Birkart spells out the speed and efficiency benefits
THE CYBER future for the global freight industry?
Be electronically-connected, or get out of business. That's the way Chris Venter, IT (information technology) manager at Birkart Globistics, sees it.
The full implementation of EDI (electronic data interchange) in all its forms will have a tremendous impact on the way we do our business, he told FTW. Not only with our partners in the freight industry in SA, but also with our partners outside the borders.
Naturally, this will mean that our partners should be able to do business electronically. Companies which will not be able to make use of EDI will not be considered for business.
This follows the global electronic trend in freight movement, according to Venter.
And the result? More efficient handling and processing of data and cargo, he added.
It also means the entire clearing and forwarding process will be considerably shortened, is how Venter expressed it.
Four hypotheses illustrate how this will practically happen, he added.
First relates to airfreight.
Airfreight shipments could be cleared with Customs well before the aircraft has landed, Venter said. With all the relevant documents being transmitted both to Birkart and Customs.
The request for clearance could take place without any user intervention. That is, the computer system can trigger the request as soon as the data requirements have been met.
You can add another speed - and security - aspect to this situation.
The goods could be collected and loaded onto our vehicles directly from the aircraft, said Venter, without it going into any airline warehouse.
Theft will, therefore, be eliminated, and the client will receive his goods quicker.
There's not the same speed demand in seafreight. But, according to Venter, the electronic passing of information cuts out the error-inducing need to capture manually.
The third productivity-increasing hypothesis is in tracking and tracing.
Tracking - via the Internet or our own dedicated computer - will enable us, and our clients, to establish the whereabouts of any shipment at any time, said Venter. Productivity will increase, because there will be no duplication of data capture.
A final saving is through electronic accounts. With payments in-and-out of Birkart's being done electronically, you cut out the cheque regime, according to Venter, with a subsequent reduction in bank charges.
Electronic connection is the way to go, he said.
