In an environment where physical and cyber risks are advancing at the same speed as global trade, ensuring security in the supply chain has become a strategic challenge, as explained by specialists in the panel Supply Chain Security: Strategies and Technology to Prevent, Detect and Respond , organized by the National Council of Logistics and Supply Chain Executives (ConaLog) .
Participants agreed that protecting operations depends not only on investing in technology, but also on strengthening collaboration, planning, and a culture of prevention at all levels.
Francisco Estrada , consultant and member of the Gerson Lehrman Group , emphasized that although cybercrime is growing rapidly, physical theft remains the crime with the greatest impact on Mexican logistics.
“We can’t see them as separate worlds: a hack into a tracking system can lead to highway robbery, and a physical theft can lead to a data breach,” he warned.
For him, the main weakness remains the lack of integration and effective communication between customers, operators, authorities, and internal departments of companies, which limits the ability to respond to incidents.
For his part, Roberto Rosello , general director of Monitoring 360 , stated that criminals adopt technology faster than many companies.
He provided examples of tools such as smart cameras capable of detecting gunshots or suspicious traffic patterns, and monitoring systems that consolidate information from multiple sources to control towers.
The challenge, he said, is for these towers to have the resilience necessary to process data in real time and react within minutes.
For Raúl Monroy, CEO of TMS , digitalization offers the opportunity to anticipate risk. He explained that the use of digital twins and the metaverse allows for the simulation of routes, incidents, and threats, allowing protocols to be adjusted before a real event occurs.
He also emphasized that operator training , including their physical and mental health, is critical to reducing incidents of both theft and road accidents.
On the other hand, Eduardo Téllez , Chief Security Officer of Liomont , drew attention to a rarely addressed factor: the social mentality regarding stolen products.
“In the pharmaceutical sector, an adulterated drug is not only illegal, it can be deadly. If consumers stop buying products of dubious origin, the black market loses strength,” he said.
In this regard, he proposed promoting awareness campaigns and strengthening coordination with authorities to attack illicit distribution networks.
The speakers agreed that an effective security plan should contain the following:
- Integrate physical and cybernetic elements.
- Involve both the security and logistics areas.
- Have clear protocols for responding in the first few minutes of an incident.
- Implement 24/7 monitoring with advanced technology.
- Use user behavior analytics (UEBA).
- Continuously train operators.
- Control transit and rest times.
- Coordinate closely with authorities.
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