In this episode, I was joined by Jim Yarbrough of BSI. Jim is a Global Intelligence Manager for BSI or the British Standards Institute who focuses on security and risk within the supply chain. This can include anything from political upheaval to cargo theft. Previously on the show, I have spoken with other BSI representatives about porch pirates and supply chain theft. For this discussion, we focus on warehouse theft and how certain types of theft have been on the rise due to the pandemic. We also discuss how to prepare yourself for this type of theft and reduce the risk of it happening to your operation.

Key Takeaways

• It is no news to anyone that 2020 was a wild ride and most of the things that Jim’s group at BSI focuses on actually happened in the last year so he is a good source to understand what increased types of theft are out there. One thing that has been on the rise is warehouse theft which has become more appealing to criminals during the pandemic. With warehouses not working and having days where no one is in or around the building it has made for opportunistic times to steal for thieves. Additionally, Jim points out that warehouse consolidation has also been a contributing factor to freight being stolen when it is on the move.
• I’m always interested in hearing everyone’s journey in our industry and Jim has a very interesting one which we get into. He actually has a warehouse operations background. Jim discusses how that experience has helped him to understand his work at BSI more and how to be able to relate to individuals who are on the floor. This is an important note that we have discussed multiple times on the podcast and really helps you progress in your career. It is so important to spend time on the floor and understand what people are really doing for the day to day.
• Since Jim and his team are able to review so many different security incidents they have a great basis from which to give recommendations to operations on how to be more secure. His biggest point in preparing yourself for any type of threat is creating awareness. By being aware of yourself and also making your team aware you’ll be able to know when others are stealing or where potential threats lie. Additionally, employees start to understand what to look for outside of the facility as well which can help you increase your security measures.

Listen to the episode below and let us know how you are protecting your operation in the comments.