Have Your Say on the 2026 Revisions of TAPA’s FSR and TSR Security Standards
The TAPA supply chain security Standards are perpetual motion.
No sooner have the latest revisions of the Association’s Facility Security Requirements (FSR) or Trucking Security Requirements (TSR) gone ‘live’ to offer supply chain security improvements or to address new cargo security risks, the entire process starts all over again, quietly at first, behind the scenes, with one simple goal: continuous improvement.
In EMEA, the TAPA FSR and TSR Sub-Teams have just kicked-off the review process for the 2026 versions of FSR and TSR. And that’s where you come in.
Between now and 31 March 2025, TAPA EMEA members are being given the opportunity to review both Standards and to provide valuable feedback to help make them even more fit-for-purpose to protect supply chain operations.
Vigilant spoke to FSR Team Lead, Ron van Nimwegan (DHL), TSR Leads Herbert Anwander (PMI) and Stefano Grotta (Gucci), and Markus Prinz, TAPA EMEA’s Senior Manager, Standards, Training & Certifications to find out what they’re looking for…
What is the aim of the revision process?
To improve the effectiveness of TAPA’s supply chain security Standards in response to evolving risks, and to ensure there are no inconsistencies in the current 2023 versions of FSR or TSR. The challenge is to push the awareness level of cargo crime threats higher and higher, and to be aligned as much as possible to market expectation. The update of the Standards every three years is to ensure continuous improvement, adjust to changes in operating environments, and to incorporate learnings from the previous versions.
Why is it so important members are given the opportunity to suggest changes to FSR and TSR?
The purpose is simple: as an industry Association, our priority is to support the supply chain security needs of our members. Giving our members the possibility to contribute suggestions, leading to ongoing enhancements of the Standards, is also our chance to capture security insights, experiences, and requirements from a large community of professionals in the field of operations.
The FSR and TSR Standards help TAPA members to protect the goods they own or which they are responsible for as part of the end-to-end transport and logistics process. It is key to take their feedback into account, to make use of their knowledge and experience and to be aligned as much as possible to the market expectation.
When do you need members’ feedback by?
Our latest deadline to receive input is by 31 March 2025 but we also ask for feedback as soon as possible in order to discuss each request with our sub-team group members.
Are there any emerging threats to supply chain security not covered by the current Standards that you especially want members’ feedback on?
We are in a period where supply chains are under such pressure for both political and economic reasons. We want to check if we are still in line with current risk and security trends, and to identify if something is missing from either Standard or if we mostly need to focus on adjusting or increasing the security measures which already exist in specific Standards’ requirements.
For example, the enforcement of passive security measures to counter the use of violence by criminals when they target supply chains.
The January 2025 launch of the TAPA Cyber Security Standard (CSS) in the Europe, Middle East & Africa region means this significant risk is now being addressed by a dedicated TAPA Standard but there are also various other factors to be considered. These include counterfeit products in supply chains, social engineering attacks, and supplier reliability as well as tips and strategies to prevent fraud, e.g. bogus carriers.
We want members to be thinking about threats they are experiencing or new risks they expect to challenge their businesses and security.
What types of feedback are you looking for – or not looking for?
We want to receive positive and constructive feedback based on an industry perspective. We are not looking for negative comments offering no insights nor what we would class as ‘personal feedback’ that is more based on one company’s own needs, but which does not provide a potential improvement for all members using the Standards.
We also wish to avoid feedback which is only suitable for a specific product category or certain types of goods. We must always keep the bigger picture in mind and ensure that the requirements remain accessible to the broader user audience.
Of course, all feedback is welcome – but the perfect feedback is always when a member specifies a requirement in a particular section of FSR or TSR and clearly explains the reasoning/justification for their proposed change/s – ideally providing a suggestion of what the updated requirement could look like.
It is also important to have in mind potential added costs linked to any proposed changes and to measure the benefit vs. the cost because we want the use of the TAPA Standards to be as cost efficient as possible for our members. The ROI of security investment vs. the impact of doing nothing is frequently questioned by management.
If someone requests a change, will they be told if TAPA plans to adopt their proposal in the next version of the relevant Standard?
This depends on the number of proposals, but we will do our best to do this after the Working Group has had time to analyse and discuss each change request and decide if it is suitable to be part of the revised Standard. We do ask for patience while this process is being completed as all potential changes not only need to be discussed within our TAPA EMEA teams, but also with the other TAPA regions, so it takes some time before we come to a final decision
Given FSR and TSR are minimum security requirements, is the focus of a revision more about making the Standards easier for more companies to adopt and more cost efficient as opposed to raising the level of supply chain security?
The review aims to enhance the overall level of supply chain security while also making the Standards simpler and more cost-effective for members. We will certainly not lower the security level.
However, we will make every effort to avoid significantly increasing costs and associated expenses. Stating that we can ultimately make it more cost-efficient is risky, as this has rarely been possible. The last real cost reduction came with the rollout of the FSR Multi-site certification option in 2020, at least for larger companies with more than five locations.
Generally, the current set- up of the Standards already allows members to choose between different levels of requirements and their related costs, and to select which level makes most sense for them to use. So, in this respect, the Standards already provide a good balance between security and costs, depending on individual needs.
Additionally, there is the option of getting certified/requesting to have in place the Standard’s Enhanced Options. And, of course, members can always add their own requirements where needed due to specific risks, or buyers can exclude specific ones in tenders if they do not all fit their needs. With all these options, we think FSR and TSR offer good balance and choice. Of course, we will look at this again as part of this review and we will also wait to see what related feedback we receive from the members.
Are any new sections likely to be added in the new revisions?
It is too early to say. If we see a genuine need for a new section, we will go for it, but any significant changes to the Standards must produce real value in terms of the overall security improvement they produce.
Maybe not a new section, but the Cyber Security Enhanced Options should align with the new CSS related requirements, so they are complementary. Now CSS is a global TAPA Standard, it is likely we will discuss whether or not to completely remove or phase out the cyber security Enhanced Option in FSR and TSR in order to push forward with CSS.
When will the new FSR and TSR revisions come into force?
Currently, we are working to a 3-year cycle, so that would make the next revision launch date September 2026.
Anything else you want to say to members in this article?
Make your voice heard! Now is the perfect opportunity to contribute to the development of the next versions of the Standards. Do not hesitate to make suggestions or provide feedback. Please take time to think about changes you believe can add value. These Standards are created ‘by our industry, for our industry’ so we depend on our members’ feedback to enable us to create the best possible versions of FSR and TSR.
Finally, if a member wants to share their feedback, what do they have to do?That’s the easiest part of all. Please forward your comments, ideas or requests to us at standards@tapaemea.org
