Accela®, the trusted provider of cloud solutions at the heart of government operations, released new insight into how Abu Dhabi Customs – General Administration of Customs – Abu Dhabi‘s first-of-its-kind digital inspection system improves customs operation. Launched in January 2021 and powered by the Accela Civic Platform, the Inspection Management System decreases cargo inspection times by 97 percent, improves internal processing, increases staff capacity, and sets the standard for digital customs processes worldwide.
Abu Dhabi Customs – General Administration of Customs – Abu Dhabi oversees 15 border crossings at airports, seaports, and land borders, which together process more than 20 million tons of cargo traveling through Abu Dhabi annually. Before utilizing Accela’s agile platform, the administration handled all inspections with paper and pen, creating data silos. Long inspection times exacerbated congestion issues in a global supply chain impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, labor shortages, and transportation constraints.
“Improving our day-to-day inspection procedures and speeding up inspections is a consistent priority for our staff, visitors and businesses moving goods,” said a spokesperson from Abu Dhabi Customs – General Administration of Customs – Abu Dhabi. “By partnering with Accela on our Inspection Management System, we are bringing to life a more modern, secure, and reliable customs process.”
Abu Dhabi Customs, General Administration of Customs’ Inspection Management System is a tailored configuration of the Accela Civic Platform. The Inspection Management System automates inspection processes, boosts security, regulates trade procedures, and maintains revenue control. All data is stored in the cloud, and staff can pull necessary information at any point during an inspection from their mobile device.
“Abu Dhabi Customs and Accela have set a new standard of how cloud-based solutions can streamline government, deliver a better experience and tackle the pressing supply chain challenges we are all facing,” said Khaled Jaouni, managing director of international operations at Accela. “By customizing Accela’s Civic Platform to power a new implementation for customs and border control inspections, Abu Dhabi Customs is conducting inspections faster while freeing key staff to address other needs.”
Abu Dhabi Customs – General Administration of Customs – Abu Dhabi uses the Inspection Management System to apply Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to its inspections, reducing processing times from 90 minutes to 10 minutes maximum and three minutes on average. The time saved per inspection cycle helps move cargo through Abu Dhabi faster, alleviates supply chain congestion, frees up personnel to address other critical operations, and elevates the caliber of customs modernization globally.
“Congestion and delays are one of the top concerns for our business and customers,” said Deepak Shirodkar, Hub and Gateway Operations Manager of DHL, leading logistics company and beneficiary of the streamlined service. “Abu Dhabi’s 100% automation of inspection processes help us more quickly move packages through the Middle East, saving customers time and money, while easing supply chain issues and allowing us to remain more adaptable in a fully digital workflow.”
The Inspection Management System is a testament to Abu Dhabi and Accela’s work to digitize customs and border processes, opening future opportunities for improved customs digitization on the federal level in the U.S. and other global markets. The Civic Platform’s extensibility empowers agencies to easily create customized applications to address their specific needs.
Abu Dhabi Customs won a Trendsetter Award at Accela’s annual customer conference and training event, Accelarate. The Trendsetter Awards celebrate innovative government agencies and individuals harnessing new technologies, digital strategies, and other modernization methods to deliver excellence in their communities. To learn more about Accela – the California-based global leader in government technology powering 80% of the largest U.S. cities – please visit https://www.accela.com/solutions/.
