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The Brink's Company is an American cash handling company, headquartered in
Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...
. Its operations include cash-in-transit, ATM replenishment & maintenance, and cash management & payment services, such as vault outsourcing, money processing, intelligent safe services, and international transportation of valuables.


Operations

Brink's is popularly known for its bullet-resistant armored trucks which carry money and valuable goods (the service once used to transport the Hope Diamond from an auction to the buyer's home). Brink's is a provider of security services to banks, retailers, governments, mints and jewelers. Founded in 1859 by Perry and Fidelia Brink of
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
,
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
, Brink's business evolved from local armored transportation services to providing corporate financial
logistics Logistics is the part of supply chain management that deals with the efficient forward and reverse flow of goods, services, and related information from the point of origin to the Consumption (economics), point of consumption according to the ...
and international secure transportation. In 1962, Brink's was acquired by Pittston, a coal company. Burlington Air Express was acquired in 1982. Brink's Home Security was started in 1983. Pittston sold off its coal assets in the 2000s and renamed the company Brink's. Burlington Air Express was renamed BAX Global in 1997, and was sold to
Deutsche Bahn (, ; abbreviated as DB or DB AG ) is the national railway company of Germany, and a state-owned enterprise under the control of the German government. Headquartered in the Bahntower in Berlin, it is a joint-stock company ( AG). DB was fou ...
for $1.1billion in 2006. In January 2012, Brink's acquired Kheops, SAS, a provider of logistics software and related services in France, for approximately $17million. This acquisition gave the company proprietary control of software used primarily in cash-in-transit and money processing operations in France. A significant portion of Brink's business is conducted internationally, with 82% of $3.9billion in revenues earned outside the United States in 2013. The majority of Brink's consolidated revenues in 2013 was earned in operations located in nine countries, each contributing in excess of $100million of revenues. The 2013 revenues from these countries totaled $3.0billion or 79% of consolidated revenues. These operations, in declining order of revenues, were the U.S., France, Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela, Canada, Colombia, Argentina and the Netherlands. On January 31, 2013, Brink's acquired Brazil-based Rede Transacoes Eletronicas Ltda. ("Redetrel") for approximately $26million. Redetrel distributes electronic prepaid products, including mobile phone airtime, via a network of approximately 20,000 retail locations across Brazil. Redetrel's strong distribution network supplements Brink's existing payments business, ePago, which has operations in Brazil, Mexico, Colombia and Panama.


Discontinued operations

In November 2010, Brink's former cash-in-transit (CIT) operations in Belgium filed for bankruptcy, after local union employees rejected a restructuring plan, and was placed in bankruptcy on February 2, 2011. Brink's deconsolidated the Belgium subsidiary in 2010. However, in 2021 Brink's returned to Belgium and took over G4S's Cash Solutions division. In 2012, Brink's agreed to sell its cash-in-transit operations in Germany and Poland, and event security operations in France, and the company completed the divestiture of its guarding operations in Morocco, in December 2012. In May 2014, Brink's US decided to cease their cash-in-transit operations throughout Australia. Armaguard made an offer to purchase Brink's Australia's CIT operations, and Brink's is continuing their precious goods logistics business within Australia.


Home security

Brinks began offering home security alarm systems in 1982. In 2008, it was spun off into a separate publicly traded company, despite accounting for 15% of the company's revenue that year. The company rebranded as Broadview Security in 2009 with a massive advertising campaign. The ads were widely criticized as unscrupulous, fear-mongering, and seen as exaggerating the capabilities of home security systems. Unflattering parodies of Broadview's TV commercials, mocking the company's attempts to manipulate consumers, were posted online, along with a filmed ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
'' sketch featuring Andy Samberg and
Bill Hader William Thomas Hader Jr.''Finding Your Roots'', January 26, 2016, PBS. (born June 7, 1978) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer, and director. He was a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' from 20 ...
. In 2010, Broadview was sold to
Tyco International Tyco International was a security systems company incorporated in the Republic of Ireland, with operational headquarters in Princeton, New Jersey, United States (Tyco International (US) Inc.). Tyco International was composed of two major busin ...
, then-owner of ADT, for $2billion. The acquisition closed in mid-2010, after which the Broadview name and product line were discontinued, with its operations merged into ADT. The merger combined the two largest home security providers in the United States, adding Broadview's 1.3million customer accounts to ADT's existing customer base of 7.4million. Brinks later re-entered the home security industry in 2018, through a trademark licensing deal with Monitronics International, which currently offers services under the name Brink's Home.


