US government moves towards mechanical seals

Mechanical seals will be obligatory on containers entering the United States from 15 October this year, under plans developed by the US Department of Homeland Security.

Despite this apparently backward step, container tracking specialist Savi says that the development could actually encourage greater use it its RFID-based e-Seal technology, which allows containers to be tracked automatically around the globe.

This is because its e-Seals are based on the ISO 18185 standard, which in turn reflects the ISO 17712 standard for mechanical seals. According to Neil Smith, chief executive of Savi Networks: 'While mechanical seals don't provide the rich benefits of electronic seals, ISO 18185 does incorporate bolt-seal standards, which helps accelerate the trend toward greater use of e-Seals to automate seal verification processes.'