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Reducing the threat of cargo crime

Cargo crime is a multi-billion dollar problem for manufacturers, logistics service providers and transport companies all over the world.

Andre Du Venage, chairman of the South African TAPA chapter.

In South Africa, the latest annual data from the South African Police Service shows an average of three truck hijackings a day. Such statistics are not conducive to a sustainable business environment. Losses from the supply chain result is substantial costs – up to five times greater than the value of the cargo itself, damaged reputations, higher insurance costs, and often irretrievable harm to customer-supplier relationships.

The Transported Asset Protection Association (TAPA) is helping industry to fight back by making supply chains more resilient through the adoption of its industry standards, crime intelligence, training and networking.

TAPA has launched a new global campaign to increase the number of companies with TAPA Facility Security Requirements (FSR) and Trucking Security Requirements (TSR) certification. These security standards have been designed by the industry for the industry.

To help companies improve security, TAPA has also implemented a new self-certification programme for the entry levels of its FSR and TSR standards. It is confident that the majority of professional transport companies and logistics service providers may already be at, or close to, this level of certification but have yet to consider the TAPA certification audit process.

In the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, TAPA provides its members with free-of-charge training for in-house auditors and once this is successfully completed, they are able to certify their own facilities and trucking operations to the respective entry levels FSR ‘C’ and TSR ‘3’.

To help both buyer members and non-members identify TAPA certified companies, the campaign also includes a new annual directory of TAPA EMEA certified companies and locations that will be distributed to all TAPA EMEA buyer members.

For more information contact Andre Du Venage, TAPA SA, +27 (0)11 391 6268, andre.duvenage@securelogistics.co.za

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