National Single Window nears reality

The government has set a new goal for the improvement of documentation for import and export under its e-logistics scheme called the National Single Window project.

It aims within three years to cut the time taken for export and import from the present 14 days to 10 days, thereby saving between Bt20 million and Bt30 million in logistics costs.

Information and Communications Technology Ministry deputy permanent secretary Thanirat Siripachana said implementation of the National Single Window (NSW) project began in 2007 and over the past three years had cost Bt1.25 billion.

The project aims to gather all documentation and formalities for import and export into a single IT "window". In supporting the initiative, the ICT Ministry has improved human resources to provide the ICT literacy needed to operate the NSW and create productivity and efficiency in import and export, Thanirat said.

"I think the NSW will benefit importers and exporters, reducing the complexity of information and documentation between government agencies, saving time and saving on the cost of logistics," he said.

The ministry is currently developing product, health and digital certificates to support NSW.

Somnuk Keretho, a member of the advisory committee to the National Single Window E-logistics Initiative said there were now 18 government and facilitation agencies, out of a total of 30 such agencies, that had implemented a back-office ability to connect with the National Single Window.

The ministry expects that within the next few years all 30 government and facilitation agencies will able to connect their back-office systems with the NSW. When that is achieved, time taken in importing and exporting will fall to 10 days and the saving in logistics costs will be about Bt30 billion per year, he said.

In a step beyond that, Thailand's NSW will support a regional drive to simplify import and export called the Asean Single Window.

According to the International Finance Corporation, Thailand requires four documents for exports, the time spent in managing the process is 14 days and the cost of exporting is US$625 (Bt20,937) per container per shipment. The country requires three documents for imports, the time spent in managing the process is 13 days and the cost of importing is $795 per container per shipment.

Meanwhile, the National Science Technology and Innovation Policy Office plans to set up a Logistics Excellence Centre by the end of this year and create a Thailand Logistics Framework over the next three years to enable the local logistics industry to increase its productivity.

National Electronics and Computer Technology Centre researcher Chayakrit Charoensiriwath said the Logistics Excellence Centre would aim to promote and facilitate the local logistics industry and reduce the costs of managing logistics for businesses and the country as a whole.

Creation of the Thailand Logistics Framework by 2012 will cost Bt950 million and will apply to three areas: human resources, knowledge management and research and development and technology.

"I think that new technology will be adopted by both top executives and logistics businesses," Chayakrit said. "The top executives will adopt traditional business models or transform existing businesses into new business models using e-logistics to develop warehouse, inventory and vendor-management programs in order to boost their competitiveness both domestically and internationally."