Testimonial for Cargo Controller from BDP International
BDP International is a globally operating forwarder that looks after the entire logistics process for many large customers. This also includes customs clearance. The company makes thousands of declarations in the port of Rotterdam every year. Customs declarant Barry Wursten and Manager Customs & Compliance Patrick Hulstaert explain how the new Portbase service Cargo Controller helps BDP work even more efficiently. The company was actively involved in the pilot for this new service.
An overall picture at a glance
“When it comes to customs, every detail has to be right for us. We have always used the service Cargo Information as a way of checking shipping and manifest data. However, the new service Cargo Controller offers much more in this regard. What we particularly like about the service is the timeline. For each shipment, we can see at a glance how much of the customs process has already been done and whether everything is going to plan. Plus the timeline makes it easy to find all the relevant information if there are questions afterwards.”
All operations in a single environment
“In Cargo Controller, all the information is in one place. That’s a big advantage. We no longer have to switch between different modules. Take local clearance notifications, for example. Previously, we had to link a B/L in the service Cargo Information and then go to the service Notification Local Clearance to create the local clearance notification. We can now do all of this within Cargo Controller, including downloading the delivery order. In the timeline, we can then immediately see that the local clearance notification has been sent to the terminal.”
Accuracy comes first
“What we also really appreciate is the information that Cargo Controller provides about the total weight and total number of packages of a shipment, as stated on the B/L. For us at BDP, accuracy comes before everything else. We apply the four-eyes principle throughout. Declarant one prepares a declaration, declarant two checks it. Naturally we also look at the total weights. Whenever there is a discrepancy with the ATO, a mismatch can occur, with all the attendant consequences. The information to prevent this is conveniently located at the top in Cargo Controller. That’s another really big plus.”