News | July 16, 2008

MIKOH And Ship2Save Prevent Dealership Car Theft

WASHINGTON, D.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MIKOH Corporation (ASX: MIK) and Ship2Save entered a partnership to deliver joint solutions to AVS Key and Inventory Solutions as part of the company's RFID-enabled security system aimed to prevent car theft from automotive dealerships. The solution combines MIKOH's Smart&Secure tamper evident RFID platform with custom cabinets from Ship2Save and the company's Operational Management Systems (OMS).

"Car theft is a rising concern for dealerships, mostly due to stolen keys," said Anoop Sharma, president of AVS Key and Inventory Solutions and a former Toronto police officer. "During test drives, thieves switch the original keys with counterfeits, returning a few hours later to drive the car off the lot and onto a waiting truck. RFID is an ideal security solution to prevent key counterfeiting and theft."

AVS Key and Inventory Solutions approached MIKOH and Ship2Save to create a security solution to prevent car theft due to stolen dealership keys. The keys are stored in a custom Ship2Save cabinet equipped with an automatic locking mechanism. Employees must check out keys using coded ID cards, but are only authorized to check out a certain quantity of keys for a limited period of time. If keys are not returned within that time period, or if more keys are removed than allowed, the Ship2Save OMS alerts designated parties within the company that the keys are at risk. The dealership can then move at-risk vehicles to secure locations to prevent theft.

MIKOH delivers tamper evidence security with Smart&Secure. Each key is equipped with an RFID tag using the Smart&Secure platform. The RFID functionality is disabled if the tag is tampered with or removed. This prevents thieves from circumventing the security system.

"Car theft costs dealerships approximately $420,000 each year, not including increased insurance premiums and lost opportunity costs," said Aminder Singh, vice president products and services for Ship2Save. "The Ship2Save and MIKOH partnership creates an obvious solution to enhance dealership security. The addressable market in North America alone is more than 10 million tags annually."

In addition, dealership employees often misplace keys or forget to return them, forcing the dealership to order expensive replacements. Dealerships spend an average of $2,000 each year in key replacement fees. The AVS Key and Inventory Solutions system enables dealerships to better manage key inventories.

"AVS Key and Inventory Solutions perfectly illustrates how RFID can be leveraged to create an innovative solution to a specific market need," said Andrew Strauch, vice president of product marketing and management for MIKOH. "The result prevents car theft, saving money for both dealerships and insurance companies while also saving time and resources for local law enforcement organizations."

The AVS Key and Inventory Solutions system is currently deployed in a Toronto-based car dealership with plans to expand to eight additional dealerships across the greater Toronto metropolitan area. Future plans call for product deployments across the whole of North America.

About AVS Key and Inventory Solutions Inc.
AVS Key and Inventory Solutions Inc. headed by a former Toronto police officer with more than 15 years policing experience. The company is currently assisting the automotive industry in theft prevention by mobilizing a unique key monitoring system.

About Ship2Save
Ship2Save is one of the industry leaders in cost effective RFID Solutions and is a founding member of the Canadian Microsoft RFID Council, a member of the Microsoft Global RFID Council, an EPC Global Canada Strategic Council Member, a CompTIA RFID+™ Cornerstone Committee Member, and a member of Texas Instruments Tag-It Team. Ship2Save's unique product lines, flexible and proficient software, business development models, and distinctive deployment services, offer customers cost effective and high quality solutions for their RFID needs. For more information, visit www.ship2save.com.

About MIKOH Corporation
MIKOH Corporation (ASX: MIK) is a leading provider of physical security and digital marking solutions and consulting services. The company works with customers to design and implement physical security solutions to track, seal and/or monitor valuable assets. Both RFID and non-RFID in nature, MIKOH solutions align proper business processes and labeling technologies to ensure assets are effectively managed with certainty. MIKOH's Smart&Secure tamper-evident technology provides physical security certainty for RFID tags. Physical security for RFID is vital in applications where the compromise of sensitive assets results in commercial and/or revenue loss. These applications include government asset tracking, vehicle identification, pharmaceutical distribution and more. Smart&Secure is flexible, scalable and easily integrates into any RFID system.

Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, MIKOH operates multiple offices across the United States and Australia. For more information, visit the company's website at www.MIKOH.com.