TAPA and BSI collaboration to support growth of security standards certifications and drive digital innovation in the supply chain

The Transported Asset Protection Association (TAPA) has entered into a strategic partnership with the supply chain services and solutions division at BSI to support the digital transformation of its supply chain Security Standards audit processes and to increase its members’ access to new levels of risk management intelligence and incident data.

At the forefront of the collaboration in TAPA’s Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) and Asia Pacific (APAC) regions will be the use of BSI’s Supply Compliance Manager (SCM) online auditing tool to enable the Association’s Independent Audit Bodies (IABs) to automate the certification processes for TAPA’s Facility (FSR), Trucking (TSR), Parking (PSR) and Guarding (GSR) Security Standards. TAPA Americas is also evaluating the new tool with a view to its future adoption.

Following the 1 July 2020 launch of the latest revisions of TAPA’s Facility Security Requirements (FSR) and Trucking Security Requirements (TSR) in EMEA and APAC, the tool will help to support the acceleration of TAPA certifications, which are already at their highest-ever level. It will give the Association:
• Access to previously unavailable data and reports
• Scalability to manage international demand for TAPA Standards from Manufacturers and Logistics Service Providers
• Oversite of IAB performance versus KPIs
• Automation of corrective actions, waiver capture and processing, with access to archive data
• Data sources for Standards revisions and repeat non-compliances
• Future opportunities to customize reports and key findings for members with multiple certifications
TAPA’s IABs will benefit from using a standalone tool for the Association’s certification program to ensure consistency and compliance with TAPA’s requirements.
Thorsten Neumann, President & CEO of TAPA EMEA, commented: “Our digital transformation in EMEA is going to change the way we do business by improving our processes, giving us the ability to manage growth without significant increases in overhead, and increasing not only the benefits we deliver to our members but also to ultimately give them access to digital self-service platforms to access accurate data, support and intelligence.
“The launch of our updated FSR and TSR Standards comes at a time when the international focus on supply chain resilience has never been greater as companies prepare for the ‘new normal’ in a post-COVID world. Demand for our Security Standards is rising like never before. BSI’s auditing tool will ensure we deliver faster and more visible certification solutions via both our IAB partners and self-certification solutions. With BSI, we have the opportunity to build a relationship with a long-term partner which manages audit and supply chain compliance programs for multiple Fortune 500 companies in more than 90 countries. Leveraging this knowledge and expertise will help us deliver more services and solutions to our members than ever before and enhance our strong innovation agenda.”
Tony Lugg, Chair of TAPA APAC, added: “BSI is a highly respected global player that has demonstrated great flexibility and cooperation to us. We believe working more closely together will enable us to deliver more intuitive online and digital solutions for TAPA members globally and greatly support our mission to reduces losses in supply chains by offering practical resilience solutions through our Standards, incident intelligence and training programs.”
In addition to auditing services, BSI and TAPA will exchange supply chain security intelligence and BSI will also provide Subject Matter Experts for TAPA webinars and other member events and communications. TAPA and BSI will also look to develop joint research opportunities, following the publication of their ‘Last Mile Cargo Theft Report’ earlier this year.
Shelley Sjerven, SCM Practice Director, BSI, said: “Our partnership and shared commitment to ensuring supply chain resilience has always underpinned our relationship with TAPA. We are delighted to continue to be a part of TAPA’s strategic digital transformation program and look forward to bringing an innovative approach to meeting TAPA’s objectives. Leveraging the SCM tool will enable TAPA to provide increased transparency through improved analytics and drive efficiencies with streamlined processes through digitized technology. SCM has many new and innovative features that enable greater personalization, deeper visualization and analysis, and connectivity to futuristic technologies. The platform is utilized globally by many industries concerned about resilience within their supply chain including security, cyber, business continuity and sustainability.”