Key partners from the four year European Research Project, CORE (Consistently Optimized REsilient Secure Global Supply-Chains), part funded by the EU under the Seventh Framework program, took the opportunity to engage with stakeholders at the recent World Customs Organization (WCO) Technology & Innovation Forum in the Netherlands, organized by WCO and hosted by Dutch Customs.
Consisting of more than 70 partners including DHL, Interpol, TNO and BSH Electrodomésticos España, CORE will look to demonstrate how protecting and securing the global supply chain and reducing its vulnerability to disruption can be achieved.
Nik Delmeire, Project Manager for CORE commented, “Losses related to security in supply chains have been estimated at €8.2 billion by the European Parliament. These figures are limited to cargo and truck theft and therefore do not include other typical security incidents such as counterfeit, piracy and sabotage etc. As a consequence, supply chain security is remaining high on the agenda of governments and boards of businesses around the world.
One of the primary objectives of the project is to enhance the effectiveness of supervising global trade and safeguarding the supply chain security and other societal challenges. CORE will also look to develop real-time lean, agile, resilient and green supply chain solutions offering an innovative approach to designing supply chains which are resilient to major disturbances that can be caused by high impact events.”
The project will bring together the solutions developed in other EU Research Projects including SUPPORT, Cassandra, CONTAIN, EUROSKY, SAFEPOST and e-Freight and will help the EU and other countries introduce changes to existing customs policies ensuring that they strike a balance between public and business needs.
Nik continues: “2014 saw President Obama sign an Executive Order on streamlining export/import processes for America’s businesses. CORE will look to fulfil the promise made by the US Department of Homeland Security and three EU-Commissioners to effectively collaborate in supply chain security (SCS) research and jointly demonstrate innovative SCS technologies.”
The CORE Demonstrators are at the heart of this project and will help to validate the applicability and benefits of the CORE approach in representative operating scenarios characteristic of the global supply chain. They will specifically pave the way towards a global secure supply chain. The overriding goal is to demonstrate substantial gains in security and facilitation covering every major facet of the supply chain security sector.