Arlington, VA-based System Planning Corp. (SPC) is starting final demonstration testing of its GlobalTrak “smart device” system for securing cargo in shipping containers throughout the worldwide intermodal supply chain.
Linda Easley, SPC’s senior vp for homeland security, said the final testing phase is the last hurdle to pass before GlobalTrak becomes available as an off-the-shelf commercial solution for use by industry and the government.
She added that GlobalTrak identifies incidents ranging from the unauthorized opening of a container door to the detection of harmful chemicals and identification of weapons of mass destruction through the use of a sensor array within the smart device located inside the shipping container.
In real-time global testing in 2003, Early said the GlobalTrak system successfully secured cargo in containers moving from the Middle East to Maine and from Asia to Chicago. It provides 24/7 visibility of the container from its origin through U.S. ports of entry via maritime and land transportation to its final destination.
“It’s about providing safe, reliable, and economic solutions to protect commodities as they are shipped from around the world from ports throughout the nation via rail and truck,” said Howard Kympton, SPC’s president. “For America’s just-in-time supply chain practices, a path of security is necessary from origin to destination.”
