Stolen merchandise posing problems for logistics
A report recently published by BSI, says that merchandise theft remains a major risk for logistics. In 2015, the report estimated that goods valued at $22.6 billion were stolen worldwide.
In light of this, it is perhaps unsurprising that South Africa experienced a 30% increase in truck hijacking in the previous year, with thieves employing increasingly more violent methods and targeting more expensive goods.
The same pattern was repeated in India and China, with both countries experiencing more frequent and increasingly well organized and thought out attacks.
The terrorist attacks that hit Europe at the end of the year also caused problems in the supply chain as border controls have, for example, cost the Belgian trade $3.5 million. Terrorist networks are also implicated in the trafficking of stolen goods between the Middle East and Europe.
However, theft is not the only risk highlighted by the recent report. Other factors include the disturbance of migratory flows, economic difficulties in South America and China, the social problems in Africa as well as extreme weather events are all factors which have severely impacted on the logistics industry globally.
Jim Yarbrough, global intelligence program manager for BSI, commented on the statistics, stating that “Companies are facing an increasingly wide range of challenges to their supply chain, from human rights issues to acts of violent theft and natural disasters,”
