Faster Cargo Clearance with New System

Published by The Star (In Tech)

THE Royal Malaysian Customs and Excise Department is upgrading the electronic cargo-clearing and duty-payment systems linked to its Sistem Maklumat Kastam (SMK) to provide users with state-of-the-art technology that would expedite commerce through all major airports and ports in the country.

E-commerce company Dagang Net Technologies Sdn Bhd (www.dagang.com) will handle the project.

“The upgrade – to the tune of RM20mil over three years – will mean a revamp of the SMK-Dagang.Net network,” Dagang Net Technologies chief executive officer Saifol Bahri Shamlan said in Kuala Lumpur recently.

“However, the first stage costing RM11mil involves mainly new hardware and network infrastructure,” he added.

The company has appointed TIME Quantum Technology Sdn Bhd (www.tqt.com.my) to provide customers with a nationwide network via its dedicated datacentre in Petaling Jaya.

Dagang Net and TIME Quantum Technology (TQT) have signed a memorandum of agreement to collaborate on strengthening the Dagang.Net portion of the existing SMKDagang.Net nationwide network with new hardware, software and networking equipment.

Saifol said his company has already upgraded its core Customs clearance system to an electronic-service delivery platform running on contemporary Internet and webbased technologies.

The move to TQT's facilities would further boost service resilience and availability, he added. This in turn was targeted at achieving world-class capability and reliability, and providing a level of service aimed at exceeding customer expectations, Saifol claimed.

Explosive growth

The upgrade would improve the automation of the Customs Department's importexport documentation procedures, and enable the introduction of more value-added services.

This began late last year to give customers a competitive edge in international trade and ultimately speed up international trading processes electronically.

“The explosive growth in international trade has forced Dagang Net to retool and upgrade our technology every three years to deploy state-of-the-art technology across our entire operations,” claimed Saifol.

“After 18 months of research, we have designed the next four-year blueprint and have earmarked TQT's new datacentre facility, deemed the best platform for an e-commerce system, to support SMK-Dagang.Net's nationwide operations.”

He said that TQT's facilities in Petaling Jaya were designed according to world-class standards to provide 24/7 (24 hours a day, seven days a week) high availability.

The datacentre is packed with state-of-theart equipment and advanced network connectivity to support all mission-critical activities, Saifol claimed.

Tech giants weigh in

Dagang Net has also roped in several reputable technology partners: Hewlett-Packard Co will provide the core processing systems; Oracle Corp its industry-leading database; Cisco Systems Inc its networking gear to ensure high-availability, reliability and efficient delivery of services; and Axway to power Dagang Net's messaging and electronic document exchange engine.

Dagang Net has been automating Customs procedures for shippers, carriers and thirdparty logistics (3PL) companies in an electronic environment since 1995 with the introduction of SMK-Dagang.Net.

The company is working with the Customs Department on the final leg of a nationwide rollout to extend the SMK-Dagang.Net service to all ports and airports in the country, as well as “border-crossing” points, including those in Sabah and Sarawak.

Saifol said Dagang Net also plans to take its homegrown services abroad by collaborating with partners in South Korea, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nigeria, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos to help set up value-added networks in those countries.

Established in 1989, Dagang Net handles about RM1.8bil worth of electronic Customs duty payments per year and about 40 million electronic document transfers annually between members of its trading community.

This community comprises manufacturers, freight forwarders, shipping agents, terminal and port operators, port authorities and banks.