TAPA addresses supply chain security at Intermodal Europe 2012

Security within the supply chain will be a hot topic at Intermodal Europe 2012 (27-29 November, Amsterdam RAI), during a conference session led by Thorsten Neumann, Chairman of the Transported Asset Protection Association Europe (TAPA-EMEA) and Director Global Supply Chain Security & Regulatory Programs for Nokia GmbH in Germany.

The conference session, which takes place on Day Three of Intermodal Europe 2012, is titled 'Identifying gaps in cargo transport security to improve security and efficiency for the supply chain'.

"In order to identify gaps in supply chain security, there must be a proactive partnership between all parties within the supply chain" explains Thorsten. "As you begin to identify the gaps, it becomes clear that partners are not always connected and this session will be looking at ways to minimise that."

During the session Thorsten will be discussing supply chain security of the future and explaining why companies need to be better prepared to protect goods in the end-to-end supply chain.

"The conference session at Intermodal Europe 2012 will provide an opportunity to explain how important it is for high tech manufacturers making high value goods, such as Nokia, to be able to mitigate risk" says Thorsten. "I will also release some statistics and present examples of some major cases of losses within the supply chain as well as outlining some solutions to help heighten security."

The Transported Asset Protection Association Europe (TAPA-EMEA) aims to identify target areas where losses are perceived to occur and share industry 'best practice'.  Conference delegates will also learn about the latest TAPA standards and requirements, as well as modern technologies developed to increase security.

"I will be explaining exactly what TAPA stands for and why it is not enough to just be a member -it is important to apply these standards across the supply chain" Thorsten says, adding that on average, a TAPA member can expect to reduce losses by 42%.

A study by NEA Transport Research and Training recently reported losses of 8.3billion EURO per year, but Thorsten explains these figures may be much higher. "This is an underestimated topic and a big challenge in the industry" he says. "These figures are still increasing."

Intermodal Europe 2012 is offering over 50 conference sessions during the three day event at the RAI in Amsterdam from 27-29 November. More speakers and conference topics will be confirmed in the coming weeks. Visit the Intermodal conference programme page on the website (www.intermodal-events.com) to see an up to date list of speakers and topics, including a complete timetable for the free-to-attend event.

For further information about Intermodal Europe 2012, to register or to exhibit, visit http://www.intermodal-events.com