Season's Greetings from ABRIC

Its been an exciting year for us; seen lots of changes, many improvements, new staffs and tons of initiatives introduced. With a new year ahead of us, we are ever so committed to bring you the very best of our products and services.

We at ABRIC would like to wish all of you a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!

ISO 17712 revision to 2010 version

The latest version of the ISO17712 has been revised to ISO17712:2010, which addresses some of the security issues with bolt seals. The International Seals Manufacturers Association gives a rather detailed explanation towards the changes addressed in this ISO 17712:2010 revision.

"The third generation changes published in ISO 17712: 2010 addressed technical issues, added testing for tamper evidence and established an 18 month transition buffer after publication for critical issues. 

Most of the technical changes that affect accredited testing labs, which must have ISO 17712 included in their scope of competence: the changes clarified test fixture designs and added specificity to the test procedures.  Another technical change, reflecting user experience, established an 18mm minimum widest diameter for bolt seals. ISO/PAS 17712 had addressed seal diameter as a functional requirement and the industry norm tended to be 17mm.  The 18 month transition buffer applied to the 18mm requirement to accomodate manufacturer's tooling requirements and particularly to allow seal inventory adjustment throughout bolt seal supply chains.

Testing for tamper evidence is the most important change since addition of the normative Annex A.  Customs regulators in the European Commission approached ISO and expressed strong interest in tamper testing and vetting of security seals. ISO TC 104 leaders decided that WG8 would work with the EC to address their concerns.  All parties shared a goal: to facilitate maintenance of a common global regime for security seals. "

Additionally,  seals will also be required to have markings of indicative ("I"), security ("S") and high security ("H") on each seal. These classifications will be determined by certified testing bodies such as SGS Malaysia, and Dayton Brown (from the US).


By March 2012, all seals all ISO 17712 compliant seals must be certified as tamper evident, giving companies the peace of mind when using these certified security seals .

A Trip to the Camerons

Monday morning. ABRIC's HQ has never been so quiet.

This is a Monday morning unlike any other, mind you.

9a.m., 1st of November. We gathered and took off to Ipoh for a "soft opening" of our Ipoh plant. As some of you may already know, we have recently expanded our manufacturing capacity of plastic seals into our Ipoh plant as well. The implementation will be done in phases but some of the new machines are already up and running, and is already capable of producing Mini JawLocks at a steady rate.

With the respective divisions giving their presentations, and half a day's worth of team building, we were ready to depart for the main event of the trip: the Annual Sales Budget Meeting in Cameron Highlands. This is of course the highlight of the trip, where we would have our annual budget presented and discuss on our action plan for the coming year. 

The Action Plan Discussion

Brain-storming session

With all the sales person and manufacturing expertise from AEI and AISB gathered under one room, many ideas where exchanged and brain-stormed, giving one of the most productive and creative Annual Sales Budget Meetings we have had in quite a while. 

It will be a positive year ahead for ABRIC, with many changes, improvements and creative ideas which will be implemented and executed. We will all be looking forward to ABRIC Ahead 2011.

ABRIC's Annual Sales Budget Meeting

Another year has passed and it has come to the time where all our colleagues from overseas meet to review the budget for the following year.

This year's Sales Budget Meeting is rightfully dubbed ABRIC Ahead 2011. With many agendas to run through, this looks to be one of the most exciting Budget Meetings we have held.

I'll keep you posted on the details, so stay tuned to this year's Sales Budget Meeting which will be held on the 1st November, in Malaysia.

Selamat Hari Raya

With the Ramadan month coming to an end, we at ABRIC would like to take this opportunity to wish our partners a Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

May blessings fill your life with joy, peace and prosperity.

Eid Mubarak!

Two new (awesome) security seals launched!

We have just recently launched two more security seals into our grand range of seals. Head to to our website and check out KeeperLock and GlueTack!

KeeperLock

GlueTack

Head over to www.abric.com for further details on our other products, and place your orders on our newly launched Online Store. Tell us what you think of our new products by commenting below.

ABRIC's Online Store (US) is now online

We just recently launched our Online Store and our seals are now available for purchase online. It is currently only in the US, more regions will soon follow. Click on the thumbnail below and visit the site:

ABRIC's Online Store on CoreCommerce

ABRIC Group is on Youtube!

