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David Hannon, Managing Editor -- Purchasing, 6/16/2005 2:00:00 AM
A new report from consulting firm A.T. Kearney found that ocean-cargo container security ranks as the top concern among supply chain executives at the largest global import and export companies. Conducted in collaboration with the International Cargo Security Council (ICSC), the report found that executives feel new technology such as RFID could enhance container security as well as improve visibility throughout the supply chain, which could also address their other major concerns about supply chain efficiency.
Container shipments account for 90% of world trade and are growing at about 5% annually. An average of about 14 containers come into U.S. ports every minute. About 95% of these containers are not inspected for weapons of mass destruction or other types of security threats, the A.T. Kearney report said. One chemical executive interviewed for the report said that for certain import and export products, his company is willing to do "whatever it takes to guarantee container security."
Other concerns that ranked high in the report behind security for supply chain executives included: inventory reduction, lead-time variances, stock-outs, and preventing the loss of containers.
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