Taking technology into the mix

The creation of an IT system that incorporates thousands of suppliers and shippers to reduce transaction costs and increase transparency is can be seen as a smart move, a step a number of Dutch ports have already taken together to improve their competitive position against rivals in the Northern Range.

Indonesia is also embarking on a similar project after commissioning SOGET and Microsoft to implement what it claims will be the world’s largest port community system. This will initially be rolled out in Jakarta before being expanded to include the hundreds of ports located across the Indonesian archipelago.

The idea in both Indonesia and the Netherlands is to integrate each country’s trade within a planned multimodal transportation system, with ports central to the new system as lead facilitators of both domestic and international trade. Cost savings are generated by enabling shippers and other users a single entry point for all documentation and regulatory requirements for export, import and transit procedures.

These types of smart solutions are built upon the application of digital processing and communication, making data flow and information central to strategy. The advantage and result of smart solutions is more effective and efficient match-making between supply and demand, between service provider and customer.

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