Modular system keeps paperwork simple

“What do consolidation of cargo and a passenger taxi have in common?” “If you decide to call for a taxi to the airport, whether the vehicle transports one or four passengers you will still pay the same amount of money for the trip. Now replace for one moment the passengers with cargo; add to the mix the savings on the fuel, and the arrangements for the trip (logistics), and you have what cargo consolidators have been doing all along,” said Mario Acosta-Alarcon, MD of freight systems specialists, Compu- Clearing. However, Acosta-Alarcon added, a groupage shipment requires more paperwork to pass through customs on overborder trips, which is why any assistance to speed up the customs procedures saves shippers time and money, while lessening frustration. That has always been the premise behind Sars’ installation of the EDI system at SA’s borders, he told FTW. However, shippers require the right software to ‘speak to Sars’. The Compu-Clearing system is fully modular and in full compliance with Sars’ automated cargo management (ACM) system – which enables a direct dialogue with customs using electronic data interchange (EDI). “We can claim that around 65% of all cargo going through SA ports makes use of our computer systems,” said Acosta-Alarcon. “We help shippers communicate with Sars in EDI. It’s a very efficient system. We send the documents to Sars, and the issue then becomes their response,” said Antonio Di Stefano, a sales manager at Compu-Clearing. “From a consolidator’s point of view, we are extremely reliable. We keep track of all items in a shipment. We offer excellent technical support, with a 24-hour-a-day help-desk running seven days a week and 52 weeks a year. We also have a fail-safe back-up system in place – a computer and a backup in case one should fail.” When shippers have Compu-Clearing handle all their paperwork, they rely on the company’s reach and reliability to ensure smooth passage, Di Stefano added. “We charge for this on a transaction basis, paying Sars the necessary customs’ fees after receiving the fee from the customer.” Di Stefano also warned that, while some shippers still did their customs transactions purely with paperwork, they would soon be compelled to acquire EDI software. “Customs is making it mandatory that all companies will have to do EDI,” he said. “It is obviously increasing our business, and more clients are coming to depend on us.” Caption: Mario Acosta-Alarcon ... shippers require the right software to ‘speak to Sars.’