and commitment to technology make the industry what it is today.
We are also using innovative drone technology to help enhance recovery efforts even further to locate stolen plant machinery. Our tracking devices will pinpoint the location of stolen equipment, but in some cases it may not be safe to enter the site where it is hidden or it may be difficult to gain access. Similarly, the Police often need additional verification or evidence before they can enter a site to recover alleged stolen equipment. Using drones allows us to take footage of stolen construction equipment hidden in obscure locations and also to survey the surrounding area. We can use drones to carry out long-range reconnaissance or risk assessments before recovery efforts.