The PACKING LIST (always written in capital letters, so it is easily differentiated from Incoives and other paperwork) is a document that records what an international shipment includes, a list of the items which are to be imported/exported in particular transport:
* Item description
* Items count
* Dimensions: weight, cubic measure
This crucial paper may list any other data regarding the package: the recipient name and address, monetary details such as the amounts paid and/or due, taxes, additional fees should there be any.
The PACKING LIST accompanies the shipment from the minute it is packed and ready to be sent until it is at the destination. A packing list serves as a tool to ensure that the correct cargo is shipped and delivered.
An erroneous or absent PACKING LIST may result in
– Cargo not reaching its right destination
– Items missing from the shipment or damaged, with no document to prove it or to generate an insurance claim.
– Prohibited goods import or trafficking.
– Tax payment evasion.
– Incorrect tax charged.
– Custome clearance delays.
Custome brokerage must use PACKING LISTs for clearance at destination ports since the list includes information also required for several procedures and certificates.
* FDA import regulations appliance
* Electronic Export Information law filing in the Automated Export System (AES) in cases of electronic item import.
* COO (Certificate of origin) requirements.
* Safety data sheet filling for hazardous items.
A significant amount of information lies in these documents. Therefore it should be handled with extra attention, a high level of expertise, and a deep understanding of the supply chain industry. Reading, understanding, sorting, and prioritizing various processes generating from a PACKING LIST is very time-consuming.
For decades this was a human resourcing task. However, in this new era we live in and face, human resources are not enough; therefore, a new solution is in need. AI-based technologies may act as the human employee right hand, accelerate the scanning and reading of document speed, spot items in a shipment demanding extra care and take over some of the pure black monotonous labor, enabling larger volumes, lower error percentage and better customer service.