Just updated our Youtube Channel with some of our videos.

The channel is created to provide convenience to those who wish to know more, not only about our company and products, but also demonstrate the proper use of our seals.

Check out our Youtube Channel and subscribe to our channel!

Fresh Look for The Glowing Core

Good day and warm regards to all! As you can see have just updated the look on our blog, hopefully giving a new and fresh feel towards our readers.

Leave your comments below and tell us what you think about the new look!

InnoLock - A Fixed Variable

So what happens when you put a Mini JawLock with a TwinLock? You get a...

Wait for it....

... an InnoLock!

Designed to give a fixed length, while utilizing the benefits of a metal jaw locking mechanism, the InnoLock is the latest addition to ABRIC's collection of Fixed Length Seals. 

It features a 10mm flat strap stem, which gives the option for printing the logo/bar code on either the stem, or the tag itself. Side tear off options are also available for the InnoLock for easy removal without using cutting tools. Its 12kgs (26.5lbs) break strength makes it ideal for use on vehicle doors, tankers, and shipping containers.

Check it out at our website at www.abric.com or call any of our sales centers closest to you for free samples.

Plaskalock – “Reaching new heights”

In the ever changing world of security, you need a reliable seal that can offer a high level of security at a reasonable price. Such a seal has recently become a more favourable choice for many of ABRIC’s customers.

Plaskalock is  a highly secure, single use seal made of Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) with a non-preformed, galvanized steel, aircraft cable. The cable diameter is available in 1.5 or 2mm (0.059 or 0.079 inches) with a tensile strength of around 50kgf (110.2 lbs), making it incredibly strong. The standard cable length is 150mm (5.90 inches), but can be customised to any length to suit your requirement.

This unique seal falls into the category between standard plastic seals and high security seals. If you require a strong barrier seal to secure a container you buy Unolock, if you need to secure courier or postal bags, there is the inexpensive JawLock. Plaskalock is the seal that fits nicely in between these two categories thanks to its high level of security & value. It is supplied to many industries including  Pharmaceutical, Chemical, Retail & Hypermarket among others, with its contribution to these sectors benefiting their security needs as well as saving cost, helping with the difficult economic times.

Benefits of Plaskalock:

· Increases security by providing tamper evidence

· Can include a bar code (if required) for easy identification and security

· High tensile strength

· Once cut the cable will splay, increasing security

· More affordable than higher level security seals

· Ideal for a variety of robust applications

· Available in a wide range of colours

But don’t just take our word for it. STS 2000 is a well known established company in the UK, providing services to the computer industry such as refurbishment, cleaning & storage of computer equipment. They purchase Plaskalock to supply dozens of retail stores across the country in helping secure their equipment.

  “I find Plaskalock to be a relatively cheap, reliable and highly secure seal that has served the application of the many  companies I supply”  - Steve White, STS2000 Ltd.

- Prepared by James Jackson
Sales Coordinator, ABRIC Europe Ltd.

ABRIC's FUN Personality Test

There are many popular personality test available online, such as the cryptic code of Myers-Briggs Personality Test, and the numerology based Life-Path Number, all of which have their unique ways of analyzing and interpreting a person's personality.


Here at ABRIC Worldwide, we would at least once a year perform such personality test with our beloved colleagues, which helps us better understand our colleagues working behaviour better and hopefully improve each other's relationships.


So what is this FUN Personality Test? As the name suggests, this test is rather, well, fun! Here is how it is done. Just like your typical personality test, everyone fills up a set of questionnaires, with more or less 40 simple straight-forward questions. Everyone would answer these set of questions based on how they feel they are at the current time. Not who they would want to be, but who they are at the point of time.


The test divides the results into four separate groups of people; the Lion, the Buffalo, the Zebra, and the Hyena.




The Lion

Lions are natural leaders. Decisive and independent, they get the job done on their own way, though some may perceive this to be insensitive. They are hugely motivated by rewarding challenges.

Strengths Leader Independent Dependable Decisive	Personality Own way Career-oriented Gets job done Daring & Bold
Weaknesses Insensitive Self-Serving Arrogant Inconsiderate	Motivation Challenges Rewards Direct Logic

ABRIC’s daring Lioness: Aznati, Yvonne and Adeline

The Buffalo

Buffaloes are the flexible doers. They prefer to do things in a quiet and reserved way. An easy to approach and a team member, Buffalos performs best with immense peer support and communication.

