To prevent generator theft in your business, ensure it’s locked behind a steel cage, secured in a well-ventilated structure, marked/etched with your business logo, and tracked. The best results come from a combination of traditional and advanced security measures. Not only do they help you save on replacement costs, but they also ensure you keep downtime minimised.
Businesses all over South Africa are facing an ever-growing flood of equipment theft. The ICASA 2026 Report shows that spending on generators has exploded to over R426.8 million. Businesses are simply trying to protect their bottom lines, especially in a country where power outages are the norm. This is exactly why generator theft protection needs to be factored into your business budget.
Let us guide you through the dos and don'ts of generator security. Read our blog to understand why thieves target energy equipment, get insights on the best protection methods, and see how Cartrack can become your partner in generator tracking & safety.
To protect your generator from being stolen, you should:
Bringing together a combination of traditional security methods with advanced technological ones is what could save you from disappearing generators.
To protect your generator using traditional and practical solutions, consider the following:
To protect your generator using advanced security measures, consider the following:
Generator security and safety are important for your business because not only are they a necessary component to keeping your business going, but they also encourage you to take responsibility for your setup. Generators work by burning fuel (usually diesel) to produce electricity, and this process generates carbon monoxide.
Carbon monoxide is dangerous because it’s a silent killer. It’s odourless and colourless, so you don’t always know it’s present unless you have a carbon monoxide detector. It can also quickly become an electrical or fire hazard if you don’t handle your generator properly, and the last thing you want is to injure yourself or another staff member.
Keeping your generator secure keeps your business going and downtime minimised. This results in numerous benefits, like happy customers through operational consistency, keeping profits up, and general overall improved security in your business.
Thieves target generators and other business equipment because it can be an easy and rewarding opportunity. The biggest reason is the large profit; typical business equipment and generators can be resold in second-hand markets for very high prices.
Reseller thieves also make it easy for buyers to purchase the stolen equipment, selling without the hassle of thorough verification.
Thieves also tend to take advantage of bigger warehouses or facilities because equipment isn’t always looked after properly, or the site is just a little more vulnerable with numerous entry points. If your generator or equipment isn’t permanently marked with a business logo, number, or name, this makes it even easier for thieves to resell.
Make sure you implement all the safety measures possible to maximise your risk management.
Cartrack can help you keep your generators protected by offering the Cartrack Tag. The Tag is a portable tracking and backup anti-jamming device that can be used in vehicles and for asset tracking. It’s perfect for your generators because it’s discreet and wireless, making it tough for thieves to make off with them without us knowing—even if they try.
The Cartrack Tag is completely unaffected by signal jamming, which is a technique that many thieves use to steal vehicles and other GPS-tracked assets. This is because the Tag doesn’t depend on cellular networks; it operates on its own radio frequency.
The Tag’s radio frequency is called the CPRF (Cartrack Proprietary Radio Frequency) Network. This network acts like a beacon of sorts, sending out consistent pings. The Tag then uses a method that we call ‘crowd searching’.
If someone takes your generator and puts it in a moving vehicle, any other vehicle equipped with a hardwired tracking device that it passes will report your stolen car. This data allows our control room to accurately locate the Tag, and ultimately your generator!
If you want to look at this from a different angle, think of this process as a relay race. The Tag is essentially ‘passing the baton’ to every car fitted with a hardwired device on the road; each of the devices is a teammate.
The teammates send locational data back to the control room. Thanks to hardwired devices being heavily present in so many vehicles across the country, our coverage is extensive and powerful.
The Tag pings every 40 seconds, sending a notification of the generator’s location to our control room. It’s important to note that you won’t see the location of your Tagged generator; only our control room team will. Customer visibility is restricted to elevate the level of security and stop potential thieves from seeing where your generators are.
But don’t fret; we see this as discreet protection and one of our biggest strengths. Criminals are typically looking for the most obvious systems, and yet our Tag works silently in the background, away from malicious eyes.
Your generator keeps your business alive during blackouts and outages, which makes protecting it an absolute priority. By blending physical barriers with clever, discreet tracking technology and advanced measures, your investment will remain right where it “generates” the most value.
With Cartrack you can secure your equipment, protect your revenue, and keep the power going.
Keep the power on and the thieves off. Call Cartrack to get your safety and tracking solution for your generator today!
Protect your equipment from being taken. Learn effective ways to prevent generator theft using GPS tracking, physical security, and remote monitoring tools.
