The Transported Asset Protection Association (TAPA), one of IUMI’s 19 affiliates, held its first conference of the year in Berlin on 27-28 March. The association comprises supply chain security professionals from the freight and logistics industries as well as manufacturing companies, and is a leading provider of security standards for Parking Security Requirements (PSR), Facility Security Requirements (FSR), and Trucking Security Requirements (TSR). A cyber supply chain standard is currently in the making to reflect new realities in which the risk of cyber-crime is constantly on the rise.

With hundreds of members in attendance and keynote speakers from Volkswagen, Samsung and other big names, the conference was once again a great success. Presentations included supply chain security case studies and details on the TAPA standards, as well as updates on data collection via the Incident Information System (IIS). A success story included a collaborative approach of Polish and German law enforcement agencies who diligently worked together during an investigation which led to the arrest of ten suspects and the recovery of more than EUR 100,000 of stolen goods. This initiative is part of a new EU-funded Project CARGO which aims to disrupt organised crime groups involved in freight thefts across Europe.

Alarming information about the indirect costs which occur on top of the expenses for the lost goods was shared. Several presenters emphasised that indirect costs such as business interruption, penalties for delivery delays, cost of additional security measures, reputational damage and other costs add up to an amount significantly higher than the mere value of the goods stolen. These major additional costs need to be factored into the equation and deliver a strong argument in favour of raising the importance of the issue of cargo theft. This should be helpful to bring it to the attention of policymakers around the world.