Strengths Adaptive Self-Controlled Independent Calm	Personality Quiet Do own things Team Member Easy Approach
Weaknesses Passive Fear Change Procrastinate Reserved	Motivation Communication Peer Support Individuality Structure

ABRIC’s quiet Buffaloes: Sidney, Suzana, Sue Aida

The Zebra

Zebras are disciplined players. They are analytical, loyal, friendly and easy to work with. Their sensitivity may outline Zebras to be insecure, emotional and rigid. They love to feel secured, and appreciated for their sincerity.

Strengths Disciplined Stable Analytical Loyal	Personality Easy to work with Build relationships Nice to others Sentimental
Weaknesses Insecure Emotional Rigid Easily discouraged	Motivation Appreciation Security Sincerity Sensitivity

ABRIC’s striped Zebras: Albert, Mike, Suhana, Declan, Michael, Mary, Connie, Siti

The Hyena

The spontaneous opportunist Hyenas are the centre of attraction. They love popularity and enjoy life among friends. Though confident and optimistic, Hyenas at times find themselves irresponsible and lack commitment. Recognition and rewards motivate Hyenas most.

Strengths Confident Action-oriented High-energy Optimistic	Personality Centre of Attraction Like popularity Prioritize friendships Enjoy life
Weaknesses Self-centered Irresponsible Unreliable Lack commitment	Motivation Recognition Rewards Positive Listened to

ABRIC’s greatest Hyenas: Brian


We found the test to be somewhat accurate. However, some of our colleagues may show similar personalities in other animals as well (scores are close). The test may not be perfect, as it would be impossible to just classify the world into four different personalities. There would definitely be some overlapping, or some characteristics shown in other animals. But this gives a good and general indication of a person's behaviour. Perhaps now you would now how to approach the staff members better now!

What is a security seal?

Security seals are usually applied on vehicles, chemical drums aircraft trolleys, and other various applications. It is used typically as tamper evident seals, and a level of security depending on the type of seal. This helps to detect any sign on theft or tampering, be it authorized or unauthorized.

Spiderbox and SpiderLock - Special Purpose Seals

Generally there are two main types of security seals, single use and reusable. Single use seals are usually made of plastic; cheap, reliable, provides proof of tampering, easy to use and remove. Reusable seals are however more expensive, usually consisting of mechanical or electronic.


ABRIC also provides Special-Purpose Seals, which are designed for various of industries specific towards certain applications.

AluLock - Barrier Seal

Length
Most security seals are variable-length seals (more known as pull-tight seals). These seals vary in length depending on the application, e.g. Different bags come in different sizes, and depending on the contents, may require longer seals, therefore it is generally better to use variable-length seals to seal bags instead.


Fixed-length seals are more common applied in cargo doors. Due to its fixed loop size, this gives room for the cargo doors to move slightly without breaking the seal while transporting.

TwinLock - Fixed-length seal

Printing technology

Security seals are usually customized to fit the different purposes of each application. Typical marking includes logos,  consecutive numbering and 1D and 2D bar codes. 

The printing method/technology used by the industry standard are as follows:

• hot stamping
• ink jet printing
• laser engraving
• thermal printing

Each printing has its own benefits and uses, therefore depending again on the nature of the application, different printing methods may be used on different security seals.

Looking for a security sealing solution? Visit us at www.abric.com and contact our sales center closest to you and we will advice you on your security needs!

Article featured in "On Board Hospitality" Magazine

An article written by ABRIC was featured on the "On Board Hospitality" magazine. The article was based on cargo theft and tips on preventing losses from cargo theft.

Cargo theft is a growing multi-billion dollar concern, and it is estimate of approximately $30 billion worth of goods have been stolen a year worldwide. Authorities and several non-profit organizations (such as TAPA) are doing their best to put up a fight against these terrors. Yet it is equally important to prevent and discourage cargo theft from happening. Arming oneself with information regarding cargo theft such as popular theft places, methods, and most stolen products is one of the ways to prevent cargo theft. Creating barriers by using security seals, being alert of surroundings and simply being involved with organizations that combat cargo theft are also important measures which should be taken into consideration.

We would like to thank Ms Sue Williams of On Board Hospitality Magazine for giving us the opportunity to contribute towards the magazine. Big thanks!

