Saigon Newport implements digital transformation to serve businesses

	Many questions on typical import-export goods have been solved by HCM City Customs
	Handling procedures for transit goods backlogged at Cat Lai port quickly
	Prosecute a case of infringing industrial property of SAIGON VIETNAM BEER
	Handling more than 1,100 imported scrap containers backlogged at HCM City

Many technology applications have been implemented by Saigon New Port to serve import and export goods. Photo: T.H

Digital transformation in customer service

As a leading enterprise in the seaport industry, with an import and export market share of more than 50% of the country, Saigon Newport Corporation (Saigon New Port - SNP) applied technology and techniques to production and business activities very early on. Now, the unit is promoting more comprehensive digital transformation in customer service, corporate governance and towards the complete eSNP digital ecosystem to achieve the best business efficiency. The initial successes in the digital transformation plan of SNP create a positive impact for the future of Vietnam's logistics industry.

Eport was officially put into use in 2012 with the original function of providing information about containers, ships, list of imported and exported containers and tools to monitor ship release. Now, the ePort has had additional functions such as: online declaration and payment; e-invoice; integrate loyalty programme; and will complete the function of liquidation and automatic entry of ships in the fourth quarter of 2020. Due to these features, for export containers, customers do not need to go to the port to do procedures but perform them via the ePort.

With the ePort system, goods imported and exported through Cat Lai port are automatically monitored. The automatic customs supervision system at the port has been implemented since October 2018, significantly shortening time for procedures and clearance. The waiting time at the gate was cut from 13 minutes to six minutes; and the time for electronic customs clearance was reduced by two minutes per container.

This is one of the important factors that helps minimise traffic congestion at the port, in procedure areas as well as on routes in and out of the port, contributing to increasing labour productivity and reducing significant personnel costs in many departments. The throughput of goods through Cat Lai port increased 17%, while personnel of the procedure department decreased by 43%, and the cashier department fell by 36%.

One of the breakthroughs in the SNP’s implementation of the electronic port project is the application of electronic delivery order at the port, with eDO replacing conventional delivery orders using electronic data transmission.

Truong Tan Loc, marketing director of SNP, said the eDO was one of the important solutions shortening the time for procedures, saving costs for businesses, general costs for the society, and reducing traffic congestion around the port. Many customers are satisfied when applying the eDo thanks to its benefits such as: saving costs, transmitting and receiving data accurately, safely and especially reducing direct contact - an important factor in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic.

This programme has been extended to apply at Hai Phong Newport International Container Port, Tan Cang - Hiep Phuoc Port and Cai Mep port cluster.

Towards digital ecosystems

Recently, SNP has deployed a seaport security surveillance system based on technology. This system integrates control ports, cameras and digital maps to control the entire inside and outside area. It uses machine learning technology and artificial intelligence in analysis of fire incidents and insecurity through images and automatic alerts to the Port Security Centre, helping to proactively and promptly monitor activities.

SNP has dozens of member companies stretching from the south to the north with 8,600 staff members of the corporation and more than 10,000 employees of satellite units. Digital transformation helps the management of human resources and work management and paper records to be more convenient and accurate. The corporation is applying digital signatures and document rotation, work management on the electronic office system for both website and mobile versions. This helps improve efficiency in document approval, management and administration; save time; and save on costs like printing.

Additionally, SNP has huge data that can be exploited through smart reports. The system of analyzing, synthesising information and making forecasts about market share, output, import-export trend as well as analysis of the habits and cycles of commodities over time helps users have enough data to make business decisions as well as make customer policies and economic contracts quickly and efficiently.

Not only have a few digital transformation projects applied in each individual area on the basis of digital technology that has been built in recent years, SNP is gradually completing, towards the eSNP ecosystem. This is an intermediate electronic system that connects organisations operating in the seaport sector to simplify, standardise and speed up the exchange of information between parties, increasing interaction with customs, maritime and port authorities, thereby enhancing control, optimising management and automating processes, improving service quality and saving costs for port operations and logistics.

Truong Tan Loc said building a digital ecosystem would help eliminate the traditional manual transactions between parties, and electronise processes, in line with the sharing economic trend amid the industrial revolution 4.0.