Security seals are used primarily for evidence of opening or tampering. They are applied in unlimited applications, including many areas of the dairy industry; tanker fleets, processors and wash operations.

I've attended several tank truck and tank wash events and I often hear this question from drivers, operations managers, fleet owners, and others; “Is this seal worth the trouble?”

The answer; “Yes, it surely can be.”

Security seals play an important part in quality and safety assurance and they are extremely effective when used correctly. The dairy industry has been ahead of many others, adopting security seals for food safety protocols well before government agencies started to consider regulations requiring them. In some parts of dairy transport and handling seals are required. Like them or not, they are going to be in the picture -- and for good reason.

AC&M supplies tamper evident seals to nearly every industry on the planet, including many areas of milk and dairy operations. We make plastic pull up security seals with configurations to fit valves, hatches, closures on trucks, gates, control boxes, or anywhere you might need to secure your product or equipment through transport and processing. We also make stronger metal seals for other uses where plastic is not strong enough for the job.

WHAT CAN SECURITY SEALS DO FOR YOU?

Of course, a seal on a tank truck or a critical valve can tell you if a hatch or valve has been tampered or opened.

But, it can also add value and efficiency to your operation. A security seal can help you catalog and record installation and removal, who installed it, inspection times, entry times, and even categorize the item it is protecting. You can identify routes, drivers, crew names, customers, batches, tank types, facilities, and any other data points you need to maintain in a log or database. This is mostly done by color coding and some custom marking, while bar coding and other markings can also be applied. In addition, we will pack your seals as you need them according to colors, marks, destination, etc., and deliver each variation where you need them.

For example, a hauler might assign a specific color seal to a destination facility, part or all of a fleet, or even to an individual vehicle. Numbering and coding could then be linked to dates, batches, contracts, or other indicators by week, month etc.

An operation might identify wash types for each tank, using a different marking for each group or type. Or, perhaps a color specific to a tank of wash slurry vs empty tanks, vs filled tanks with raw products, vs tanks washed and verified and so on. Barcodes can also be added to provide additional data that is recorded when a seal is issued, installed, inspected or removed.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT USING SECURITY SEALS

For seals to work effectively, it takes coordination and effort across multiple parts of an enterprise.

There is much to know about how to identify and reduce security seal tampering. The people who attach, inspect, transport, or remove that seal need some key understanding. They should especially know: how to lock and inspect the seal, how to spot signs of tampering, opening or manipulation, and how to make sure the security seal is authentic and not a look-alike. There should also be procedures and documentation in place for each event, from the time you get the tamper evident seal to the time it is removed.

WE CAN HELP

The amount of monitoring that is best for your operation and what data will help you to control and improve your operations will vary. But, American Casting & Manufacturing can help you select and apply the right options. Our experience, versatility, and centralized control of our operation give us the ability to provide the type of seal that best fits your need and the markings that will provide the indicators you need.

All seals are not the same, though they may look that way to some. The tamper evident and security seals we supply are made by a 4th generation family-owned company, at our factory in New York. Everything is controlled by us from the verified high-quality raw materials through all steps of production and fast reliable shipping. With available warehousing and custom stock planning, we excel at getting the right seals to you on time, where you need them, and packed as you need them.

Beyond overall quality, and faster delivery, we offer much more. American Casting & Manufacturing can help you choose the right seals and provide personalized assistance to help you more effectively apply them. We can assist with instructional documents or advice and training for installing and inspecting the seals.

Our staff members are leading experts and the most experienced individuals in the security seals business. We’ve been making all types of security seals at our US factory for over 100 years.

Steve Diebold is Security Applications Specialist and manages global sales for American Casting & Mfg. from their international sales office. He has over 40 years of experience in advising customers and supplying seals in all sectors of industry, government and the military, and has worked with seal users in over 60 countries.