Logistics – Resource management, from origin to final destination

Logistics is concerned with the processes and management related to the acquisition, storage, and transportation of physical resources from origin to final destination.

While logistics has always been a critical part of many organizations' activities, the wide-spread adoption of web-based commerce (both consumer and B2B), just-in-time manufacturing, and increase in high-volume, low-margin production of goods has brought the security and efficiency of logistic operations into the public eye.

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Top Priorities

Risk can be defined as any event that disturbs the regular operations of an organization. Physical risks can be external, such as a break-in at a warehouse, or internal, such as employee theft. Risks can also involve disruptions caused by manufacturing defects, staffing issues, or disruptions to supply chains and scheduling. Other risks are less tangible, such as failure to adapt to changing markets or business trends.

Key to minimizing risk is to make strategic investments in people, technology, and processes:

  1. Identify and assess potential risks.
  2. Empower employees and partners with additional insight.
  3. Foster resiliency via the careful management of alternate and multi-layered solutions.
  4. Proactively address challenges and threats.

Streamlining operations is central to an organization’s ability to remain competitive. From decreasing the time it takes to route, load, and unload deliveries to optimizing inventories, organizations are increasing investing in automation and adoption of distributed services like third-party logistics (3PL). Increased automation and distribution however come with monitoring and over-sight challenges.

Product defects, lost packages, and process failures cost money, time, and customer goodwill. The adoption of monitoring technology, including video surveillance, metadata collection, and asset tracking can help to quickly identify QA issues, simplify problem ownership, and lead to corrective actions. Resolving QA issues requires processes backed by technology and tools that can:

  1. Detect the problem.
  2. Identify content and ownership.
  3. Share information with concerned parties.
  4. Resolve the issue.
  5. Document issue for future insights.

In the next few years, logistics operators report their attention will be devoted to 5 key areas:

  1. Order-to-delivery lead times – As this involves numerous departments and job functions, identifying potential improvements requires a holistic, cross-departmental approach.
  2. Review standard operating procedures – To help teams work as cohesive units, advanced information flow, error checking, analytics and reporting are required.
  3. Review transportation for cost and time efficiencies – In addition to being a major expense, transportation can affect lead times and loss/damage rates.
  4. Optimize warehouse management – Proper warehouse management is an essential aspect of any logistics process since it affects everything from lead time to inventory management and even product quality.
  5. Embrace automation and reporting – Intelligently deployed technology and systems can improve efficiencies and lead times by reducing manual interference and eliminating human error.

Key Forces of Change

Volatile, Changing Workforce

High turnover rates require organizations to develop HR and IT processes that streamline onboarding, training and employee management.

Environmental Low-Carbon Initiatives

For organizations to make substantial reductions to their reliance on fossil fuels,
a radical rethinking of processes across all business units is required. New technologies can help with these initiatives while controlling costs.

Cybersecurity
Threats

New technologies can greatly improve logistics operations, but care must be taken to ensure they do not introduce new vulnerabilities and risks. Key to this is the careful deployment, auditing, and proactive securing of systems by cybersecurity experts.

The Future

No one can truly predict what the future holds. That’s why organizations need to focus on developing frameworks and infrastructure that empower them to make decisions and implement policies that can rapidly and meaningfully adapt to changing requirements.

Resiliency

Unforeseen events that threaten operations will happen. Organizations need the tools, processes, competencies, and, most importantly, cultural mindset to effectively respond and recover from disruptions.

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The Senstar Symphony Common Operating Platform, along with Senstar’s comprehensive portfolio of security and information solutions, can empower individuals with the information they need to see what is going on, collect evidence for investigations, and response quickly and efficiently to events that risk the physical and operational security of the organization.

Adaptability

While changing market forces can threaten an organization’s strategic plans, they can also lead to new opportunities. Visibility into supply chains and operations can help organizations make quicker, better decisions.

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The Senstar Symphony Common Operating Platform, along with Senstar’s comprehensive portfolio of security and information solutions, can collect and organize data from daily operations, including delivery arrivals/departures, employee activities, and automated processing facilities.

Insight

Effective, comprehensive data collection and monitoring provides the foundation companies need for investigating issues, devising solutions, and implementing corrective actions.

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The Senstar Symphony Common Operating Platform can link timestamped video and images with generated events from tracking and QA devices, enabling investigations to quickly determine the root causes of QA and non-compliance incidents.

Solutions

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Common Operating Platform

Senstar’s Symphony Common Operating Platform provides centralized video, security, and information management. An open platform, Senstar Symphony supports cameras from all major manfucturers, works with industry-standard access control hardware, supports both Senstar and third-party video analytics, and includes built-in support for Senstar intrusion detection sensors.

In addition to site security, Senstar Symphony can help increase productivity and improve workplace safety. Video from production lines and daily operations can be linked with metadata obtained from a variety of sources, including vehicle license plates, face recognition, barcodes and manufacturing equipment. In addition to providing real-time information that can be shared with employees via local video displays, the video can be easily recalled for post-incident analysis or quality control purposes.

Detect wall and rooftop intrusions

As part of a defense-in-depth strategy, Senstar intrusion detection sensors can be used to detect and locate attempts to cut or smash through walls or rooftops in order to gain access a building’s interior. In this application, the sensor cable is routed along the wall or rooftop and works by detecting the substantial vibrations generated by intrusion attempts while ignoring those caused by daily operations.

Virtual guard stations

With its support for intercom systems and access control devices, as well as customizable on-screen controls, Senstar Symphony enables operators to remotely monitor access points, interact with visitors, and control doors, parking arms, and gates.

Automate vehicle arrival/departure tracking

Using its built in Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR) video analytic and workflow engine, Senstar Symphony can match vehicle license plates to container/cargo numbers, export the data for use by ERP and reporting systems, and automated routing directions.

Monitoring loading dock activity

Using data collected by sensors and Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR) video analytics, receive notification of vehicles and activity at loading docks. Link video to package tracking and cargo manifest metadata for use in QA investigations.

Manage employees and visitors

With Senstar Symphony’s access control module and face recongition video analytic, organizations can effeciently and securely manage today’s challenges, including rapidly changing workforces, contractors and visitors, segregated zones, and multi-factor authentication.

Enhance security for sensitive areas

Secure internal, sensitive areas from both external and internal threats, including inventory cages, server rooms, confidential records, and high-risk environments, via Senstar’s comprehensive portfolio, including intrusion detection sensors, multi-zone access control, indoor people tracking, and left and removed object detection.

Detect unauthorized perimeter intrusions

Senstar offers the widest range of perimeter intrusion detection sensors in the industry, ensuring optimal, cost-effective solutions for sites of all sizes and security requirements. Fence-mounted sensors such as FlexZone and FiberPatrol turn an existing fence into a smart fence, while intelligent perimeter lighting like the Senstar LM100 can deter intruders while improving the assessment capabilities of the existing surveillance system. For gate protection, Senstar offers a range of options, including wireless gate sensors, microwaves, and outdoor people and vehicle tracking video analytics.By integrating multisensor capabilities, these technologies work together to provide a unified security solution, enhancing detection accuracy and situational awareness. This comprehensive approach allows for the synthesis of data from multiple detection technologies, significantly boosting the ability to swiftly identify and respond to security breaches.

Articles

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Resources

TAPA Transported Asset
Protection Association

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CargoNet

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IWLA

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Senstar can help protect your operations and mitigate risk. 
Contact our team to discuss how Senstar technology and solutions
 can help address current and future challenges to your logistic operations.

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