IPCSA GOING GLOBAL

When the International Port Community Systems Association (IPCSA) started life in 2011, it was as a European association with six founding members – SOGET in France, MCP in the UK, Portic in Spain, Portbase in the Netherlands, and dbh and DAKOSY in Germany.

Today, IPCSA has 43 members, including Port Community System (PCS) and Cargo Community System (CCS) operators, Single Window operators, and seaport and airport authorities, drawn from all regions of the world.

It is also a recognised NGO with consultative status at UNECOSOC and IMO. INTEGRATING PROTECT Towards the end of 2019, the standards specialist group PROTECT was integrated into IPCSA as a working group, focusing on standardised and harmonised electronic information exchange.

“When we had our first conference and formally launched what was EPCSA, it was to support and provide a voice for PCSs related to Europe’s Maritime Single Window proposals,” says Richard Morton, secretary general of IPCSA.

“Very quickly we were joined by new members from Belgium, Spain, Israel and then Ukraine. The association broadened out and honestly it became more like a family than an association.”

He explained the rationale further. “We found that everybody was having similar types of issues – but they were willing to share and exchange their knowledge and experience on how they solved issues.”

IPCSA GOES INTERNATIONAL

There were new members from within the EU and then members joined from Israel, Ukraine and Australia. The association became international, IPCSA, in 2014.

“Our members engage with the whole community and as such we are well placed to provide our expertise and knowledge of what is happening on the ground,” says Morton. “We were first able to help the EC – our initial focus – to understand more of what the trade was doing. Then it became clear that Single Window operators faced many similar challenges to PCSs, because it is all about the exchange of data.”

IPCSA soon began working with standards organisations such as UN/CEFACT, the World Customs Organization and ISO. By mirroring the five regions of the UN, IPCSA is able to engage at local level with agencies in each region “and we continue to share and exchange like a family”, he adds.

“If one of our members has a problem, they will either go directly and talk to other members or go through us and ask our advice on who to speak to and how to solve the issue. Our members tend to focus on the specific – for example, at our 2019 meeting in Bilbao the focus was on gate in/ gate out. We had 15 members sharing their processes and experiences with each other, and members were able to pick up tips and hints. “Our other emphasis is on constantly changing and adapting. We are pushing forward with initiatives such as our blockchain Bill of Lading and we will shortly be launching our new Network of Trusted Networks.”

BESPOKE BUT SHARING

The IPCSA Community is a bespoke, private social media network for members, where they increasingly share information. “We see this coming into its own as more of us will be doing remote working – it will help to manage the challenges we face in the world at the moment, due to the coronavirus.”

Uwe Liebschner, customs and foreign trade consultant at dbh in Bremen, is chairman of IPCSA’s customs committee. “I was recently told that as an organisation we are respected for ‘keeping discussion alive’ but also for actually doing things, not just talking about them,” he says.

“Other organisations are impressed because we make real progress in our businesses and are not spending months discussing the theoretical steps in how to set up a structure for the next working group.

“Of course, we can criticise, and we can lobby, but at the end of the day we want to sit down together, share our real expertise and experience, and provide advice and real, practical suggestions. We have various customs services and other institutions coming to us and asking for our ideas and support. I am a fan of open discussion, sharing challenges and solving problems together – that is how IPCSA works, and it does surprise many.”

Being global has its challenges – “we have to be aware of political sensitivities”, says Richard Morton. “But we will keep moving and adapting to the needs of our members while maintaining our core value – a neutral community which through lobbying, practical initiatives and projects as well as engagement with the global, regional and national logistics communities and relevant public bodies act in the common interest of all of our members.”