Lock manufacturing

Brink's-branded door locks and
padlock Padlocks are portable Lock (security device), locks with a shackle that may be passed through an opening (such as a chain, chain link, or hasp staple) to prevent wikt:use, use, theft, vandalism or harm. Naming and etymology The term '':wikt: ...
s have been manufactured and sold under license by California-based Hampton Products since 1998.


Notable incidents


1950 robbery

The Great Brink's Robbery was an armed robbery of the Brinks Building at the corner of Prince St. and Commercial St. in the North End of
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
,
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
, on the night of January 17, 1950. Led by Boston small-time criminal Tony "Fats" Pino, 11 men broke in and stole $1,218,211.29 in cash, and $1,557,183.83 in checks, money orders, and other securities. At the time, it was the largest robbery in the history of the United States. Skillfully executed with only a bare minimum of clues left at the crime scene, the robbery was billed as "the crime of the century". All 11 members of the gang were arrested six years later, and all were paroled and released by 1971, except for Joseph "Big Joe" McGinnis, the originator of the heist, who died in prison. Despite ongoing efforts by the
Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
and local authorities, only $57,000 of the initial $2.7million stolen was ever recovered.


1981 attempted robbery

On October 20, 1981, members of Weather Underground and Black Liberation Army attempted an armed robbery of a Brink's armored car in
Nanuet, New York Nanuet is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Clarkstown, New York, United States. The third largest hamlet in Clarkstown, it is located north of Pearl River, south of New City, east of Spring Valley, and west of West Nyack. ...
. The robbery resulted in a shootout that left two police officers, Edward O'Grady and Waverly Brown, and a Brink's security guard, Peter Paige, dead. Paige's partner, Joe Trombino, was severely wounded in the gun battle but survived; he later died at the World Trade Center during the
September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
.


1983 Brink's-Mat robbery

On November 26, 1983, there was an armed robbery at a warehouse near London's
Heathrow Airport Heathrow Airport , also colloquially known as London Heathrow Airport and named ''London Airport'' until 1966, is the primary and largest international airport serving London, the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdo ...
, operated by Brink's-Mat, a former joint venture between Brink's and the London-based company MAT Transport, which specialized in the transportation of valuable goods. Three tonnes of
gold bullion A gold bar, also known as gold bullion or a gold ingot, is a quantity of refining, refined metallic gold that can be shaped in various forms, produced under standardized conditions of manufacture, labeling, and record-keeping. Larger varietie ...
(worth £26million) was stolen. Most of the gold has never been recovered.


1993 New York robbery

On January 5, 1993, $7.4million was stolen from the Brink's Armored Car Depot in
Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...
, the fifth largest robbery in US history. Four men, Sam Millar, Patrick Moloney, former Rochester Police officer Thomas O'Connor, and Charles McCormick, all of whom had ties to the
Provisional Irish Republican Army The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Provisional IRA), officially known as the Irish Republican Army (IRA; ) and informally known as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary force that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland ...
, were accused.


2008 "D.B. Tuber" robbery

On September 30, 2008, in Monroe, Washington, a Brink's armored car pulled up to make a delivery to the
Bank of America The Bank of America Corporation (Bank of America) (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment banking, investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in ...
. A landscaper, who was working the grounds and wearing a blue shirt, blue hat, and yellow safety vest, approached the armored car guard, pepper-sprayed him, stole $400,000 in cash, and escaped on an inner tube on the nearby Woods Creek. When police arrived, they found the bank's parking lot was full of men wearing clothing identical to the mysterious robber's. All were "hired" by a phony ad, placed on
Craigslist Craigslist (stylized as craigslist) is a privately held American company operating a classified advertisements website with sections devoted to jobs, housing, for sale, items wanted, services, community service, gigs, résumés, and discussi ...
by a culprit the media dubbed "D.B. Tuber" (after famed hijacker, D. B. Cooper), instructing them to show up at the bank at the same time, wearing a blue shirt, blue hat, and yellow safety vest. Months later, the FBI received a tip from a very attentive homeless man who had witnessed a "practice run" weeks prior to the robbery. DNA evidence later convicted former college football player Anthony Curcio of the crime.


