New systems help cope with electronic storage overload

KEVIN MAYHEW RECENT ELECTRONIC documentation methods have reduced the paper requirements for the Customs bill of entry by over 80% but led to increased storage capacity requirements, according to the executive chairman of Compu-Clearing Outsourcing, Arnold Garber. “Each new EDI development embraces more documentation which reduces the amount of paper generated and places records in electronic storage to the point where systems are now being developed to save on memory space. “The old paper overload in many cases is now being replaced by a memory overload and the systems are being adjusted to meet this new problem,” explains Garber. In the case of the Customs bill of entry, it required the submission of at least nine copies for processing. In some instances – such as automotive spares cargoes – listings could take up to 200 separate documents amounting to about 1800 pages of documentation. Electronically the information is now securely accessible on-line to be called up and dealt with on screen until a final completed document is generated at the end. “All the information is stored for five years for records purposes and can be accessed when people want it. The airfreight waybill is also becoming more readily available on-line with automatic tracking and tracing facilities built in as well,” says Garber. To save electronic memory capacity, systems have now been developed which enable users to call up and print the full image of the document only on request.