Which One – Equipment ID Marking Confusion

How can you find the right ID asset marking solutions to help you keep track of laptops, tablets, mobiles, musical instruments and more…?

Great as portable items and equipment  are they are also prone to being lost or stolen. A good way to prevent this is to make sure each item is clearly marked with who it belongs to.

However, with such a wide selection of marking solutions it’s important to choose the right asset identification product for you so you get something that works without costing you the earth.

In a hurry call Dantech on 01354 688488 to find the right asset marking solution for you.

Tough to Remove - Permanent Labels

Your first choice is to decide the size of the asset mark you want as this will often limit the asset marking products you can use.

If your equipment is very small you might need a more specialised tag, label or sticker. These often use 2D or QR codes to help track key information about the item on a much smaller label or tag.

Dantech Minimark Labels are a great example of these small asset tags.

The quality of your asset marking is also important, you want your labels, tags, stickers and plates to stay put permanently. So your asset marking needs to use top quality adhesive to make sure it stays in place and can’t be easily removed.

Cheap asset marking products often use low quality adhesives and this can be a false economy as they need to be replaced more often.

Long Lasting Asset Marking

So you know the size of equipment marking you need and understand you want a quality solution, but to this you also need to think about how your equipment is being used.

How equipment is used effects the type of asset marking material selected for example it’s no surprise in industrial settings metal or tough acrylic plates are used to security mark equipment due to their ability to last in these tough situations.

If your equipment is handled a lot of subject to changing or tough environments including high or low temperature, outside in all weathers or close to harsh chemicals you want to be sure your asset marking isn’t going to be worn away or damaged.

A great example of this are aluminiumfoil id labels suitable for both indoor and outdoor use plus high temperature resistance, up to 150ºC short term, and down to - 40ºC.

While no asset marking solution is 100% resistant to being removed or damaged the best are extremely tough and can even leave behind a permanent sign of any tampering. It’s no surprise that this acts as a very strong deterrent to equipment theft.

With Dantech tamper voidlabels if someone tries to remove the label the word VOID remains on the surface clearly showing evidence of tampering.

Conclusion

Quality asset marking of equipment and items such as laptops, tablets, mobiles and musical instruments is really worth the investment in deterring items from being lost or stolen.

It’s important to think carefully about the size, permanency and environment that any asset marking is going to need to survive. In addition talking to a specialist like Dantech (call on 01354 688488) can help you find the best asset marking solutions for you, which will last and protect your equipment over a long period of time.

About the Author

Dantech are suppliers of quality asset and equipment security and ID marking solutions.

Find out more by visiting:

•  www.idassetlabels.co.uk – Wide select of Asset Labels, Tags and Stickers
•  www.idmark.com – Identify and security marking solutions
•  www.expresslabels.co.uk – Design and order your asset labels and stickers online

Tips on Recovering Stolen Items

Being burgled is a terrible experience, but it can be a wake-up call for many of us about how poorly protected our assets can be.

While insurance can help cover the cost of replacing items most of us would rather have our property back. However, even if police recover stolen goods one of the hardest issues can be proving who the real owners are of each item. If you don’t have records and your items aren’t security marked then it can at times be virtually impossible to prove ownership.

Using Identifying Security Marks 

Many people don’t know how to protect their items in the event of a burglary therefore fail to do so. To be safe, keep item descriptions, serial numbers, and photos of your valuables. You can also place identifying security marks on your property, so they can be quickly recognised as belonging to you.

Try marking your soft items, such as leather, or cloth with a marker and use a UV security marking pen to mark high valued Items with ‘shiny’ surfaces such as iPads, tablets, laptops, projectors, cameras, mobiles, bikes, garden utilities - where chemical etching won't penetrate.

Call the Police 

The first thing to do when you find that your home has been broken into is do call the Police. Filing a police report and providing as much information as possible about your stolen goods will help the police in their investigation.

Check in with the police weekly to see if they’ve made progress on your case. Reminding the police about your case will keep it fresh in their minds.

Check out local pawn and second-hand goods Shops 

It is not uncommon for thieves to take stolen goods to a pawn shop or second hand goods store in your local area and surrounding towns. Ring around and visit some of these shops immediately after the event.

If you find your goods in a shop don’t demand your good back or attempt to buy them back. You should ask the shop to reserve them for you and contact the police straight away.

Browse through the eBay listings 

EBay is another popular method used by burglars to get rid of hot items. If you happen to stumble across your missing items on eBay, print a copy of the listing, complete with the eBay site address, date, item number, and User ID.

Print one copy for yourself and one for the police. By giving the police the listing, they can then go about recovering your items. Hopefully these tips will be able to help you recover your stolen items in the unfortunate event of a burglary.

Remember by security marking your items, this will increase your chances of recovering them.

Security Marking for Business and Industry 

If you’re an organisation or business then your security marking needs to be more organised than a simple UV pen and the method you use can vary across your different assets and equipment.

Specialists in asset and security marking Dantech Ltd can help you find the right security marking system for you including UV security marking stencils suitable for shiny surfaced equipment like iPads, ID security plates for big or high value equipment and asset labels for smaller items, tools and equipment. For more information visit www.idmark.com.