Import/export
programmes also upgraded
Clive King . . . warehousing
package will be a strong
future focus.
JACOBSEN’S COMPUTER Freight Systems is about to launch a new version of its electronic customs tariff which will, says director Clive King, abolish the need for a customs tariff book.
“The system will make it impossible to see outdated information,” says King. Exchange rates are updated daily and tariff information weekly.
The new programme will include chapter notes and the Customs and Excise Act, providing a far more powerful tool than is currently available.
Educational presentations will be arranged country-wide to ensure that users reap the full benefit of the upgraded product.
The tariff programme, which is available on an annual subscription, provides various search facilities - tariff headings and two sophisticated word searches - to cater for all levels of expertise.
The second string in Jacobsen’s bow, the customs documentation programme for the clearing and forwarding industry, has also been revamped.
The latest version of the export programme has just been launched and the import programme is due to be rolled out to clients.
The Jacobsen’s product has found particular favour among small to medium-sized players. King recalls with relish the signing up of his first client, Air Imports and Exports, which he’s proud to say is still a Jacobsen’s customer.
At the time managing director, Trevor Stuthridge, was so involved in framing his entries manually that he had no time to see the system. His sister was coerced into arranging for an evaluation of the system, and promptly signed up for it on the same day.
It’s a PC-based, windows programme for imports and exports, both of which have EDI (electronic data change) access.
According to King, Jacobsen’s was the first company to pass an EDI entry via email earlier this year.
And while he purposely chooses not to look at his competitors’ programmes, he says that customer feedback classes his product as one of the easiest to navigate.
Future plans must of necessity take into account the strong move towards logistics, says King, and improvements to Jacobsen’s warehousing package will be a strong focus, he said.
