• Ford Work Solutions offers Tool Link, a radio frequency identification asset tracking system designed to enable customers to maintain a detailed real-time inventory of their tools and equipment, and Cable Lock, a security system that discourages theft of expensive tools too large to fit in the cab
• Jobsite theft can cost the construction industry as a whole upward of $1 billion a year

DEARBORN, Mich., Jan. 11 – Wrenches, jigsaws, heavy-duty hammers – tools of the trade for those in the construction industry – are invaluable, portable, and a frequent target of thieves.

A 2007 survey by Builder magazine indicates how widespread the problem is. Ninetypercent of respondents said they had been victims of some type of jobsite theft within the past year, with tools being one of the top five stolen items. Statistics from the National Insurance Crime Bureau show that jobsite theft costs the construction industry as a whole upward of $1 billion a year.

“Tool theft is a huge problem,” said Pat Curry, senior editor at Builder, who interviewed builders, manufacturers and insurance adjusters for her story on the disturbing trend. “It’s a crime of opportunity.”

“Go through a parking lot at any home improvement store, and you’ll see tools in the back of trucks, unprotected,” Curry added. “In the time it takes you to run inside and pick up some two-by-fours, those tools could be gone.”

Ford Work Solutions, available on 2009 Ford F-150, Super Duty, E-Series vans and the 2010 Ford Transit Connect, was designed, in part, to address the jobsite theft problem. Ford Work Solutions is a collection of innovated technologies including an in-dash computer with Internet access, Crew Chief technology to dispatch workers and reduce vehicle operating costs, Tool Link to track tools and Cable Lock to improve security.

An earlier survey on jobsite theft by DeWalt, the leading manufacturer of power tools, emphasized the need for security. Respondents indicated that the protection of tools and materials is extremely important for those in the construction industry – more than half (55 percent) said they’d had tools, equipment or materials stolen from them in the past year, while almost a third had something stolen three or more times.

Items most stolen, they said, were hand tools and power tools.

“Securable, lockable storage is something that all customers are looking for,” said William Frykman, Ford Work Solutions product and business development manager. “This is a clever and convenient way to secure items such as toolboxes, air compressors, generators or larger power tools that may need to be left in the open pickup box when the vehicle is parked.”

Tool Link is a radio frequency identification asset tracking system developed in partnership with DeWalt, the industry leader in professional power tools, and ThingMagic, the industry expert in embedded RFID technology. Tool Link offers owners the capability to mark and scan high-value tools using RFID tags.

When the vehicle is running, a pair of RFID antennas, mounted in corrosion- and impact-resistant housings on the inside of the box, scan the box for items entered into inventory job lists that the customer creates based on job application or personal need.

The data are transmitted to a reader mounted inside the cab and displayed on the in-dash computer screen, alerting the driver if any inventoried tools are not loaded on the truck.

Another deterrent to tool theft is Cable Lock, a security system developed in partnership with Master Lock, the industry-leading lock manufacturer, to discourage theft of expensive tools too large to fit in the cab.

With Cable Lock, a strong, eight-foot, 10 millimeter steel cable is wrapped in a protective plastic sheathing and is easily woven around toolbox handles or through and around items and then locked to the truck with a cuff-style clasp. The self-retractable cable is stored in a corrosion and impact resistant housing mounted to the inside wall at the rear of the pickup truck.

“These are game-changing, yet practical technologies,” said Paul Russell, Ford Work Solutions marketing manager. “Our customers told us what they needed to help make their trucks more productive as a work tool and our engineers delivered. Listening to our truck buyers and understanding how they use their vehicles, is what delivers Truck Leadership in the market.”

Other available Ford Work Solutions features are Crew Chief, a fleet telematics and diagnostics system that gives the small or large fleet owner the ability to efficiently manage vehicles, dispatch workers to job sites and keep detailed maintenance records, and an in-dash computer capable of linking into the business owner’s main office computer network or home computer via a Sprint™ cellular broadband connection.

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About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 224,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company's core and affiliated automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo and Mazda. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit www.ford.com.