The Royal Malaysian Customs Department (RMCD) has joined TradeLens, the blockchain-enabled platform from IBM and A.P. Moller-Maersk (Maersk) as it looks to modernise the shipping processes, create greater transparency and enhance customer satisfaction.
A statement from Tradelens said the inclusion will support Malaysia’s effort to promote trading and economic stability by facilitating ease of doing business.
By digitizing shipping processes — TradeLens will provide RMCD with an automatic and immutable tracking tool which will lead to a more highly secure, transparent, efficient and simpler workflow, with near real-time information sharing from a diverse network of ecosystem members, it said.
Is Malaysia a major maritime nation?
TradeLens is a digital global trade platform that enables more efficient and accurate container tracking and information sharing among platform members. It digitizes the voluminous, time consuming paper-based shipping processes.
Paper-based procedures are said to have created some pain points throughout the global supply chain system, with the WTO estimating digital technologies will have a profound impact on global trade, adding up to 34% to trade growth by 2030. With TradeLens, authorities will now be able to receive shipping data as soon as containers leave the port of origin.
TradeLens will give RMCD more time to prepare for the arrival of shipments and enable more efficient and thorough fraud and forgery inspection as well as a more consistent and transparent revenue collection process.
With the Collaboration Application Programming Interface [API] concept, all logistic activities including trucking, warehousing, shipping and freight forwarding at both domestic and global levels can now be integrated which will also improve the sharing of data-rich information through a single platform.
The blockchain technology inside the TradeLens platform promotes trust among trading partners as the record of all transactions is shared within the network and permissioned parties can access the data in real-time.
“We are delighted to work together with IBM and Maersk to digitize our operations,” said Dato’ Sri Abdul Latif bin Abdul Kadir, Director-General of Royal Malaysian Customs Department.
“By joining TradeLens, we aim to boost the efficiency, transparency and collaboration across supply chains. TradeLens will help us bring further visibility in a highly secure environment and will be a real asset for trade and transport facilitation, making Malaysia the preferred logistics and transport gateway in the region.
“We hope it will enable us to fulfill our mission to facilitate legitimate trade, help combat smuggling and modernize the national logistics systems in support of Malaysia’s digital economy aspirations.”
Marvin Erdly, Head of TradeLens, IBM Blockchain, also commented: “TradeLens aims to bring innovation to the global trade ecosystem, and customs authorities play a critical role in this transformation.”
“Using our platform, Royal Malaysian Customs Department will have permissioned visibility into supply chain activities with verified, highly trusted and near real-time data. This is an important milestone on their continuing digitization journey while they improve compliance and facilitate more efficient trading.”
RMCD joins a number of government authorities, shipping agencies, ocean carriers and port to have partnered with IBM and A.P. Moller globally.
Catherine Lian, Managing Director, IBM Malaysia added: “I believe that TradeLens and the implementation of blockchain technology in various forms will drive the modernisation and facilitation of trade and benefit all stakeholders in the logistics ecosystem.”
“We are pleased that RMCD is pioneering the digital transformation by collaborating with IBM and Maersk in bringing TradeLens to Malaysia.”
The collaboration reflects our commitment to consistently support the government’s vision to develop a knowledge-based digital through the socialization of transformative technologies.
“This is truly a public and private sector partnership with the aspiration to deliver higher value to their respective constituents and to prepare Malaysian businesses for the challenges and opportunities arising from trade liberalization and globalization,” Lian added.
