Businesses of all sizes need to keep their products secure. Every time a product is transported to another node along the supply chain, there is a potential risk of theft, damage, or loss. These events can have a significant impact on a company’s reputation, its customers’ satisfaction, and its own bottom line. Third-party logistics (3PL) providers serve a vital role in the protection of products; a business can outsource its warehouse and logistics operations to reliable 3PL professionals who mitigate these and other potential risks.
Ways 3PLs Keep Their Warehouses Safe
A lot goes into keeping a warehouse secure, and 3PL providers leverage specialized strategies and technology to prevent any single point-of-failure security issue. Here are the common approaches used to keep goods, employees, and facilities free from security threats.
Physical Security
A number of physical security measures are implemented to safeguard customer goods.
Surveillance Systems: A high-quality surveillance system is crucial in ensuring client stock safety and security within the warehouse. This system serves multiple purposes, including deterring potential threats and providing valuable evidence in the event of theft or other security incidents. With security cameras, it is also important to have a service that backs up and archives security footage in an offsite location.
Warehouse Lighting: It might not be obvious, but lighting is vital to keeping goods in a warehouse safe. A poorly-lit warehouse provides an opportunity for thieves, as warehouses typically provide many hiding places for would-be pilferers. Improper lighting is also a safety hazard for warehouse employees and security personnel.
On-Site Security Personnel: In addition to camera surveillance, on-site security personnel are often employed to provide an immediate response to any security threats. Security guards shifts may be included after hours when necessary to keep the facility safe around the clock.
Building Security: Ground-level windows can create easy opportunities for would-be thieves. One aspect of building security entails making windows as difficult to break into as possible by using locks and window bars, reinforced glass, and even steel covers. Open doors and loading bays also need to be monitored at all times to ward off opportunistic thieves.
Security Access Systems: To prevent internal theft and damage, most 3PLs employ security access systems that restrict access to certain areas. These systems typically require a keycard or pin code for entry, which helps to keep unauthorized personnel out of specific sensitive areas.
Alarm Systems: Alarm systems can be a crucial tool for deterring theft. An audible alarm can help by minimizing how much product is lost (by encouraging a thief to flee) and calling security or police to the location of the breach. Different types of alarm systems can be installed, such as a silent alarm, which may allow security and police to catch thieves in the act.
Fire Prevention Systems: Because of the large presence of heavy machinery in a warehouse, the risk of a fire incident can’t be ignored. Robust fire protection systems are necessary; sprinklers, alarms, and fire extinguishers help mitigate potential fire damage.
Backup Power Supply: In a power outage, a reliable backup generator is vital for uninterrupted warehouse operations and security. Warehouses offering refrigerated storage solutions may need additional generator capacity to keep temperature-sensitive goods from spoiling.
Warehouse Insurance: When all else fails, every responsible 3PL company provides Warehousemen’s Legal Liability Insurance. This states that the 3PL provider is responsible for keeping your goods safe and providing reasonable care for your goods. In an instance where negligence on the 3PLs side results in loss of goods, their insurance company will cover the losses to the agreed-upon amount.
Employee Training
A trained staff that is prepared to handle any potential problems is necessary to prevent unnecessary damage to goods.
Safety Training: Providing comprehensive training to all warehouse staff helps keep a warehouse environment in safe working order. Warehouse equipment training and regular safety meetings help keep the workforce updated on all safety procedures. Reliable 3PL providers will also ensure their staff is up-to-date on all OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) regulations while making changes to any potential violations that may arise
Emergency Preparedness: In the event of a warehouse emergency, it’s vital to have well-defined procedures in place. These procedures should encompass crucial information such as evacuation protocols and emergency contact details. Conducting regularly scheduled emergency drills can help maintain staff readiness and quick action during an actual emergency.
Inventory Management
Inventory management is a critical component of warehouse security. Tracking the location of all goods at all times isn’t just essential for optimal fulfillment procedures–it also helps prevent theft and damage by constantly monitoring changes to inventory levels. Different inventory management technologies can be used in warehouses, like barcodes and RFID tags, to help keep fulfillment and theft-deterrent systems running smoothly.
How to Know When a 3PL Prioritizes Security
Ensuring you are working with a 3PL that is serious about the security and safety of your products is very important to ensure you avoid any hiccups in your supply. Here’s how to vet a prospective 3PL partner to make certain they give the proper attention to security.
Ask About Their Security Measures: During the selection process, ask questions about their security processes. Inquire about the items listed earlier in this article, such as alarm systems and employee training; a good-quality 3PL will have appropriate security measures for the types of goods they warehouse.
Visit the Warehouse: If you can make the trip to the warehouse, even better. Ask your guide to talk about security measures during your walkthrough, and take note of any haphazard practices, like cages left unlocked or doors left unsecured.
Keep Your Products Safe With Nautical
Nautical takes security seriously, with procedures and technology in place to keep our partners’ goods out of the wrong hands. Our security system boasts modern theft-deterrent features, such as IR illumination and motion detection. Anything that happens in our warehouse, we know about. Knowing that our client’s stock is safe helps us maintain high accountability and aligns with our mission to provide best-in-class warehousing and fulfillment services worldwide.
