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KUBOTA FIT CESAR® TO STAR IN SECURITY INITIATIVE
Kubota, the market leader in the UK mini-excavator market, has today announced that it's to fit the CESAR® registration and security system to two of its popular excavator models. The machines are the U17-3, a 1,650kg mini-excavator, and the KX080-3, a 8,300kg midi-excavator. As a consequence of the move both machine now qualify for the recently introduced '3 star' security rating from the Insurance Industry Research Establishment, Thatcham. The 3 stars, out of a possible 5, were awarded to Kubota for registering their machines with CESAR®, for having a unique ignition and immobiliser key, and for the machines being equipped with an integral immobiliser which locks the fuel, electrical and hydraulic systems. A 'digger' is 44% more likely to be stolen than a car in the UK and overall recovery rates are as low as 5% compared to over 53% for stolen cars. New statistics issued by the The Plant and Agricultural National Intelligence Unit (PANIU, based within Scotland Yard) show that a machine without CESAR® is 4 times more likely to be stolen than a registered machines. The recovery rate for 'unregistered' plant is as low as 5% but the recovery rate for stolen CESAR® machines has increased to nearly 30% in 2009, 6 times that for 'unregistered' plant.
CESAR® registration allows the police to check on a construction or agricultural machine in exactly the same way as they would a car through the police national computer (PNC). Police forces up and down the country are already equipped with Datatag scanners that can 'read' the hidden transponders in a machine to help identify the rightful owner even if the registration plates have been removed. Chris Harrison, National Sales Manager for Datatag, had this to say "It's great to see a manufacturer of Kubota's standing taking such a proactive approach to plant security. Plant theft is endemic and it's up to the industry as a whole to tackle the problem. CESAR is making a difference and the more people using it the better. Thatcham approved security devices, of which CESAR is one, make a machine less vulnerable and therefore a lower risk for an insurer which is likely to be rewarded with lower insurance premiums". Richard Harrison, Sales Manager for Kubota in the UK commented at the announcement "Our new 'Anti-Theft Plus' package is the most comprehensive available and now with the Thatcham seal of approval and '3 star' rating on two of our models our customers know that their new Kubota is as safe as possible. However our customers can specify CESAR as an option on the rest of the Kubota range. Our customers will also benefit from lower insurance premiums and as we know, in these tough times, every little helps!"
