Ensuring the security of any business activity is the foundation for the proper execution of that activity and its desired quality. Ensuring the security of the logistics process is also an extremely important element in ensuring its efficient and effective implementation. Security issues have always occupied an important place in the area of considerations regarding the TSL industry.
In recent years, however, the issue of ensuring the security of logistics services has taken on particular importance. There is an increasingly strong emphasis on the need to “go beyond” the scope of shaping security within individual branches of transport or management. Offering comprehensive logistics services by many service providers requires normative arrangements and other security initiatives that would take into account the complexity of logistics processes in terms of the number of entities involved in the implementation of a given process, their diversity, the scope of activities, etc. It must be firmly stated that the level and scope of arrangements regarding the provision of security in logistics is insufficient and any initiatives in this direction are highly desirable.
Security of supply chains in global logistics systems <\/strong>
Ensuring the security of supply chains is the primary goal of logistics. At the root of logistics postulates, such as: ensuring the right resources in the right place, time, quantity, quality, etc., in the era of modern globalization processes, another postulate of security emerges. The postulate of logistics system security has been gaining enormous importance in recent years. This state of affairs is influenced primarily by the processes of economic globalization, the unprecedented threat of terrorism to the implementation of logistics processes, or plans for strategic investments, the implementation of which may determine the very existence of entire nations (for example, in the energy sector). In recent years, many actions have been taken on the international forum aimed at improving the security of supply chains. The first legal frameworks aimed at improving supply security in Europe concerned regulations increasing the level of security for air transport and airports, as well as maritime transport and seaports. In 2003, the European Commission issued a communication addressed to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee, and the Committee of the Regions regarding the improvement of security in maritime transport. The heads of state of the European Union, by signing a declaration on combating terrorism, advocated for the extension of security procedures in supply chains to other types of land transport. Maritime and air transport, as links in the supply chain, compared to transport chains as a whole, are characterized by relatively low complexity, with a relatively small number of economic entities conducting their activities in specific relationships and geographical locations. It is estimated that about 5 million enterprises participate in the implementation of tasks that make up supply chains in the EU. These are, of course, very large international companies, but also tiny service enterprises. Most of them do not manage process security, and the building of security standards is only just beginning.
It should be realized that supply chain security is a very broad and complex category, and that it is shaped not only by factors of potential terrorism (as a threat that could have the greatest impact). A number of other factors, including climatic conditions, unforeseen events (accidents), have an impact on the security of supply chain implementation. It should also be realized that supply chain security must be perceived through the prism of all entities implementing a given logistics chain. Prevention in the field of security of logistics process implementation at the level of individual entities seems to be implemented, at least to a greater or lesser extent. An example in this regard can be the provisions of the ADR convention in road transport. The problem of ensuring the security of supply chains has been current for a long time, and not just since the moment of spectacular terrorist events. This problem constitutes, for example, the basis for all actions aimed at increasing the quality level of logistics services. The issue of quality is directly related to logistics and should be considered one of the basic determinants of shaping supply chain security. Quality standards, including those such as ISO, HACCP, SQAS, etc., significantly increase the level of quality, and thus also the security of logistics services. A number of currently existing regulations, legal norms, and rules, including the aforementioned ADR convention, AETR, rules for storing dangerous products, etc., constitute only a “fragmentary” approach that does not provide a “new quality” to the problem of comprehensive supply chain security.
The article comes from the magazine “Logistyka” 6/2008.
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Security of supply chains in global logistics systems <\/strong>
Ensuring the security of supply chains is the primary goal of logistics. At the root of logistics postulates, such as: ensuring the right resources in the right place, time, quantity, quality, etc., in the era of modern globalization processes, another postulate of security emerges. The postulate of logistics system security has been gaining enormous importance in recent years. This state of affairs is influenced primarily by the processes of economic globalization, the unprecedented threat of terrorism to the implementation of logistics processes, or plans for strategic investments, the implementation of which may determine the very existence of entire nations (for example, in the energy sector). In recent years, many actions have been taken on the international forum aimed at improving the security of supply chains. The first legal frameworks aimed at improving supply security in Europe concerned regulations increasing the level of security for air transport and airports, as well as maritime transport and seaports. In 2003, the European Commission issued a communication addressed to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee, and the Committee of the Regions regarding the improvement of security in maritime transport. The heads of state of the European Union, by signing a declaration on combating terrorism, advocated for the extension of security procedures in supply chains to other types of land transport. Maritime and air transport, as links in the supply chain, compared to transport chains as a whole, are characterized by relatively low complexity, with a relatively small number of economic entities conducting their activities in specific relationships and geographical locations. It is estimated that about 5 million enterprises participate in the implementation of tasks that make up supply chains in the EU. These are, of course, very large international companies, but also tiny service enterprises. Most of them do not manage process security, and the building of security standards is only just beginning.
It should be realized that supply chain security is a very broad and complex category, and that it is shaped not only by factors of potential terrorism (as a threat that could have the greatest impact). A number of other factors, including climatic conditions, unforeseen events (accidents), have an impact on the security of supply chain implementation. It should also be realized that supply chain security must be perceived through the prism of all entities implementing a given logistics chain. Prevention in the field of security of logistics process implementation at the level of individual entities seems to be implemented, at least to a greater or lesser extent. An example in this regard can be the provisions of the ADR convention in road transport. The problem of ensuring the security of supply chains has been current for a long time, and not just since the moment of spectacular terrorist events. This problem constitutes, for example, the basis for all actions aimed at increasing the quality level of logistics services. The issue of quality is directly related to logistics and should be considered one of the basic determinants of shaping supply chain security. Quality standards, including those such as ISO, HACCP, SQAS, etc., significantly increase the level of quality, and thus also the security of logistics services. A number of currently existing regulations, legal norms, and rules, including the aforementioned ADR convention, AETR, rules for storing dangerous products, etc., constitute only a “fragmentary” approach that does not provide a “new quality” to the problem of comprehensive supply chain security.
The article comes from the magazine “Logistyka” 6/2008.
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