Keynote: Yao‐Hua Tan and Gerwin Zomer


“Improving Security of Supply Chains Through Visibility”
    We will discuss (research) challenges to make global supply chains safer and more
secure by developing new ICT innovations. In particular, we propose a radical shift from
the traditional “information push” model where business have the burden to provide
customs clearance data to the Customs administration to an innovative “information pull”
model. In the new approach, trusted traders (like Authorized Economic Operators), which
can ensure that they are in control of their supply chain operations do not need to submit
any information to the authorities any more for import or export of their goods. Instead
interested governments get 24/7 secured access directly to the enterprise information
systems of the supply chain partners and via a Single Window “pull” information when
needed. This approach is called the Piggy-Back Principle. This approach to develop
electronic customs builds on innovative technologies like Web Services, Service-Oriented
Architecture, RFID, smart container seals and open data and message standards (WCO,
UNCEFACT, GS1 etc.). The piggy-back principle cannot only be applied to provide
government control agencies such as the Customs or Food Inspection agencies access to
business data of companies they have to control, but it can also be applied at a more
sophisticated level. Currently, many businesses apply themselves sophisticated risk
analysis software tools, based on business intelligence and data mining, to optimize their
own business processes. We discuss how government agencies can piggy back on these
risk analyses and reuse the results of these analyses to do their own risk analysis on
companies for, for example fiscal fraud or food safety. In this way piggy-back can provide
many benefits for government inspection agencies. In return business can benefit by
getting in return a “green lane” treatment by governments, which means that governments
do much less inspections on businesses that make their enterprise information systems
accessible for government agencies. We also discuss how the development of these ICT
innovations can be realised by public-private partnerships between governments and
businesses. This research is conducted in various national research projects, such as
Extended Single Window, and international EU-funded projects such as CASSANSDRA,
INTEGRITY, ITAIDE and SMART-CM.




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About the authors:
    Prof. Yao-Hua Tan (y.tan@tudelft.nl) is professor of Information and Communication
Technology at the ICT Group of the Department of Technology, Policy and Management
of the Technical University Delft and part-time professor of Electronic Business at the
Department of Economics and Business Administration of the Vrije University
Amsterdam. He was also Reynolds visiting professor at the Wharton Business School of
the university of Pennsylvania. His research interests are service engineering and
governance; ICT-enabled electronic negotiation and contracting; multi-agent modelling to
develop automation of business procedures in international trade.

    Gerwin Zomer holds a MSc in Industrial Engineering and Management at the
University Twente (the Netherlands). In 2007 he joined TNO Mobility & Logistics as a
senior logistics and transport consultant. Before he worked several years as consultant in
redesign of business processes and ERP implementation processes in several trade and
production companies. As from 2000 he is involved in European research project in
transport logistics and ICT and has built experience in managing large European projects.
Gerwin also advised the Commission on a number of relevant Evaluations and Impact
Assessments of EC policy initiatives, like the Marco Polo Programme evaluation,
Logistics Action Plan, the European RFID policy, a new ITS Deployment Programme and
on Interoperability of Electronic Fee Collection.




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