EXECUTIVE OFFERS STEPS FOR INCREASED SUPPLY CHAIN LINK SECURITY

EXECUTIVE OFFERS STEPS FOR INCREASED SUPPLY CHAIN LINK SECURITY    An executive from Target Customs Brokers told members of the trade and customs community that to ensure security in America, all participants in the supply chain must be scrutinized.
   Michael Laden, director of Imports and Compliance for Target Customs Brokers Inc., said industry executives need to look at the entire supply chain from end to end to insure that dangerous goods do not enter American borders from within the supply chain relationship.
   “The fabric of our industry is an intricate weave of complex components and stakeholders,” Laden said, addressing audience members at the U.S. Customs Trade Symposium in Washington. “Every hand-off creates vulnerability.”
   Laden said his company has made it a practice to implement strict security measures in their dealings with all participants in the supply chain. He said security should be part of a company’s business plan and budget in this era of heightened security.
   This supply chain security should be looked at in a larger perspective. “Tampering is global,” Laden added.
   Importers and exporters need to examine all aspects of their supply chain to flesh out any points that could be vulnerable to terrorists. This would require all participants in the trade community to look closer at who they carry out transactions with, he said. “Pinpoint what you believe are the vulnerable areas in your supply chain.”
   Laden added that brokers need to know who has access to the companies they are dealing with, and that this will require additional research. “Tracking a company by company name is not enough.” Brokers need to know the work site of a company that supplies cargo, what kind of security measures the company practices on site, and who has access to the cargo leaving the site. “Perhaps the single most important thing is, know who you are dealing with,” he said.