The logistics industry plays a large role in the global economy. This sector is responsible for the transportation, storage, and distribution of goods. However, as supply chains around the world become more interconnected and complex, they also become more vulnerable to security threats. Companies in this industry must implement robust logistics security solutions to maintain efficiency, prevent financial losses, and ensure customer trust.
What Does the Logistics Industry Do?
The logistics industry involves transporting, storing, and delivering goods from manufacturers to consumers. It entails multiple stages, including procurement, transportation, warehousing, inventory management, and final delivery. Logistics companies coordinate supply chain operations to ensure timely and cost-effective delivery. With goods constantly on the move, security risks arise at every stage, making protection essential to prevent theft and disruptions.
What is Logistics Security?
Logistics security focuses on the protection of goods, facilities, and data throughout the supply chain. It includes physical security to prevent theft and unauthorized access, along with cybersecurity to safeguard data. Together, these measures keep supply chain operations safe and efficient.
Why Do We Need Logistics Security?
Without strong security, logistics companies risk cargo theft, financial losses, and supply chain disruptions. Theft alone costs businesses billions each year. Physical security helps prevent these losses and protects high-value goods from tampering and counterfeiting. Essentially, logistics security is important because it ensures that goods reach consumers in time and in their intended condition.
What Security Challenges Does the Logistics Industry Face?
Securing the logistics industry isn’t easy. Goods pass through multiple locations and handlers before reaching consumers, increasing the chance of theft, tampering, and other security threats. This complexity makes it difficult to implement consistent and effective security measures across the entire supply chain.
Cargo Theft
Cargo theft is one of the biggest threats in the logistics industry, causing financial losses and disruptions. The primary motivation for thieves is to resell stolen goods for profit. They may target shipments at warehouses, distribution centers, cargo ports, or even hijack trucks in transit. Internal theft by employees is another common issue, making security measures crucial at every stage.
Tampering
Tampering happens when criminals alter or replace goods within shipments. This is especially dangerous for industries handling pharmaceuticals, electronics, and luxury items. Criminals may contaminate products, damage them, or swap them with counterfeit versions, leading to financial losses and safety concerns.
Smuggling
Smuggling is the illegal transportation of prohibited or restricted goods through the supply chain. Criminals hide illicit items like drugs, weapons, and even people within legitimate shipments, which not only puts logistics providers at legal risk but also endangers public safety. This issue is particularly significant in the U.S. today due to the de minimis exemption, which allows low-value packages (under $800) to enter the country duty-free. As a result of this loophole, customs processing centers are overwhelmed with small packages, making it easier for dangerous substances like fentanyl to pass through undetected.
Terrorism
Terrorist groups may use logistics networks to move weapons, explosives, and other harmful materials with the intention of using them in future attacks. They can also attack supply chains to hinder trade operations, damage infrastructure, and create fear. These threats not only harm businesses but also weaken public confidence in safety and government stability.
Logistics Security Solutions
To protect the supply chain from theft, smuggling, and other security threats, companies must use logistics security solutions to monitor shipments, control access, and detect illegal activities.
Video Surveillance
Companies can use video surveillance to watch over logistics facilities such as warehouses and distribution centers. Even remote areas with limited access to electricity, like cargo ports, can implement monitoring systems using solar-powered pole-mounted cameras or trailers. These camera systems give security teams better visibility over critical areas, making it easier to spot instances of theft, tampering, and other crimes. If anything happens, they can use recorded footage as valuable evidence for investigations.
Video Analytics
Video analytics are AI-powered algorithms that analyze surveillance footage in real time, detecting security threats such as unauthorized entry, unusual behavior, and suspicious objects. When a threat is detected, the system instantly alerts security teams, allowing them to respond to incidents before they escalate. This technology automates logistics security monitoring, reducing the need for constant human supervision while ensuring threats are quickly identified and dealt with.
License Plate Recognition (LPR)
Since much of cargo is transported by trucks, license plate recognition (LPR) is a useful tool for tracking vehicle movement and securing facilities. As trucks drive past LPR cameras installed at entry and exit points, their license plates are scanned and recorded. Warehouses and ports can use this information to log deliveries and audit shipments. Additionally, the logistics industry can use LPR to detect unfamiliar vehicles in restricted zones, which may be criminals intercepting shipments or attempting attacks. If a breach occurs, investigators can review the logs and narrow down suspect vehicle plate numbers.
Access Control
Access control systems prevent unauthorized individuals from accessing certain areas, reducing risks like theft, tampering, and terrorism. Administrators can assign access to authorized users for specific areas using keycards, PIN codes, or biometrics like face recognition. Applications of access control systems in the logistics industry include doors at warehouses, container turnstiles at shipping ports, and LPR-integrated parking gates at loading docks.
X-Ray Scanners
When shipments arrive in the country at seaports, airports, and border crossings, they must be inspected for prohibited or dangerous goods. However, with high shipment volumes, manual inspections may be rushed, increasing the chance of smuggled items slipping through. X-ray scanners provide detailed images of pallets, packages, and cargo containers, helping authorities to identify illegal items without slowing down operations.
Custom Logistics Security Solutions from 2M Technology
At 2M Technology, we provide custom security solutions to help businesses in the logistics industry prevent financial losses, public safety risks, and disruptions in the supply chain. Whether you need video surveillance, access control, x-ray scanners, or all of the above, our solutions guarantee your cargo reaches its destination safely and on time. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help secure your shipments from start to finish at +1 (214) 988-4302 or sales@2mtechnology.net!
