In this episode, I connected with Tony Pelli of BSI. Tony is the Practice Director of Security and Resilience for BSI and he came on to talk to me about how theft in the supply chain is increasing especially around PPE due to increased demand. We also discuss how to prevent theft in general and how to make sure your supply chain is more secure. You may remember that I also spoke to David Fairnie of BSI back on Episode 45 about theft within the last mile.

Key Takeaways

• BSI stands for the British Standards Institution which helps create standards for companies to increase their resiliency. They cover multiple different industries but focus a lot on the supply chain which helps to identify where certain risks may exist in global supply chains. The information and risk assessments they provide can help to strengthen your supply chain and reduce the potential of theft or other issues.
• Tony highlights how the increased demand for products moving through the supply chain due to the pandemic has created more opportunities for theft. Due to consumer behavior shifting to more online purchasing there is more product moving through all aspects of the supply chain with some in high demand (we all remember the great toilet paper rush) causing more opportunities for gaps in security. Another driver of these gaps is the scramble for some companies who are looking to meet demand or enter into a channel that they may have not previously been in. With the rush to enter these channels they may be overlooking some security aspects and other preventative measures.
• When it comes to in-demand items, PPE or personal protective equipment had an incredible spike in many places. With no previous high demand for PPE like we have seen in recent months, it created a very surprising market for these items like masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer. Tony discusses how theft has increased for these items and how a black market has developed as people are desperate to get these items and are not concerned about where it is coming from. He gives an example of how a full truck of masks was stolen at a value of half a million dollars. What we can take away from this theft is that there are people targeting and tracking these loads to steal them so they are not so many opportunistic theft occurrences.
• One of the most interesting parts of the discussion for me is hearing some examples of actual theft that has happened. Not only is it fascinating how creative and clever some of the schemes are but it is a great way to learn different ways that you should be securing your supply chain. It is pretty incredible to hear the different types of thefts especially the level of fraud that goes on. Tony discusses how individuals will put fake signs on their trucks, claim to be picking up something that is not theirs, or even gets truck driver’s cell phone numbers to reroute them.