Leica Geosystems Adds Optional PIN Codes to Total Stations as Anti-Theft Measure

(Norcross, Ga., 14 August 2006) Leica Geosystems today announced that it is adding optional PIN codes to its TPS400 and TPS800 total stations, in a move to counter the growing rate of equipment theft from jobsites.

All new TPS400 and TPS800 instruments will be shipped with a PIN Unlocking Key (PUK), which can then be changed by the customer to a secret 6-8 digit PIN. Leica Geosystems dealers can modify existing instruments by loading the firmware to support the PIN code option.

PIN codes have been available on the Leica System 1200 total stations and GPS instruments since 2005, and the new firmware for the TPS400 and TPS800 units will make all Leica total stations and GPS instruments PIN-code capable.

“We are alarmed by the increasing problem of equipment theft, and we are determined to do something to deter larceny and protect survey crews who may be at risk on the job,” said Carl Singleton, product marketing manager for Leica Geosystems.

“Since 2004, we have documented 143 survey instrument thefts in Florida with an estimated loss value of over $2 million,” said Terry McKay, president of FLT Geosystems, Leica Geosystems’ dealer in Florida. 

Leica Geosystems – when it has to be right
With close to 200 years of pioneering solutions to measure the world, Leica Geosystems products and services are trusted by professionals worldwide to help them capture, analyze and present spatial information. Leica Geosystems is best known for its broad array of products that capture accurately, model quickly, analyze easily, and visualize and present spatial information.

Those who use Leica products every day trust them for their dependability, the value they deliver, and the superior customer support. Based in Heerbrugg, Switzerland, Leica Geosystems is a global company with tens of thousands of customers supported by more than 2,400 employees in 22 countries and hundreds of partners located in more than 120 countries around the world. Leica Geosystems is part of the Hexagon Group, Sweden.