Singapore’s largest port operator, PSA International (PSA), is working with the company that developed the country’s digital trade platform, Global eTrade Services (GeTS) Asia, to develop a global supply chain platform called ‘CALISTA’.
The purpose of CALISTA, an abbreviation of ‘Cargo Logistics, Inventory Streamlining and Trade Aggregation’, is to facilitate trade between a range of logistics players and stakeholders by managing the physical movement of goods, trade financing and compliance in a digital eco-system.
Selected-users will take part in a trial of the technology in the first phase of CALISTA, which will cost approximately US$ 15 million.
The development of CALISTA will use GeTS’s existing suite of global trade connectivity services, which work closely with various national trade, regulatory and other supply chain platforms, to facilitate cross-border trade and help global shippers meet regulatory and compliance requirements from government agencies and trade associations around the world.
PSA and GeTS want CALISTA’s users to benefit from a reduction in data duplication, automated handshakes across nodes, improved authenticity of data flow and access to accurate and up-to-date status visibility of goods.
The global trade platform will also serve as an accelerator for partnerships between the manufacturing, logistics and port operators such as PSA, which wants CALISTA to develop new intermodal transport corridors to achieve shorter transit times, better cost efficiencies and more optimized inventory management.
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CALISTA’s existing partnerships include Singapore agencies such as the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Economic Development Board (EDB), the National Trade Platform (NTP), and will include more Singapore-based shippers and LSPs as the project goes on.
DBS Bank will provide financial and banking technology services in the PSA-GeTS partnership by organizing seamless trade financing solutions and the necessary risk management frameworks for the community of users.
Tan Chong Meng, Group CEO of PSA, said: “I am excited by the possibilities that CALISTA can open up across the global supply chain – greater cargo flow visibility and improved coordination benefits everyone, from manufacturer to consumer.
“PSA believes that a global platform like CALISTA will be the catalyst for breakthroughs in realising the full benefits of global supply chain digitalisation.
“Developed as an open platform, it will be instrumental in fostering closer collaboration amongst manufacturers, LSPs and other stakeholders.
“CALISTA will benefit from the strong synergies between PSA’s domain knowledge and physical assets which handle a large volume of cross border trade, and GeTS’s capabilities in digital trade connectivity services.”