After 175 years of supply chain protection, Pinkerton’s approach still delivers continuity and resilience
Global supply chains have faced significant disruption in recent years, bringing supply chain management to the forefront of any business leader’s mind. From economic fluctuations to geopolitical events, strategic planning and risk management are often needed to effectively navigate these issues.
After 175 years in the field, Pinkerton has experienced almost every form of disruption a supply chain can endure. Offering investigations, consulting and risk advisory, AI-powered knowledge products, and protection and response services, Pinkerton is well positioned to help organizations improve supply chain management, especially for importers and exporters, transportation organizers, shippers, freight forwarders, and start-up global logistics firms.
From the early days of the US interstate railroads, Pinkerton has been supporting businesses and protecting supply chains since its inception in 1850. Today, Pinkerton remains the industry-leading developer of innovative security and risk management solutions for national and international organizations.
Time for tech
As new technologies and global challenges emerge, Pinkerton’s leaders believe that the principles underpinning effective supply chain security remain largely unchanged, even if the pace of disruption has accelerated.
This means getting the fundamentals right is more important than ever. The faster conditions shift, the less margin there is for error, and the more important it is to have resilient systems, well-vetted teams, and a steady focus on the underlying objective of maintaining continuity in the face of uncertainty.
Today, much of the conversation in the industry is dominated by technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), real-time tracking, and predictive tools. While these systems have their place in aiding decision-making, offering greater visibility and access to intelligence, they’re no substitute for sound execution and operational clarity.
“The objective of any supply chain is to get your goods delivered safely and on schedule,” states Pinkerton CEO Jack Zahran. “Everything else – technology, intelligence, visibility – should support that goal, not distract from it.”
Return to fundamentals
Such clarity of purpose is something that Jack and his team believe the industry has drifted away from. Today, supply chain risk management strategies are often built around the tools available, rather than genuine needs. Instead of understanding the goal, defining the key priority, identifying potential obstacles, and designing a system accordingly, many organizations are locked into chasing hypothetical threats and irrelevant intelligence.
What Jack’s team advocates for is objective-based security design – a strategy that begins with a deep understanding of the specific supply chain being protected. What is being shipped? How critical is the cargo? What are realistic threats? By working from these questions, as opposed to starting with generic protocols or overly complex technologies, teams can create security systems that are both more focused and more effective.
People, processes, technology
While external threats such as geopolitical conflict or trade route blockages tend to draw the most attention, Pinkerton’s experience shows that internal risks are more likely to disrupt supply chains. Poorly vetted vendors, gaps in handoffs, and a lack of internal accountability can cause just as much harm as a system outage or poor shutdown. 
Companies can work to prevent loss and build digital safeguards, but ultimately, performance comes down to having trusted people across the supply chain and having the right teams in place to act on intelligence.
Pinkerton’s Vice Chairman, Tim Williams, points to a purchasing assurance center the company set up for a major industrial client. “If there was a power outage in Los Angeles and a critical supplier was impacted, we’d flag it immediately,” he explains. “The purchasing team would be notified and could shift to an alternate source before the disruption hit fulfilment.”
This kind of readiness reflects how Pinkerton’s approach is rooted in the alignment of people, processes, and technology. Near real-time tracking, for instance, won’t get a shipment to its destination faster, but when integrated thoughtfully, it can help to optimize inventory flow and reduce waste. In other words, tools may provide visibility or alerts, but they only move the needle when paired with teams that know what to do with the information.
The constant in the chain
After decades in the field, and with generations of institutional expertise, Pinkerton emphasizes the importance of resilience over the illusion of total foresight. The idea isn’t to anticipate every possible threat, but to design supply chains that can absorb disruption and adapt quickly when needed.
The company’s longevity is testament to this mindset. Rather than being driven by the latest trend or technology cycle, Pinkerton has remained focused on outcomes: protecting shipments, maintaining continuity, and supporting clients in critical moments.
As Jack Zahran concludes: “The more I study our archives and look back at our work over the last 175 years, the more I realize that the essence of what we do has not really changed. Threats like theft, disruptions, and delays are largely the same. The real insight – the so-called ‘shiny new toy’ – is understanding that our role is not to reinvent the wheel, it’s to keep it moving forward.”
Integrity is key
As the company’s motto, ‘we never sleep’ represents Pinkerton’s commitment to protecting organizations, their assets, their reputation, and their people. Guided by core values of integrity, vigilance, and excellence, combined with the company’s expertise in the field, Pinkerton will continue to be a leading force in ensuring supply chains remain protected across the globe.