Securing the supply chain

PwC, in cooperation with the Supply Chain Management Institute of the EBS Business School, recently conducted a RealTime Delphi survey of 80 panellists in 25 countries. Our new report "Transportation & Logistics 2030 Volume 4: Securing the supply chain" draws upon the results of this survey, as well as incorporating a security risk profile that transportation & logistics companies can use to analyse the security of their operations.

Freight and passenger transport facilities are frequently the targets of attacks, whether the motive be political or purely for profit. Natural disasters like the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan show us only too clearly just how vulnerable our transportation and logistics systems are, when, for example, key commercial harbours are taken out of commission; not to mention the far graver human suffering such events can cause. And with electronic data exchange becoming an evermore critical part of interlinked value chains, worries about data security and industrial espionage are becoming more pronounced.

Reason enough to focus on the topic of supply chain security. Here are some of the key findings that should inform decision-making in the T&L industry until 2030:

• Man-made attacks on supply chains are increasing. T&L companies will need to take security concerns into account when choosing transport routes.
• Greater investments to secure ICT systems from cyber attacks will be absolutely mandatory.
• No supply chain will ever be 100% secure – better technology and well-trained people can make a big difference.