DHL Express has enhanced its AI-powered platform, My Global Trade Services (MyGTS), with a new trade lane comparison feature. The feature enables businesses of all sizes to find references to existing trade lane regulations and requirements between the exporting and importing country or territory, says an official release. “With this, companies planning a market expansion strategy can leverage the solution to make well-informed decisions to maximise efficiency and gain competitive advantage.”
MyGTS is an online self-serve portal that helps users retrieve customs information to pre-plan shipments as they access new markets or launch new products. The new feature uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to provide an overview of the trade agreements in place and estimated duties/taxes which are included in the landed cost of the different trade routes. (Landed costs can be defined as the total cost of getting a product from the factory to a customer’s door. Besides shipping fees and insurance, it includes estimated customs duties and taxes for cross-border shipments.)
Users will need to indicate the product they are shipping and the desired exporting and importing country or territory on the platform, the release added. “This is especially useful to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), often challenged by a lack of internal resources, knowledge, and expertise to navigate a complex landscape of customs regulations and procedures.”
Yung C. Ooi, Senior Vice President, Commercial, Asia Pacific, DHL Express says: “Companies, including SMEs, are doing what they can to boost business resilience and global presence. SMEs, however, tend to be impeded by the intricacies of trade regulations and processes, slowing down their expansion plans.The new trade lane comparison capability helps SMEs enhance the understanding about customs requirements and landed cost. It aligns with our commitment to providing innovative solutions to help SMEs lower major trade barriers and become more confident in cross-border trade activities.”
With the new service, businesses can analyse and identify routes that offer the most favourable import and export conditions, leading to potential cost savings and increased profitability, the release added.