Transformation of Security Concepts: BCP for supply chains, governments, and communities

Abstract

Two major disasters occurring in 2011—the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Thailand Floods—taught us that when the supply of certain parts stops, the factories of multinational companies are easily forced into shutdown. Taking these situations into account, each supply chain group is trying to introduce cooperative Supply Chain BCP (Business Continuity Plan) and reflect it on the BCPs of each member. Likewise, the national and local governments are preparing government BCPs which aim to prioritize and restore services under limited resources at the time of disaster. This paper proposes that local governments and private companies operating in the same area, such as industrial parks, share an Area BCP which could strengthen area-wide resilience against disaster through, for example, uniform control of emergency supplies.