This June, Ford is showcasing two technologies designed to help prevent theft of the things that are important to dads, at work and play.
A 2007 survey of independent contractors published by Builder magazine showed that 90 percent of respondents had been victims of some type of jobsite theft in the last year, with power tools as the most frequently stolen items. Additional data from the U.S. Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA) shows that tools, building supplies and sporting goods constitute almost a quarter of items stolen, overall.
Ford Work Solutions™ offers a pair of complementary technologies to help fathers safeguard and protect their tools, equipment, sporting goods and hobby gear when these items are carried in a Ford truck or van.
Tool Link™, a Ford Work Solutions technology, uses Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) asset tracking devices to maintain an inventory of tools and equipment – or personal items like sporting goods, bicycles or hobby gear – carried in the vehicle’s cargo area. This system was developed in partnership with DeWALT™, a market leader in power tools, and ThingMagic, an industry expert on embedded RFID technology.
Tool Link will notify a driver that all inventoried items are in the vehicle, in preparation for work or recreation. When the vehicle is running, two securely mounted RFID antennas scan the pickup bed or van floor space for items on a pre-programmed inventory list.
This data is transmitted to a reader mounted inside the cab and displayed on the in-dash computer screen. If an inventoried item is not on-board, the driver is notified accordingly.
Developed in partnership with Master Lock, Cable Lock is a strong, 10-foot, 10-millimeter braided steel cable wrapped in a protective plastic sheathing that can be easily wound through tackle box handles or power tool apertures to help keep items safe and secure, locked to the truck with a cuff-style clasp.
The Cable Lock clasp can be attached to any items in the cargo area – tools or personal items – and tie-down cleats or simply clamped back to the cable itself. The self-retracting cable is stored in a corrosion- and impact-resistant housing mounted in the cargo area of the truck or van.
Ford is always thinking of new ways to make your vehicle ownership a good experience.