PROTECT & SERVE

You don’t need to be that much of a frequent traveler to realize that security is a much greater concern these days. With seemingly regular attempts to blow up jet planes, it is not too surprising that there is much greater scrutiny of who and what is allowed get on board an aircraft.

Hence we have come to expect more intensive baggage and body checks. Although it can be quite tiresome and intrusive – all the taking off of shoes and belts, the no liquids rule, the naked body scanners – we are aware of the clear and present dangers that lie behind the more rigorous security processes.

Although security lapses around cargo transportation can hardly be compared to the death and destruction that can arise from passenger security being compromised, the theft, loss or infi ltration of goods in transit is a significant issue, especially given the increasingly globalised and stretched nature of supply chains. For example, according to the EU, the theft of high value, high risk products moving in supply chains in Europe costs businesses in excess of €8.2 billion a year, with the threat from organized crime increasing.

And in a report, Supply Chain Dynamics in Asia, released earlier this year, the Asian Development Bank noted that along with reliability, time compression, and cost reduction, security has become one of the necessary preconditions for high-performance supply chain management capable of guaranteeing high economic performance.

A ramp up of its security capability was a key plank in TNT’s latest investment (€4.5 million) in its Asia Road Network (ARN), which was announced last month. And that surely makes sense for a company that carries high-value electronics and pharmaceutical goods, because how to gain the trust of global, brand-name customers if you cannot both protect and serve?

So TNT’s new fleet of 41-foot trucks comes equipped with advanced security features, including real-time GPS tracking back to a central control room, driver ID, CCTV cameras, twoway voice, immobilizer, panic button, and cargo door sensors.

The primary aim of all this technology is to ensure that vehicles do not deviate from predefined and approved routes as well as prevent unauthorized stops and cargo door openings. Indeed, according to TAPA (Transported Asset Protection Association) research, more than 62 percent of losses incurred on road freight transport happens en-route, or while the truck is away from the secure depots.

When he spoke to me for this month’s C-Level Conversation column, TNT regional chief Onno Boots was adamant about the critical role of security in the express logistics provider’s playbook: “We spend a lot of time getting our processes certifi ed and audited. Because if you want to serve the hightech sector then you absolutely have to be secure. And that means you have to invest in technology and you have to invest in knowledge.”