Start-up aims to make pharma cargo tamper-proof

A company that has developed a security system to protect cargo containers and pallets from theft and tampering has started to promote the technology into the pharmaceutical sector.

Manchester UK-based TamperProof Container Systems (UK) Ltd - a subsidiary of US firm TPCS Corp - says that the system can detect all intrusion attempts on all six sides of a container instantly and transmit an alarm to the shipment owner in real time, helping to guard against not only theft but also deliberate adulteration of cargo.

"Many security systems in use today protect only the doors of a container," said Peter Morton, TCPS' chief operating officer. "But of course intrusion can occur through any side."

Morton told SecuringPharma.com  that the technology comprises a four-layer security 'skin' which is sprayed onto the interior of a shipping container or other storage unit. Incorporated into the skin is a fine copper wire mesh embedded in a protective polymer which creates a circuit.

Any attempt to gain entry to the container - by forcing the door or drilling a hole into it - breaks the circuit and detects the intrusion. An alert is sent to the cargo owner or shipper using built-in GSM/GPRS or satellite antennae via a centralised device management centre (DMC).

In practice, a container will be lined with several separate circuits, allowing the shipment owner to identify not only the time an intrusion took place, but also the specific location on a container.

The alert can be overt to deter criminals, or in some cases covert, for example if the objective is to apprehend the culprits, according to Morton.

While deterring theft is a major objective with the technology, it also guards against potential terrorist activities such as the introduction of biological or chemical agents into a shipment.

The US Department of Homeland Security is very interested in identifying technologies that can detect intrusion as part of its anti-bioterrorism programme, said Morton, while other applications include prevention of drug smuggling, theft of intellectual property and human trafficking.

Morton says that the system is extremely reliable, with a false-positive rate of zero thanks to the robust protection afforded by the fire-retardant polymer coating. When an intrusion is detected the affected circuit is removed and a replacement sprayed into place.

Business benefits

Morton believes the system makes sense for the pharmaceutical industry as it guards against theft, adulteration and diversion/substitution of goods and provides effective brand protection.

There may be other business benefits too, he said. For example, implementing the system could help the industry secure insurance cover for shipping routes which at the moment are effectively uninsurable because of a high risk of theft. In time it could also reduce the need for inspections by customs.

One challenge facing TCPS is that while the benefits may be apparent for the pharmaceutical and other industries, it is the shipping companies which will have to install the systems. At present the aim is to promote the technology to pharmaceutical manufacturers and other companies which are at risk from theft and adulteration - such as avionics, high-value drinks, tobacco and electronics - so they can encourage the shippers to adopt the technology.

TPCS has an exclusive license to the technology from TPCL Corp, a US company which holds the intellectual property behind the system. The IP is protected by eight issued US patents and three pending, as well as pending patents in other key jurisdictions such as the EU.

Other applications include securing buildings, vehicles, pipelines, storage rooms and ticketing and cash machines, said Morton.

"At the moment the talk in shipping is all about layered solutions for security, but this is simply inadequate," said Morton.

"This approach hasn’t stopped drug smuggling, stowaways, contraband, etc and it won’t stop theft, organised crime syndicate activities or terrorism."

"Substantial bribes and threats of violence have enabled the international crime syndicates to flourish and terrorists can employ the same methods."


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