Kewill, a provider of software and services for managing global trade and logistics, has entered into a partnership with Cargonaut B.V., a vendor of technology for handling air cargo shipments at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. The deal is aimed at simplifying the advance declaration of consignments to the first country of entry within the European Union. Both parties specialize in electronic customs systems, offering links with local authorities to exchange real-time shipment data. Advance declaration is mandatory under the EU's Import Control System (ICS), which was created to improve security through advance visibility of shipments into Europe. As of March 10, the electronic customs procedure was live for 10 European countries. During 2011, it will be extended to cover the remaining EU members. Cargonaut serves as provider of the Cargo Community Systems at Schiphol and in France. Kewill operates a European customs platform for import, export and applicable regulations through its KewillCustomsXchange global customs offering. The initiative provides standard interfaces with local customs authorities across Europe.
