The 40,000th Cesar registered machine, a Hanix H55DR mini excavator, has been delivered as part of an order for four identical machines by Oswald Record Plant Sales of Birmingham, to Michael McKenna Plant Hire. The hire company operates from a rural base near Oswestry and its fleet includes tracked excavators, minis and backhoe loaders. Michael McKenna (left) is shown receiving the units from Oswald Record’s Kevin Pawley.

Cesar, which was developed by Datatag, acts as a deterrent against theft. Machines are fitted with a number of overt tamper evident triangular registration plates, which incorporate a dedicated identification and registration number. Tiny radio frequency identification (RFID) transponders are hidden in the unit, each having a programmed code linked to the registration number.

The machine also has patches of special paint applied in several locations, with identification information suspended within it, and equipment is registered on Datatag’s secure database, which gives the police constant access to the registration information to aid in identification and recovery.

2010 has proved to be the most successful year yet for Cesar, since its inception in 2007, with over 15,000 machines registered. Recent police figures show that over 100 items of plant, worth over £1.5m, are stolen in the UK every week. The system will be promoted on the Cesar stand at the Executive Hire Show in February.