Even in the face of the drop in production caused by climate problems and high costs on the farm, agribusiness GDP grew by 9.81% in the first half of 2022, according to the Center for Advanced Studies in Agricultural Economics (Cepea) , and Esalq/USP in partnership with the Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock of Brazil (CNA).
As a result of the growth of the sector in Brazil, the volume of agro freight ended up registering a growth of 33.2% in the first half of this year compared to 2021, according to Fetebras. The road transport of cargo in agriculture moves R$63 billion annually in eight million trips. And precisely because it is such a lucrative sector, it ends up becoming a perfect target for criminals specializing in theft of truck loads.
Last year alone, this type of crime generated a loss of approximately R$ 1.2 billion, according to the National Association of Cargo Transport and Logistics (NTC&Logistics). The Southeast is the region of Brazil that suffered the most from cargo theft, with 82% of the incidents taking place in the region. Soybean oil, sugar and corn were the most stolen items, points out the company Pamcary.
“Generally, when there is concern about a possible risk of shortages, as what happened with fertilizers, producers tend to increase their orders in order to minimize losses resulting from a possible lack of stock. As this type of product is a very targeted load, the statistics of cargo theft tend to increase drastically” – explains Luiz Henrique Nascimento, commercial director of T4S Tecnologia.
After feeling firsthand what it was like to suffer losses due to cargo theft, Nascimento, Marcílio Machado and Enrico Rebuzzi decided to bet on a company specialized in technology to prevent criminals from succeeding in their actions. Before T4S, the entrepreneurs had a logistics company, but the company suffered a lot due to frequent cargo thefts, so they saw a business opportunity that had so far been little explored in Brazil.
Therefore, the company that started as a startup in 2017 already serves customers such as FedEx, JSL and P&G. The company’s focus is on offering innovative solutions, such as the T4S Immobilizer, a small and camouflaged wireless actuator that is hidden in the vehicle and automatically blocks the truck in case of use of a jammer, also known as a capetinha, vandalism and diversion of vehicles. route.
In October, the T4S Immobilizer registered the biggest rescue in the history of the actuator. The system detected Jammer and automatically blocked the vehicle on the road. The vehicle in question belonged to a T4S customer in the pharmaceutical area, and had a load valued at R$ 6 million. The driver, vehicle and cargo were intact.
In order to protect the cargo inside the trunk, T4S created the Electric Shield, which are panels of high resistance against perforations and cuts, which are energized in case of break-in attempts. When the criminal tries to steal the truck’s cargo, he receives a non-lethal shock. Furthermore, due to the electrical insulation, the shock will only be felt by anyone trying to drill or cut the panels, making the solution 100% safe for workers and passers-by.
In 2021, T4S earned BRL 40 million. Today T4S serves approximately 1,500 companies. Since the company was founded, there have been more than 227 cargo rescues and 234 vehicle rescues.