Laing O'Rourke is one of the world’s most dynamic and innovative, privately owned development, construction companies, with an operating turnover in excess of A$7b and more than 25,000 employees worldwide.

The industry estimates that theft of building equipment costs most construction companies between one and two percent of the total value of every project.

Laing O’Rourke, like so many other construction companies, has been fighting the ongoing problem of equipment theft. Ed Selby, Director of the Laing O’Rourke Chatswood Transport Interchange Project, decided it was time to try a new security approach and turned to DataDot technology.

“Last year we marked all the building equipment at our Chatswood Transport Interchange Site with DataDots - everything from nail guns to saws and dumpies”, explained Ed.

“We then put warning stickers on the items and police warning signs around the perimeter fences to tell would-be thieves all equipment is marked for police identification”.

It worked a treat reports Ed. “Since using Datadots, we’ve had a 100% reduction in theft from this site which has saved us enormous amounts of money and time. It’s a cheap and really effective way to personally identify your items, plus you’re more likely to recover stolen equipment.”

DataDots are a simple, yet high-tech, straightforward security solution for construction companies.

Tiny DataDots laser-etched with a company’s business name or ABN number are simply sprayed onto equipment from an aerosol container, instantly marking tools and materials. DataDots the size of a grain of sand are suspended in a liquid adhesive, with one spray can marking up to 100 items.

Although the dots are difficult to see with the naked eye, police can read the dots with a UV light and microscope, helping to identify and return stolen property.

With profit margins tightening, construction companies are starting to adopt the widespread use of DataDots to prevent theft. Laing O’Rourke is one of the companies leading the charge.