A total of 11 manufacturers and three logistics providers that import products into the US participated in the study. The university says these companies all received security benefits from their investments, such as reduced vulnerability to acts of terrorism and natural disasters and energy shortages.
Companies that were able to quantify their benefits reported a 48% decrease in customs inspections, a 29% decrease in transit times, a 14% reduction in theft in inventory management, a 50% improvement in supply chain asset visibility, and reduced their excess inventory by 14%.
Other findings included an increase in automated handling of their imports by 43%, and a 21% reduction in time taken to identify problems.
Adrian Gonzalez from ARC advisory group commented, security must be embedded within supply chain processes, across the entire source, make, and deliver spectrum. Implementing process controls improves both the security and the financial integrity of supply chains.
