UK Court Case: GPS Trackers Help Prove Basket Equipment Misuse

GPS tracking data has been used to prove that a UK sandwich maker, Authentic Bite Ltd, was using baskets and dollies belonging to bakery equipment company Bakers Basco without permission.

The technology played a major role in the investigation and subsequent court case which saw Authentic Bite fined nearly £7,000 and made to sign an agreement not to misuse the equipment again.

Evidence presented in court included a log and satellite plot showing GPS equipped items moving around the defendant’s premises over a 24-day period.

Bakers Basco manages and licenses a pool of four million reusable baskets and trolleys, used by 25 major UK bakers. This reduces costs, improves transport efficiencies and cuts waste ending up in landfill. The company has a dedicated unit which tracks its equipment down and reclaims it. As a last resort, it will go to court to get its property back.

It first deployed GPS trackers last year and has now significantly increased investment in the technology, with a new design of tracker featuring significantly extended battery life (up to 10 times as long as the first generation of trackers the firm used).

“Our innovative tracking system has exceeded expectations and has been working so well we’ve decided to invest in improved GPS technology,” said Bakers Basco General Manager Steve Millward.

The upgraded GPS software will be covertly deployed in locations where it is suspected that equipment abuse is taking place. If any equipment is tracked outside of its authorised supply chain, Bakers Basco sends its recovery team to investigate.