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It doesn’t matter whether you are a mega-mogul owner of a corporate empire or a sole proprietor. If you transport products, merchandise via cargo ship, rails or cargo van, high-quality security seals are an important part of your routine. The purpose of security seals are to enclose a container or products, so that they don’t move around during shipment. Security seals come in all shapes and sizes, as well as plastic or metal. Good uses for security seals include luggage, storage tubs, plastic containers, bicycles and anything that you don’t want to move around during transit. Breakable objects should be wrapped with some sort of protection (ie. newspaper, bubble wrap, blankets) and then stored in a container that has the ability to be locked down and secured. The preference is something that has holes or clasps that can handle a thin cable or locking device. My favorite part about having security seals on my belongings is that it can let me know if someone has tried to steal or obtain what I have secured. The tamper proofing on these mechanisms is a smart way to travel and give you some sort of satisfaction that it remains safe. Thieves have a difficult time stealing your belongings when they have to spend time trying to pick apart the security seal, tear at it or whatever other devices they can think of to eliminate the device. Usually, time is of the essence and just seeing the security seal will encourage them to move on to something else. Most of the tamper-proof security seals are made from a hard plastic compound, of which some have mechanisms (ie. ball joints, cables) that make the seal impossible to remove without being exposed. The seals either fray, show tamper marks and also have unique codes that make the devices easy to track. One would think that purchasing security seals are an unnecessary expense and I would not necessarily disagree. The question you need to ask yourself is : “Are my goods valuable or irreplaceable?” If that answer is “Yes”, the minimal cost of a security seal will far outweigh the drama that would unfold, should your items be taken or pilfered. If you happen to be shipping products or travelling abroad, there is a new compliance program, called C-TPAT (aka Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism). There are several different types of security seals that have to be inspected at a higher scrutiny level and comply with all ISO 17712 Standards. If the seals meet these standards, then they are allowed to be sold for international shipping. The reason for the extra protection is that there is a new global focus on supply chain security. The short version explanation is that border agents of each country want to ensure that all shipments have been inspected and checked in. A special counterfeit-proof code is etched into these seals that makes the border agents job much easier. These codes are on a packing order that is checked off. Looking at the container that the goods are being shipped in and matching up the package with the proper code speeds up the process of accountability and gets the items to their final destination without a hitch.
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