May 2005

SAVRALA’s car rental members represent over 95% of the rental vehicles operating in South Africa and are responsible for the purchase of around 35 000 new vehicles per annum (approximately 15% of total new passenger vehicle sales).

One can imagine that with fleets of this size, vehicle crime and theft is a subject that stirs up emotion and concern to our members. It is our view that every effort should be made to reduce theft and to challenge the organized vehicle theft syndicates.

Vehicle crime and its prevention is a constantly changing and evolutionary process. In order to protect our assets and ensure the safety of our society, the car rental industry has to stay ahead of the criminal element.

South Africa is a haven for vehicle theft operators who supply the markets both north of our borders and within SA and this growing problem has been plaguing vehicle and fleet owners for the past two decades. As a result, SA has been at the forefront of vehicle crime prevention technology and many of the ignition immobiliser and remote alarm systems introduced into worldwide vehicle production lines, were pioneered in this country. However, as hard as we work at it, the criminal element works even harder to undermine our efforts, adopting more ruthless ways of overcoming vehicle security thus forcing the industry to search for improved methods to combat this scourge on our society.

Every now and then, a revolutionary process such a Microdot technology comes to the fore. While it may not provide a total solution to the problem, it may go a long way in upsetting and deterring the criminal element.

It is an effective method of vehicle (and component) identification utilizing thousands of near-invisible dots which contain the vehicle’s VIN number. These are sprayed onto strategic areas and parts of the vehicle.

A further strength lies in Microdot as a deterrent to the stolen “used” parts sales and “chop-shop” industry, a huge part of the vehicle theft and hijacking chain. Micro-dotting can go a long way in closing this loop in the cycle. Furthermore, vehicle manufacturers and dealers should benefit from increased sales of legitimate parts.

There is no doubt that Microdot technology will help reduce vehicle theft and by doing so, provide increased security to drivers and passengers. And, when compared to the cost of a tank of petrol, Microdotting is surprisingly inexpensive!

If Microdotting will assist with improved safety, is cost-effective to implement and has the potential to increase legitimate parts’ sales, why then, are vehicle manufacturers not beating down the door to implement this technology on their production lines?

While we appreciate the need for approval from overseas principals and investigations carried out as to how best to implement the process in-plant, it seems there is some resistance and slowness to react by NAAMSA members.

It reminds one of similar reluctance in the 1980s regarding the introduction of vehicle ignition immobiliser systems. Having toiled for years with the “messiness” of after-market fitment to protect their fleets, the car rental industry strove hard for this to become standard, on-line fitment.

While there is no doubt that Microdotting has a positive to role in reducing vehicle theft, its effectiveness lies in the need for critical mass. South Africa cannot have border control posts or roadblocks and policing personnel looking for micro-dotted vehicles and parts, when only a fraction of cars on the road are fitted accordingly.

Microdotting needs to be introduced onto as many vehicles as quickly as possible and, there is no better way to do this than on vehicle production lines. This practice would also give uniformity to the unique vehicle VIN number usage as opposed to a mix of VIN and PIN numbers which can be confusing for law enforcement.

SAVRALA strongly supports the use and installation of microdot technology and we urge that the much-needed critical mass be achieved in as short a period as possible. We request NAAMSA members to look seriously at the on-line introduction of microdot technology as a matter of urgency.

In today’s vehicle “price freeze” environment, what better time then now, to introduce this initiative?