Product training - Names of seals

Learning about our products can be a bit challenging, since we have so many products, with similar features, design, yet totally different applications, strength and benefits.

So a couple of us newbies sat down together and have a little chat about our products in line. We learn about the differences between each seal, try to remember the names, and its applications. The whole training took about 2-3 hours.

And now the fun part - remembering the names. It can be a huge challenge, let alone learn the differences between each and every seal, since most of the seals look the same and given similar names. Say example:

• Difference between JawLocks and LuggageLocks? (LuggageLocks have tabs to be removed upon application; JawLocks don't.) 
• Difference between RibLocks and BagLocks? (BagLocks have "bigger teeth".) 
• Which one of these is ClipLock, CartLock, CrimpLock? 

It will take some time to remember all the names and their features. So, don't worry, some of us took nearly a month to remember the names even. 

A good way to remember all the seals' names is to actually lay down all the seals on a table, label them, and worship them. Every morning before work starts, look at the seals and try to remember the names. That way you can compare easily and identify all the seals at a glance.

Another way of remembering is to find out how the seals get their names! Alright this would need a little bit of a history lesson. TwinLocks, for instance, got its name from its locking mechanism. You will hear two clicks whenever your apply the seal, hence the name. SmoothLocks? Smooth stem. JawLocks? Jaw locking mechanism. ClickLocks? Click, and lock!

So good luck knowing our seals! I might come up with a test for everyone on product knowledge. Mandarin oranges as prizes. 

TwinLock – “Security simplified."

In a major construction project, there are typically multiple deliveries of concrete every day.  Even in a good economy, theft is an  issue.  This problem has become more acute in this economic down turn.  In an effort to monitor deliveries and reduce theft, Titan America is now utilizing ABRIC’s “TwinLock”, a plastic truck seal with sequential numbers on each seal.  This enables Titan America to track deliveries and has reduced theft.

The TwinLock is one of a few ABRIC’s pioneering seals. This seal has a fixed loop design with the length 200mm (7.83 inches). It is equipped with a patented double locking mechanism and ribbed locking head, giving the seal’s superior design an enhanced level of security. Made out of polypropylene, this seal has a tensile strength of 15kgf (33lbs).

Benefits of TwinLock:

· Allow movements of the door locking mechanism without applying strain on the seal

· Enhanced level of security

· User friendly, easy removal

Widely used to seal containers, vehicle doors, and tankers, the TwinLock’s patented double locking mechanism & ribbed locking head is more secure with the special acetal locking jaws. With its fixed length, the TwinLock allows movements on the door of the container, without applying strain on the seal or breaking the seal. Easily removed on its pre-determined break point without requiring any removal tools, it has proven to be a successful and widely accepted fixed length tamper evident seal by many companies.

-Written by Jennie Hunter, VP Sales, ABRIC North America

Download our full newsletter here at www.abric.com

A Happy Chinese New Year!

First of all, to all those around the world celebrating, HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!

Here in ABRIC's Headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, everyone is in Chinese New Year mood, anticipating the Yee Sang which was gifted to Dato' and Datin earlier. Greeting cards flooded our cork board, and mandarin oranges filled our tables, and candies to go along with it as an invitation to the new year, the year of the Tiger.


All of us gathered in the pantry for the traditional Yee Sang. For some who don't know,  Yee Sang, is a Teochew-style raw fish salad. It usually consists of strips of raw fish (most commonly salmon), mixed with shredded vegetables and a variety of sauces and condiments, among other ingredients.

Mr Mike, Declan, and Michael.

We were also given 6 oranges, and 8 candies to be displayed on our table. What is the significance you ask? Well, oranges ("kam" in cantonese) represents gold ("kam" is also gold in cantonese). Why 6 you ask? To bring the wealth easily! And the candies you ask? Candies (or sweets) lets one have a happy (and sweet) year. Well, 8 candies makes it 8 times sweeter I guess. Arrange it like a pyramid (like Mary's) and you will grow steadily up the ladder. And the red packets you ask? Just to show you are a year older thats all.

Mary's

Mr Mike's

Declan's

Angie's Kissable

Yvonne's

Michael's

...and mine.

Signing out, once again wishing you a prosperous new year. Gong Xi Fatt Chai!

Mmm... oranges.