A E-Freight Centre will help the shipping community cut down paperwork and time - with time savings of at least 80 percent when they conduct shipping activities via the Internet.

The first of its kind to be introduced in Singapore, the web-based E-Freight Centre is being developed by Singapore Network Services Pte Ltd (SNS) for the Singapore National Shippers' Council (SNSC).

The E-Freight Centre is targeted to be available to the shipping community by the end of first quarter with further enhancements by the second quarter of this year. It aims to link shippers and logistics service providers/shipping lines in Singapore and provide e-commerce services as well as real-time information from various logistics service providers/shipping lines.

Users will be able to obtain competitive freight and service rates, book cargo space with shipping lines and generate shipping documents such as bills of lading directly with logistics service providers/shipping lines over the Internet.

Besides schedules of selected and pre-arranged vessels, users will also be able to get real-time status of shipped cargo, anywhere and at any time of the day.

The introduction of the system is much heralded by shippers such as Mr Michael Toh, Shipping Manager of Metro Pte Ltd. He said: "Besides the search feature, I will be able to book a shipment through the E-Freight Centre without having to make several calls to shipping lines to obtain competitive freight rates. The system will increase our operational efficiency.

"Mr Toh added: "By getting real-time information on the status of our cargo, we can track and manage our consignment of goods for Just-In-Time deliveries."

Conservatively, a shipper takes about 25 minutes to get a quotation of freight rates right up to making a booking for shipment via the phone and fax. The E-Freight Centre is expected to shorten the turnaround time to less than five minutes. Besides doing away with the physical transfer of paper documents, the system will save at least 20 minutes, that is, 80 per cent of the time required.

Mr Raymond Huang, General Manager, Logistics of CWT Distribution Limited, said: "As a logistics service provider, we are keen to tap into what the E-Freight Centre can offer. We are optimistic that the system through its seamless e-commerce applications can enhance the efficiency for the Singapore logistics industry." How the E-Freight Centre works.

Currently, to make bookings or obtain freight charges or track cargo status, shippers have to establish contacts with various logistics service providers/shipping lines directly via the telephone or facsimile.

However, this not only creates voluminous paperwork but takes up a lot of time in two-way telephone and facsimile communication for all parties.

With the E-Freight Centre, these shipping activities can be conducted with the simple 'click of the mouse'. The shipper will be able to request for quotations on services and freight charges, make a booking and even download the information to generate the necessary cargo shipment documents, thereby eliminating the need to contact the various shipping lines and logistics service providers.

Mr V. Mathivanan, Chief Executive Officer of SNS said: "The E-Freight Centre is one of our e-commerce initiatives to create a community portal with application services for the trade and logistics sector."

He elaborated: "Our users already have ProcureNet.com for the purchase of manufacturing supplies, EDITRANS.com for transportation activities and the Virtual Warehousing Management System to track inventory held in warehouses worldwide. The E-Freight Centre will add to the value chain of e-commerce activities to 'E-enable' the shipping and trade communities."

An average of 100 shipping transactions per shipping line are transacted daily.

Mr David Chin, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Singapore Trade Development Board (TDB), said: "Last year, Singapore's total trade was $382 billion, an increase of 8.1 per cent over 1998. This is fuelled by healthy economic conditions of regional economies, as well as buoyant demand for key electronic products.

"To maintain our competitiveness and to propel Singapore in to a premier integrated transport and logistics hub, it is imperative that shippers and logistics service providers embrace IT and E-commerce to enhance their competencies. TDB congratulates SNSC and SNS for taking this bold initiative to equip the shipping community with an integrated freight system so as to keep abreast of the fast-changing logistics developments."

Mr John Lu, Chairman of SNSC, said: "I believe our E-Freight Centre will complement Singapore's vision to be an integrated logistics hub and serves to increase the visibility to the shippers and enhance Singapore's status as an international shipping and logistics hub. In the near future, Singapore will have a first mover advantage to serve as a regional freight booking Centre as the E-Freight Centre holds great promise to provide innovative electronic commerce services to enhance its freight operations to the participating shippers."

Benefits of E-Freight Centre

• Streamlined process
• Shorter processing time, reduced data errors and better audit trails
• Faster processing
• Faster and more accurate document processing
• Reduced costs
• Elimination of lost or misplaced paper documents and administrative paperwork
• Saves telephone and fax costs
• Shorter turnaround time for bill settlement
• Faster document processing leads to shorter turnaround time for bill settlement and thus, improved cash flow
• Better information management
• Accurate information and transactional audit trails for better decision making
• Increased opportunities
• Wider reach of the Internet increases business opportunities