Protecting your wares

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Following breaches in warehouse security throughout the Middle East, the regional logistics sector is finally taking measures to protect its valuable cargo from theft.

The recent spate of warehouse robberies in the Middle East has highlighted the negative impact of security flaws within the supply chain, which can ultimately cost millions of dollars to careless operators.

Even the local media has increased its interest in such cases and the extra publicity appears to be working as a motivational force in encouraging companies to proactively secure the contents of their warehouse facilities.

Thankfully, the logistics industry has found a number of saviours in its war against criminal activities, with cutting-edge technology finding a particularly valiant position at the forefront of battle lines.

According to Messe Frankfurt, organiser of the Middle East security exhibition Intersec, over US$277 billion has been allocated to the international defence and security systems market over the past eight years alone.

These impressive figures have received a friendly nudge, at least in part, from sectors such as the logistics industry, which have significantly increased their focus on security operations.

"With the increase in trade and commerce throughout the Middle East, the issue of warehouse security has become very important," says Angela Schierholz, senior show manager at Messe Frankfurt.

"Security concerns have been further highlighted by the media's renewed interest in regional warehouse robberies."

"These reports suggest that inadequate security measures were in place within the affected facilities, including flaws in security technology and the actual number of security personnel that were safeguarding the warehouses."

The bulk of these security concerns were discussed at this year's Intersec event, according to Schierholz, with delegates agreeing on a consensus that the public and private sectors should increase their cooperation in order to improve warehouse security levels throughout the region.

This school of though is further supported by Gilles Ortega, regional manager at Axis Communications, who believes the potential for improvements within warehouse security operations is immense throughout the Middle East.

Focusing on video surveillance over IP systems, Axis Communications manufactures intrusion detection solutions that compliment traditional security methods by providing companies with a direct connection to the local police or other external alarm centres.

"Most companies will agree that supply chain security is critical. The cost of protecting your warehouse is relatively small too, especially in comparison to the amount of money that companies are losing on a regular basis following the theft of their products," says Ortega.

"Video surveillance systems have been traditionally used in warehouses to capture images of robberies in action, which is useful for the quick resolution of both insurance and prosecution purposes."

"These can be supported by remote monitoring operations to provide more specific analysis on low stock levels or unusual activity, such as suspicious motions within a storage area for high value products," he adds.

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