LOS ALTOS, Calif., 3 Nov. 2005. Iridium Satellite LLC and Impeva Labs, Inc. announced today that they will collaborate to design a real-time container monitoring, tracking and security system on behalf of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ).
The PANYNJ contract to validate the Impeva system is part of Operation Safe Commerce (OSC), a U.S. Department of Homeland Security program to test technology and commercial practices for making container shipping safer.
PANYNJ is concentrating on testing internal sensor technology that tracks and reports a container's global location and detects if someone breaks into the box in transit. Of specific interest to PANYNJ is the ability to use sensors, intelligent processing and wireless communication systems to receive reports on the global location and condition of containers.
"We hope supply chain security will some day be a requirement for everyone in our industry," said Beth Rooney, manager, port security, PANYNJ. "We are in the process of rigorously testing what we envision as an easy-to-implement, international standard for continuous custody and knowledge of any commercial container shipment's condition and security."
The Impeva system securely notifies the PANYNJ within minutes of a container experiencing an abnormal event -- unauthorized entry, mishandling, environmental extremes, route deviation or unscheduled delay -- regardless of location. PANYNJ will work with two companies in Germany and Jordan to "stress test" the Impeva system for reliability and effectiveness by having these firms use Impeva's Global Sentinel security module on their container shipments. The port hopes to use the Impeva system to evaluate at least 1,000 container loads over the next year.
The Impeva monitoring system is based on the Global Sentinel, a rugged wireless module that mounts easily inside containers. The module is capable of integrating a variety of sensor types and a GPS receiver as well as intelligently processing sensor data and event identification.
For the PANYNJ testing, Iridium's constellation of 66 low-earth orbiting satellites will be one of the primary means of global data transmission besides multi-band cellular and wireless LAN. The Global Sentinel communicates securely with the Impeva Device Management Center (DMC) to provide immediate and continuous reporting of location, condition and security status as required, without deployment of costly infrastructure.
PANYNJ recently awarded a contract to Impeva Labs as part of the federal Operation Safe Commerce (OSC) Phase III. This phase of field trials of Impeva's Global Sentinel system, which utilizes the Iridium constellation for global communications, will begin in December 2005.
The first OSC phase in June 2002 tracked a single container as it made its way along international trade lanes from Slovakia to New Hampshire. The Department of Homeland Security announced the second phase of OSC in November 2002 and that phase tested a variety of approaches. The OSC is now in Phase III of its testing program, focusing on the most promising solutions and development of international container security standards.
In planning Phase III, a task force of U.S. government agencies identified twelve (12) discrete technical questions to be answered by field-testing. All systems offered for Phase III have endured rigorous testing by Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, N.M. Phase III is intended to result in information that policy-makers can use as well as a return-on-investment for shippers.
"Not only is this a major security factor for the PANYNJ, this system will help improve supply chain efficiencies and logistics management," said Tony Moroyan, chairman and CEO of Impeva Labs. "Ultimately organizations can use our system for complete supply chain visibility."
The Impeva Global Sentinel and Impeva Device Management Center (DVC) system goes far beyond port-of-entry security, providing access to real-time data reports to logistics managers for even the most complex supply chains. Through the Iridium system and Impeva Labs' cutting edge technology, logistics managers will be able to monitor the location, security and internal conditions of assets in transit, anywhere and any time. Added-value factors include reduced shrinkage, lower insurance premiums and enhanced logistics management efficiency.
"The Impeva Labs team has intimate knowledge of how best to leverage the Iridium communication network," Moroyan said. "We are very excited to take our relationship to yet another phase, supporting an historic effort through the PANYNJ program. Iridium adds further to our arsenal of communication resources by providing world-wide coverage."
"Effective monitoring of container location and condition for the PANYNJ can only be done through a reliable, wireless communications network," said Greg Ewert, executive vice president for Iridium Satellite.
"Impeva Labs has proven once more that they can deliver advanced solutions with highly effective use of Iridium's communications infrastructure and resources. We congratulate Impeva Labs as the front-runner in their achievements to date, and are looking forward to supporting their needs in providing the first ubiquitous communication system for intermodal shipping, resulting in a continuous chain of custody for vital global supply chains."
Impeva Labs, Inc. is a privately-held firm developing and providing the leading container monitoring, tracking and security products and services. The company's innovative hardware, software and infrastructure capabilities provide immediate worldwide reporting on container location, condition and security to shippers and government agencies, enabling a Continuous Chain of Custody (C-3) Shipping System for rapid security processing at points of entry, and more efficient logistics management along the entire supply chain. Based in Los Altos, Calif., the company is advancing in major validation and certification trials, and has strategic partnerships with key communication network providers, logistics managers, and system integrators. For more information, see www.impeva.com.
Iridium Satellite LLC, Bethesda, Md., is the only provider of truly global satellite voice and data solutions with complete coverage of the earth (including oceans, airways and Polar Regions). Iridium delivers essential communications services to and from remote areas where no other form of communication is available. The Iridium constellation of 66 low-earth orbiting (LEO), cross-linked satellites operates as a fully meshed network and is the largest commercial satellite constellation in the world.
The Iridium service is ideally suited for industries such as maritime, aviation, government/military, emergency/humanitarian services, mining, forestry, oil and gas, heavy equipment, transportation and utilities. Iridium provides service to the U.S. Department of Defense. The company also designs, builds and sells its services, products and solutions through a worldwide network of more than 100 partners. For more information, see www.iridium.com.