2013 Brussels Airport diamond heist

On 18 February 2013, eight masked gunmen, in two cars with
police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...
markings, stole approximately €38million worth of
diamond Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Diamond is tasteless, odourless, strong, brittle solid, colourless in pure form, a poor conductor of e ...
s by attacking in a very small time window during which they were being transferred from a Brink's armored van to a Swiss-bound Fokker 100 operated by Helvetic Airways. The Fokker 100 was on the apron at
Brussels Airport Brussels Airport is the main international airport of Belgium. It is located in the municipality of Zaventem in Flemish Brabant, northeast of Brussels. Also informally known as Brussels-National Airport or Brussels-Zaventem Airport, Brussels ...
,
Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
, just before 20:00 CET. The heist was accomplished without a shot being fired.


2014 return of lost money bag

In May 2014, California resident Joe Cornell found a Brink's bag with $125,000 inside; Cornell saw the bag of cash accidentally fall out of the back of a Brink's transport car as it drove over the railroad tracks in downtown
Fresno Fresno (; ) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County, California, Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley region. It covers a ...
. Cornell returned the bag of cash claiming, "it was the right thing to do." Brinks thanked the man for his honesty with a $5,000 reward and a $5,000 donation in Cornell's name to
The Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...
, where he works.


2022 Lebec Flying J heist

On July 11, 2022, approximately $100million to $150million worth of jewelry, luxury watches, and other valuables were stolen from a Brink's truck within a 27-minute window whilst the two drivers were at a Flying J
rest stop A rest area is a public facility located next to a large thoroughfare such as a motorway, Limited-access road, expressway, or highway, at which drivers and passengers can rest, eat, or refuel without exiting onto secondary roads. Other names ...
on I-5 in Lebec, California. One driver had entered the building to get food while the other was sleeping inside the vehicle. The merchandise, which had been loaded the day before in
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
, was en route to a trade show in Pasadena. Thirteen jewelry companies sued Brink's over payout for the incident, and Brink's filed a countersuit, alleging that the companies deliberately undervalued the cost of their merchandise during transit. The incident remains under investigation by the FBI and the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department's Major Crimes Bureau.


2023 Toronto airport heist

In April 2023, over CAD $20million of gold and high-valued goods were stolen from
Toronto Pearson International Airport Toronto Pearson International Airport is an international airport located in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. It is the main airport serving Toronto, its metropolitan area, and the surrounding region known as the Golden Horseshoe. Pearson is the ...
. The items were stolen from an Air Canada Cargo facility after the perpetrator used a fake document to gain access into the facility. Brinks, which was entrusted with arranging the shipment, sued Air Canada for the theft citing that the facility's relaxed security system was the main cause of the theft. Subsequently, police charged nine suspects including two individuals who were Air Canada employees.


Major Heist at Brinks in Chile 2024

On August 16, 2024, a major heist occurred at a Brinks branch in the O'Higgins region of Chile. The planning for the robbery began in early July and involved a gang of at least 25 people. The gang acquired stolen vehicles, firearms, disguises, and internal information from the company. They were assisted by two Brinks employees: a cashier and a guard. On the day of the heist, the gang executed several distraction tactics, such as shooting and burning vehicles, while part of the group threatened employees with an assault rifle and others, disguised as Brinks staff, entered the premises. The estimated haul is 12 billion pesos (around $13million), which is still being searched for. Following the heist, a police chase led to the arrest of several suspects on a nearby agricultural property, where weapons and ammunition were seized. On August 20, 18 of the arrested individuals were formally charged with serious crimes. It was also revealed that one of the seized weapons had been used in violent incidents. The police faced criticism for their handling of prior information about the robbery, leading to an administrative investigation into potential responsibilities. The judge ordered preventive detention for the suspects and set an eight-month investigation period.


Recent corporate developments

In October 2015, Brink's activist investor Starboard Value LP announced it had raised its stake in the company to around 12.4%. Later that year, Brink's responded to Texas RFI 212P with their perspective on a solution for Texas HB 483, establishing the Texas Bullion Depository. In April 2017, it was announced that Brinks had chosen the
FN Herstal , trading as FN Herstal and often referred to as Fabrique Nationale, or simply FN, is a leading firearms manufacturer based in Herstal, Belgium, and former vehicle manufacturer. It was the largest exporter of military small arms in Europe . FN ...
FN 509 9mm to be the new sidearm for their armed guards. In August 2018, Brinks Inc. acquired Dunbar Armored for $520million.


References


External links

*
Official Canadian website

Brink's, Incorporated Website

BAX Global Website
*
Brinks SEC Filings
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brink's Company 1859 establishments in Illinois American companies established in 1859 Business services companies established in 1859 Companies based in Richmond, Virginia Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange Logistics companies of Canada Logistics companies of the United States Security companies of Canada Security companies of the United States Transport companies established in 1859 Companies in the S&P 400