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(continued) ASEM e-logistics
service (1)
3. International Cooperation for ASEM
e-Logistics Service
Considering the close, interdependent relationship
between trade and logistics, it is appropriate to develop
e-logistics concurrently with e-trade.
e-logistics would help to develop new business relationships
and increase the trade volume among ASEM members with
its broad applicability, connectivity and expandability.
But, building an e-logistics service is neither simple
nor easy despite its usefulness and advantages. So,
it is highly recommended to develop e-logistics functions
step by step through discussion, feasibility study and
pilot project.
The primary objective of implementing e-logistics is
to ensure the visibility of cargo and to facilitate
information flow among ASEM members in collaboration
with e-trade. Visibility in an intelligent cargo and
information tracking system would provide event management
capability, a real-time or near future alert system
and logistics performance evaluation capability.
4. Implementation of ASEM e-Logistics
Service
In the current business practices of logistics service
providers, much of the work and business flow depends
on conventional processing of a large number of paper
documents, which means the process is slow, costly and
lacks the capability to share or reuse information,
unlike the capability provided by electronic documents.
So, a phased approach is needed to reach the final goal
of an ASEM e-logistics service from the current situation.
The first stage in an ASEM e-logistics service model
is to obtain the capability to send booking data electronically,
by sharing and reusing electronic data from the purchase
orders, invoices and packing lists created by traders,
to logistics service providers such as freight forwarders,
carriers and 3PL. Booking container or vessel space
using electronic data, instead of by paper, will help
logistics service providers manage their cargoes much
more efficiently and will ensure the transparency of
cargo flow. This will be a great advantage to trading
companies in terms of competitive logistics costs.
With the electronic booking data, logistics service
providers could create tracking information and could
package the information in a way best suited to their
customers. As a result, visibility that bridges Asia
and Europe would become a reality. This is the second
stage in the e-logistics service model.
Practical recommendations to proceed with international
cooperation to reach the goal of an ASEM e-logistics
service are
- Selection or volunteer of participating member countries
- Selection or volunteer of participating companies
from the selected or volunteer member countries
- Feasibility study
- Pilot project based on the result of the feasibility
study
- Regular reports on the progress of the international
cooperation pilot project to ASEM TFAP Meeting
- Based on the result of the pilot project, develop
recommendations for basic guidelines for an ASEM e-logistics
service among ASEM members
- Spread the ASEM e-logistics service to other member
countries using the basic guidelines
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