Unico customises document automation for forwarders

KEVIN MAYHEW THE AUTOMATION of documentation for import and export has become a major focus of freight forwarding – particularly imports and exports to the more sophisticated markets of Europe, America and the Far East. Technical development manager of Rosebank-based software specialist Unico International, Liz Wills, says the company has introduced documentation automation for a significant number of its clients. “We have to customise everything to meet the technology requirements of our clients and we have done that for many of them. We based the solution on what the market requires – and each market geographically is different,” she explains. Although the ultimate end of its investment in technology is seamless paperless documenting and transacting, there is still a “comfort factor” to having hard copies of documentation. Electronic transfer of information ultimately saves the industry money in terms of making the process more efficient and easier to manage. “In many ways, apart from the business drivers, it is also a psychological leap to go from paper to electronics, Freight companies are moving in this direction especially as their competitors are doing so and also as user expectations are evolving with current IT realities like mobile communications, ” Wills says.