A new mobile inspection application designed to speed up the release of containers stopped by Customs has just hit the market. Developed by freight technology development maven We Think Software Solutions for cargo inspection company Global Digital Freight Surveyors, the app provides real time feedback on the status of the stopped container with visibility at every stage of the process. “We will never be able to prevent a container from being stopped,” says We Think Software Solutions MD Werner Pretorius. “But whereas in the past when the container was stopped the owner of the cargo was in the dark, he is now fully aware of the progress every step of the way.” Global DFS was launched 12 years ago at OR Tambo International Airport and has since established a national footprint which incorporates Durban, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth in addition to its Gauteng headquarters. “We are there to ensure that no theft occurs once the container has landed, to report damages and to ensure that no damages occur during the inspection,” says CEO Albert Venter. In the past it was a laborious process to transmit the necessary evidence and photo backup. “With the new app, within a millisecond of taking a photo of the container, the picture is on our database and can be accessed from any office in the world,” says Venter. “The real-time feedback is one of the biggest benefits of the app,” says national operations director Shane Botha. “As soon as the inspection starts one of our inspectors pushes a button on the app to say the inspection has begun. “An automated email is then sent to the agent advising him that the inspection has started – and this is all in real time and within seconds. When the inspection is completed the inspector once again presses a button and the client immediately gets that email. Within 15-20 minutes the report is automatically generated by the system, one of our managers checks it, and within 15 minutes the agent will get the report with all the photos and info on what happened with that inspection. “That’s key to the whole app,” says Botha, “ensuring that no time is wasted getting the info through to the clients.” According to Pretorius, the company is building integration with service providers so that when there is a stop they have immediate access to the information in their database. With the app already gaining traction in the market, Pretorius is working on Phase 3 which will take it even further to the pre-shipment stage. “The software will enable the importer or agent in China for example to take photos before loading, as the box is packed, so that we already know what’s in there when it leaves,” he points out. “This will reduce the number of stops – and if Customs opens the box and there is evidence of damage we have already built a case study from the source which will help to reduce the number of stops.” Global DFS identified the need for an automated system to speed up the inspection process and saw Pretorius as the ideal partner. “Although we are very strong in warehousing and transport we have the capability of building different software in the logistics sector,” says Pretorius, “and that’s the strategy of the company for the future.”
New app helps speed up release of Customs-stopped containers
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