Customs shaves hours off JIA clearances

Electronic pilot zooms into action CUSTOMS HAS reduced the cycle time for the processing of bills of entry at Johannesburg International Airport to less than two hours following the implementation of its electronic pilot project on May 3. That's the word from customs project director Itchy Shaik who told FTW last week that the system was working exceptionally well and was expected to be rolled out at all South African ports of entry by the year end. The paperless option is available to all accredited Customs clients Ð currently there are 19 Ð who include some of the industry's biggest movers by volume. Gaining accreditation is a simple process for companies with a clean record, according to Shaik. Clients merely fill in the DA 186 form which is available on the SARS website Ð www.sars.gov.za. It's a self-assessment form in which the client must prove an appropriate record of compliance with Customs legislation and procedures for a period of five years immediately preceding the application. A number of factors from computer systems to financial resources are taken into account (FTW April 19, 2002), and based on these SARS will either grant accreditation or turn down the application. Accredited clients will be assessed annually and if discrepancies arise, they will be liable for high penalties. As the pilot scheme kicked into gear, one delighted client was Ršhlig Grindrod. "I believe we are at the dawn of a new era in respect of e-commerce," operations director Brian Mulligan told FTW. He reported an average clearance time of 35 minutes last week, with some clearances effected in just five minutes. This compares with an average in January of 54 hours. "With this new facility we'll be able to clear over the weekend, get release up front and be ready to deliver on Monday morning, a day earlier than in the past," he told FTW. And according to Shaik, the system has had a knock-on effect for all clients. "Because paper work has dropped we've been able to increase our efficiency by 50% for non-accredited clients." The pilot phase is planned to last one month. "Once we have ensured that the system is stable we will produce a roll-out plan based on operational needs."