Haldensleben, September 2022
Gain access to a locked warehouse, steal a construction machine together with a trailer: You would think the effort would be too high and is simply not worth it. Robbery, unfortunately, is a reality on many construction sites. Cases of grand theft, according to crime statistics, are particularly increasing significantly in Germany.
This is also what happened at Kurt König Baumaschinen GmbH. At a branch of the construction equipment rental company thieves gained access to the fenced area and stole a Takeuchi mini-excavator. However, thanks to the cooperation of Kurt König, the Halle (Saale) police inspection and the use of syniotec’s solutions, stolen goods worth over 300,00 euros were found and the mini-excavator is now back in use. Since the gang of thieves had been sought for some time, the federal police were also involved, which significantly accelerated the investigative work.
SAM and IoT help solving the case
Kurt König Baumaschinen GmbH has been a strong partner for construction, trade and industry since its foundation in 1932. With 11 locations, the construction machinery dealer is represented throughout Germany. However, when employees at the Magdeburg branch were about to start work on Sept. 13, 2022, an employee discovered damage in the fence. It quickly became clear that a mini-excavator had been stolen together with the trailer. The employee immediately called Sven Schmid-Bauer, sales manager of all branches, and the police was informed. “As the contact person at Kurt König regarding the SAM Software used by syniotec, the employee knew immediately that I could track the location of the machine” says Schmid-Bauer. “So I was able to directly see that the stolen mini-excavator was parked at a distant forest site for about 45 minutes. The last location transmission then came from a garage in Halle. We gave this information to the police.”
A branch manager from Kurt König simultaneously looked around the forest area where the excavator had apparently been dropped off. The trailer, which was stolen together with the machine, was found there. It could be brought back directly. “About four weeks later, a call came from the police that the mini-excavator had been found, as well as other stolen goods worth more than 300,000 euros,” Schmid-Bauer said. “We were able to pick up the excavator directly at a towing yard and it is now back in use.” The fact that something is stolen would happen from time to time. “However, this is the first case where the machine was found thanks to our active support and is now back in use. None of this would be possible without syniotec’s built-in IoT and the overview in SAM,” Schmid-Bauer notes afterwards.
A successful cooperation
syniotec and Kurt König GmbH have been working together since 2022. For example, syniotec’s specially developed telematics system is now installed in the fleets at all locations. Theft protection, thanks to GPS tracking, is includeded for partners and shows the direct added value in such situations. “The data transmission from our GPS tracking device in the machine to SAM is reliable and secure via GPRS data transmission over the mobile phone network. In addition to the theft alarm, there are of course other advantages. All relevant technical data such as operating hours per project, maintenance intervals and responsible persons can be accessed,” says syniotec CFO Arne Stehnken. “We are constantly expanding both SAM and our IoT devices in close exchange with construction companies.” Sven Schmid-Bauer also acknowledges. “We have now equipped almost 70% of our fleet with syniotec’s IoT. And the trend is rising,” he is pleased to report.
