Agri-Track is the agricultural specialist arm of SDS Technology Ltd, developing hi-tech security products especially for the agriculture sector.
Our products track and secure the locations of tractors and other farm equipment, and were designed as a direct response to the high rate of tractors and farm equipment being stolen in the UK every year.
Based in Preston, Lancashire, we aim to develop products and services which solve agricultural businesses’ problems 100%. Using our extensive knowledge of GPS technology honed in other markets, we work closely with businesses as partners to build a solution that solves your existing and potential problems, giving you peace of mind, increasing efficiency and improving your bottom line.
Because we are firmly committed to excellent customer service, if you invest in one of our products, our two founding directors, David and Stephen Donnachie, will be personally contactable to ensure our products meet your needs, and that you are able to get the best value possible from them.
Where did the product idea come from?
David and Stephen bring with them years of expertise working in vehicle tracking for the logistics industry. When one of David’s farming friends had his six-month-old quad bike stolen, he was staggered by limited level of assistance given by the police, the fight with insurance companies to recover just 50% of the quad’s value, and the lack of suitable products available to help tackle the problem.
So began the months of research and painstaking product development which resulted in the Agri-Track Sentry, a portable, reliable and easy-to-use GPS unit designed specifically to alert owners whenever any piece of agriculture equipment is stolen – then track it precisely to ensure it can be recovered quickly, simply and accurately.
Rural crime costs the British economy more than £42 million a year.
Driven by organised gangs who steal and resell tractors and digger equipment in order to launder large sums of money, the victims are farmers for whom the high value of their stolen property is only half the problem. For many, their insurance is unlikely to cover the full cost of replacing their property, while further valuable time and money is then wasted trying to recover their goods, most of which is on its way for export before the alarm is even raised.
Despite this, there is precious little that farmers can do to protect their goods. Tractors and other farm equipment are often easy to steal as the level of anti-theft features is usually low. Most ignition keys, for example, are standard rather than unique and can therefore start any vehicle. Furthermore, due to the fact that the equipment is almost always stored in isolated areas away from public view, the risk of being caught stealing it is relatively low compared with trafficking drugs.
Although the risk to criminals is low, the cost to victims is extremely high. Not only are insurance policies unlikely to cover the full cost of replacing the property in the long term, farmers also face the costly loss of time and work trying to recover the asset and hiring a replacement at short notice.
Agri-Track works by acting as an immediate alert whenever a piece of equipment is moved outside normal usage periods, then tracking the asset to ensure it can be recovered quickly. Unlike rival systems, Agri-Track’s Sentry and Sentinel devices direct police to them, rather than simply helping officers identify stolen goods once retrieved.
If you wish to found out more about Agri-Track please feel free to contact us or download our brochure for further details.