Security in the transportation of high value-added cargo

  • 18/08/2022
  • 9 minutes

The luxury market is growing fast in Brazil. The forecast is that it will move R$ 29 billion in 2023, according to the consultants Euromonitor International. Not even the crisis that affected the Brazilian economy influenced this segment. From 2013 to 2018, the increase in the luxury market in the country was 26%.

Still, some say that the numbers fall short of the buying potential of this audience, with room to grow even further.

As the luxury market grows, so does the need for additional protection, as well as for any and all value-added cargo that attracts the attention of organized cargo theft gangs in Brazil. According to the vice-president for Armed Escort Issues at Fenavist and President of Macor Security, Autair Iuga, this includes private security activities.

“These include the protection of personalities such as businesspeople and their families (VSPP), of their businesses and residences (private security surveillance), and in value-added products, when moving and storing (cargo escort). All these activities must be regulated and authorized by the Ministry of Justice and inspected by the Federal Police”, he explains.

(Vault of the Santo André Logistic Center, by Wilson Sons)

Technology in Operations

Technology is also welcomed and fundamental in all cases of private security, such as cameras, sensors, alarms, trackers, panic buttons, image recording and storage, among others. The growth of the luxury market in Brazil is due, to a large extent, to the increase in imports, which increases the demand for armed escorts each year.

“Considering this segment, we can say that the rise in imports generated an 8% increase in hiring. Also, the use of weapons, ballistic protection vests, and appropriate vehicles,” highlights Iuga.

For the vice-president of Armed Escort Issues at Fenavist and President of Macor Security, 2022 will be a year of great expectation for private security, when the Security Statute that has been under analysis for almost a decade is expected to be sanctioned. “Sanctioning is now in the final stages, and this is a national need for modernization and efficiency,” he points out. In addition, falling interest rates and possible social security reform are also favourable changes for private security.

Another favourable factor for the security of high value-added cargo is the certifications, such as AEOs (Authorized Economic Operator), which also generate a reduction in bureaucracy, costs and time at Customs. It is worth mentioning that consulting and training with security specialists reduces the distance and the application of the most perfect and appropriate techniques to meet the demand, because certainly only specialized and authorized professionals will follow through to the end of the mission, ensuring the required security.

Secrecy and security

Secrecy is another point to be observed in the security of high value-added cargo – luxury retail, the chemical industry, and defence items. Even before the process begins, with the signing of NDAs (non-disclosure agreements), the cargo security project can only be accessed by the people who are directly involved, that is, specific professionals in the performance of these logistics.

Security is the sum of infrastructure and procedures. These two are directly linked and need to go together for the security of the process. In infrastructure, it is necessary to have strong tools and processes, from equipment with hardware and software to help manage the operation. Wilson Sons has, for example, CCTV systems, operated from a bunker, and a risk insurance company, in an isolated area. Access ends up being restricted for camera operation. There is also biometric control for the areas where the boxes are stored, only some employees are allowed access.

The integrated work is important to ensure the safety of the cargo when it arrives at a border area, airport or port. At Wilson Sons there is an integrated system with the Federal Internal Revenue Service that allows us to know exactly when the cargo will arrive and in what manner. Hence, the logistics are prepared for the arrival of each one specifically. There are alerts that send this cargo information to the depositary and to the gate operator.

In this way, it is possible to verify the vehicle, the license plate number, and, in the maritime case, the container number. There are automated plate readers that guarantee that the cargo has arrived. The driver is already registered in the database, which also offers more security to the operation. When all this is validated, the authorization for the cargo to enter comes. It comes sealed by the Federal Internal Revenue Service, and transit is complete when physical and digital security ensure that this seal has the same number – in other words, they ensure that the cargo has not been tampered with. The transportation system can also identify whether this cargo has been diverted or not because the route is monitored and there is a deadline for it to arrive.

The performance indicators in the sector

To ensure total security for high value-added cargo, it is important to have performance indicators. These are very operational, dwell time indicators. For example:

  • How long did it take for the cargo to leave;
  • Time it took to be unloaded;
  • At what point the cargo was found to be present.

All this is also validated by the Federal Internal Revenue Service. And at the end of the process, after storage, we record where it was stored, such as physical and system addresses.

Wilson Sons has its own performance indicators that can be built according to customers’ needs to measure efficiency in the safety of high value-added cargo. But it is also possible to establish new quality and control indexes based on the needs of each client. A dashboard is assembled and updated weekly or daily, as the case may be.

Operator Qualification

The qualification of operators of high value-added cargo also needs to be high. “Operators must be trained on property security, theft and breakdown. The transportation of high-value cargo requires preparation for action, both in terms of handling equipment, forklift operators and direct handling, so that no damage is done. The operators go through constant recycling to guarantee zero malfunction in cargo transportation.

It is also necessary to take care of very liquid cargo, that is, high-value cargo that can easily be absorbed by the illegal market. This requires greater care in the operation, to ensure that they are truly safeguarded.