DNT to Look New Projects Beyond Ports

Published by The Star (Economy)

KUALA LUMPUR May 22 - Dagang Net Technologies Sdn Bhd (DNT), which operates the national e-commerce trade and business exchange, will now look beyond ports to focus on other projects covering logistics and also manufacturing.

With the successful national roll-out of the Sistem Maklumat Kastam-DagangNet (SMK-DagangNet), the company now plans to introduce other value-added products and services, its chairman Datuk Dr Syed Muhamad Syed Abdul Kadir said.

Under the Dagang Net system, much of the paperwork was reduced, allowing for quick clearance of goods and cargo via a direct linkage with the Malaysian Royal Customs.

Speaking to Bernama at the recent Pan-Asian e-Commerce Alliance (PAA) 15th Steering Committee meeting in Langkawi, he said the company would also offer its expertise elsewhere.

Dagang Net, he said, would collaborate and link up with parties in ASEAN whose countries had developed their e-commerce infrastructure such as its recent tie-up in Thailand and Indonesia.

At the same time, DNT has offered its expertise in countries yet to have such infrastructure, by forging ties with parties that will run their version of this national system, he said.

It was reported recently that DNT had rendered its experties to technology companies in Pakistan, Syria, Bangladesh and Nigeria who will bid for government concessions to set up an electronic clearing system in their countries.

"Some want us to be mere consultants but some want us to have a shareholding. We consider our options open," Dr Syed Muhamad said.

Meanwhile, Dagang Net which was created to promote a United Nation (UN) initiative to overcome documentation-related issues inhibiting world trade, has been actively involved in regional collaboration with the ASEAN Secretariat, particularly in the area of Customs Administration of the 10-member countries.

Dr Syed Muhamad said some ASEAN countries had not harmonised the UN-EDIFACT (electronic data interchange for administration, commerce and transport) system with their domestic system so they cannot be integrated into the global linkage.

"Since Malaysia has developed it, we can relate this to other countries. These countries will take some time (to harmonise their system) but ultimately they cannot run away," he said.

Dagang Net is also one of the eight-member of PAA which serves as the single window for Asian traders and logistics service providers to exchange electronic business and government documents to achieve the streamlined and efficient cross border paperless trading.

Dr Syed Muhamad said PAA is active to get more membership to support regional competitiveness as Asia is much becoming the world's largest factory and largest market for consumption.

"To be a member of PAA, you must have the infrastructure to allow trading partners exchange documents cross border," he said.

In developing its relationship with other countries, he said DNT will introduce to them the importance of this type of arrangement which will open the window for them to join the PAA.

"They must see the advantage on a bilateral basis first, subsequenty they will know the importance of it on a regional basis," he said.

There will then be complete interconnectivity within Asia itself and the Asian market can truly be seamless for the region's business enterprises, he added.