New export requirements call for a review of systems

Now is the time for all those
involved in the export process to
consider the suitability of their
current systems and evaluate them in terms
of functionality, in the view of Jonathan
Sims of Core Freight Systems, a provider
of IT applications for South African
forwarding and customs clearing operators.
“The requirements of systems used in
the processing of export transactions have
traditionally been less demanding than
those in place for imports, primarily due
to the absence of customs duty and VAT
on an export transaction,” Sims told FTW.
“This position may well be changing with
the advent of Sars’ requirements in respect
of EDI, UCR and MAS, and the ‘paperless
environment’ initiative.
“Given this it may be worthwhile for
those involved in the export process
to establish if their systems provide
the optimum functionality, with the
objective of improving the quality of data
processing, ensuring compliance with
Sars and driving down costs.”
Perishables and mining commodity
exports are obvious examples of industries
that would benefit from this kind of
review, in his view. “In addition exports
by project type operators and the motor
industry, although currently depressed,
present an opportunity for companies to
leverage their IT investment.”
The CoreFreight application is
designed to improve internal operational
efficiencies, enhance management
control and, where applicable, facilitate
better transfer of information between
the importer/exporter and his agent, says
Sims. “These features are available in
both the imports and exports processes.
“The company uses modern windowsbased
technology to support a logical
process-flow that is easy to learn and is
fully comprehensive, allowing staff an
opportunity for personal development and
to cross-skill for the benefit of
their employer.
“The application includes a Personal
Task Manager, which allows the operator
to manage his own work across multiple
files, detailed audit trails, integrated file
profitability analysis. A wide range of
reports is available for both internal use
and to communicate with external parties.
A document image storage facility is
integrated into the application allowing for
simple access to information and internetbased
tracking of transactions
is available.”
According to Sims, Core Freight
Systems has a broad user base and has
cost-effective solutions for small, medium
and large operators.
“The idea is that the application
provides more than simply a tool for
producing documents – it is a mechanism
for managing and controlling the
forwarding and clearing processes at both
the individual and organisational level.”