Tesco invests in high-tech dock safety system

Ahigh-tech management reporting and safety system designed to prevent the premature departure of vehicles from the loading bay is to be installed at the goods-in section of each of Tesco's distribution centres across the UK. Jointly developed by Easilift Loading Systems and Traka, the Dock Management System impressed during a pilot scheme at Tesco's DC in Hinckley, Leicestershire.

The system combines Easilift's dock door and associated control equipment with Traka's electronic key control system and was tailored to complement Tesco's existing safety processes. The system works by using electronic keys known as iFobs, each containing a unique electronic chip, which is individually programmed to open or close one specific door when inserted into a control panel.

At Hinckley, the system is now an integral part of a robust protocol whereby drivers hand in their ignition keys when they arrive at the Goods In office. The keys are clipped to an iFob, which is inserted into the main Traka control panel, allowing a corresponding iFob to be handed to the driver. Only then is it possible to open the bay door, when an authorised operative inserts their personal iFob into a secondary control panel located adjacent to each door.