TT Club, the insurance provider to the global freight industry remains dedicated to heightening awareness of the risks to security in the supply chain. It has launched a series of brief informative and instructive animations to highlight specific vulnerabilities.
A total of seven animations simply and clearly illustrate in graphic form a variety of theft techniques from driver attacks, false authority personnel and inadequate perimeter fencing to theft from moving vehicles. They are intended to alert all operatives throughout the supply chain no matter their function, location or level of experience.
“Supply chain security is a vital consideration for all actors in the global supply chain, regardless of where they are operating or the nature of their contractual obligations,” comments TT Club’s MD of Loss Prevention, Mike Yarwood. “Cargo loss through theft or criminal damage has always been a concern but the current stresses and strains on supply chains across the world make security an even higher priority for operators and cargo owners alike. Such conditions as cargo congestion, delays, longer dwell times and shortage of secure storage facilities all mean the opportunities for criminals increase. Alterations to well established transport procedures or ‘work arounds’ also bring heightened risk.”
TT has evidence that criminals continue to infiltrate the supply chain with increasing ingenuity, accessing cargo with relative ease and impunity. As exemplified by the screenshots taken from one of the animations above. The means at their disposal, the lengths they are prepared to go and the strategies they employ differ geographically. Where a particular strategy meets with success, it is often used again and in other locations, creating a dynamic risk landscape. Such trends have led TT to design and produce this series of graphic animations, which it is hoped will have universal appeal through their ability to communicate the threats comprehensively and clearly across the world.
“One certainty within the unpredictable dynamics of our modern cargo environment is that freight crime pays,” stresses Yarwood. “This motivates criminals to maintain and expand their activities, constantly striving to identify and target low-risk high-value goods to acquire via a diverse variety of methods. We must ramp up our vigilance and communicate effectively with those at risk.”
