The machines which are used by Property Marking Ireland are called dot peen marking machines and are manufactured and distributed by the UK-based Telesis Company. Property Marking Ireland are their sole supplier in Ireland and are the providers of the training that is mandatory for the use of the machines.

Dot peen marking involves using a tungsten carbide-tipped pin to indent an object with dots to create a visible, permanent unique number. The unique number used in Ireland will be the Eircode of the owner’s residence or business. This unique numbering system vastly increases the chances that the property will be reunited with its owner if it is lost or stolen.

Dot peen machines can mark at a speed of two characters per second, to an accuracy of 0.006mm, and can be used on everything from steel and aluminium to plastic. It can therefore be used in farms, on garage and garden tools, power tools, computers and electrical devices, many mobile phones and tablets, equestrian tack, golf clubs, musical instrument cases, cycles – and much more besides!