Article • 18.12.2023
AI-trained data extraction instead of typing
First use case: the Export Accompanying Document
In order to digitalize and then further process Export Accompanying Documents that exist only in paper form or as PDFs, DAKOSY is utilizing innovative AI models with the support of a new digitalization partner. The Export Accompanying Document is required as a Previous Administrative Reference document in the NCTS shipping procedure for the creation of transit procedure T-documents.
Creating T-documents becomes more complex
After NCTS 5 (as of 29.10.2023)
... the declaration must be made at the goods item level of the shipment,
... specification of the 6-digit HS code becomes mandatory (postponed to 2024),
... manual entry of shipping procedures is practically unfeasible,
... process automation / simplified creation is urgently needed.
Beginning this autumn a new requirement went into effect for these shipping procedures, entailing a significant additional workload for freight forwarders and carriers. Customs stipulates that all goods items in the Export Accompanying Document, and in the future, the corresponding commodity codes, must be transferred into the NCTS procedure. "As the data is not usually available electronically, this requirement poses a major challenge for the participants," assesses DAKOSY CEO Simon Lembke. With the new AI solution, DAKOSY has now digitalized this process.
Lembke elaborates: "Working together with our partner, we have developed an AI-trained module that offers a tremendous gain in efficiency for users. It enables the extraction of all necessary data from the Export Accompanying Document and the digital transfer of this data to be available for subsequent procedures." This applies whether the document is printed or only available as a PDF, and regardless of layout.
Closing the gaps in media discontinuity using AI
Essentially, the new customs requirement implies the time-consuming and error-prone manual double entry of required datasets, which often encompass several hundred goods items. However, all the necessary data is already detailed in the Export Accompanying Document issued by customs, which is transported along with the goods and serves as proof of the admissibility of export to non-EU countries. Since customs provides the document to the shipper as a PDF or hard copy, media discontinuity is unavoidable here. Lembke clarifies: "The parties involved in the logistics chain do not usually have access to the digital source data." The new DAKOSY solution primarily benefits all companies transporting EU goods to countries participating in the NCTS shipping procedure. Within this segment, large quantities of goods are exported to Switzerland, Turkey, England, and Norway.
"Working together with our partner, we have developed an AI-trained module that offers a tremendous gain in efficiency for users. It enables the extraction of all necessary data from the Export Accompanying Document and the digital transfer of this data to be available for subsequent procedures."
Digitalization partner natif.ai
The challenge of digitally extracting Export Accompanying Document data lies in the differing layouts from country to country. "To reliably identify the relevant contents of each field, artificial intelligence is needed. Thus, the AI model was trained for several weeks with Export Accompanying Documents from all applicable EU states," explains Lembke. The "digitalized document type Export Accompanying Document" was developed jointly with the partner company natif.ai, a provider of document automation and a spin-off of the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI). natif.ai brings its strengths and experience to the project, analyzing documents quickly and accurately with high-performance AI models and self-developed Deep-OCR to extract relevant data.
The principle: scan, upload, integrate data
Narrowing it down to the current use case, this is how it works: after scanning, the PDF is uploaded into the ZODIAK GE customs software. There, the data is structured and prepared for further processing within seconds. The dispatcher initiates the NCTS shipping procedure and automatically incorporates the relevant data from the Export Accompanying Document with the click of a button. "We were particularly impressed by the precise reading technology combined with natif.ai's AI model, which generates reliable datasets for customs clearance," confirms Lembke. This aspect was crucial, since the Export Accompanying Document comes in many forms. The day-to-day reality includes photocopies, faxes, and low-quality printouts, as well as creased or stained papers.
Transferring the technology to various use cases
Immediately after the introduction of the AI-trained "Export Accompanying Document," DAKOSY aims to digitalize even more document types. Lembke outlines the goal: "The technology is transferable to many use cases. We want to enable the upload of any type of document to extract the relevant data and incorporate it into a customs declaration. For example, extracting the datasets from commercial invoices could facilitate and expedite the creation of import customs declarations." Overall, Lembke sees a high potential in AI-trained data extraction for the logistics industry, with its many players along the transport chain and the resulting discontinuity in media flow, to help expedite operational processes, free personnel from manual entry tasks, and enhance data quality.
