solutions / importers

Clear customs easily and deliver faster with digital documents and better data

Accelerate import customs workflow with digitized documents

Plan your pickups with visibility data direct from the source

Set notifications for milestones and document availability

Handle D&D charges with shared container location data

Simplify your import workflows with a trusted, secure platform

As an importer, you are facing significant challenges in the current global climate. Covid disruptions continue, with higher shipping costs, longer lead times and unfavorable exchange rates eating into your margins.

To survive and thrive, you need reliable ways to lower your costs, while improving your container visibility and ability to manage pickups deliveries.


2x
2x increase in process efficiency
8x
Achieved 8x increase in real-time container visibility

For Importers

The TradeLens eBL is a standard, industry-supported, end-to-end digital solution that provides shippers, cargo owners and freight-forwarders a streamlined and secure process for the issue, transfer and surrender of original bills of lading.

Streamline your processes

The process of receiving and transferring paper bills of lading is manual and time consuming.
TradeLens eBL is a carrier-supported digital bill of lading you can receive transfer with the click of a button, eliminating time-consuming manual handling and the costs of couriering paper documents worldwide.

Increase security and transparency

Cargo release depends on receiving the correct bill of lading on time, and involves risks of fraud, delays, and unplanned costs.
With a secure, digital document that’s immediately available to all parties with blockchain-secured versioning and a clear audit trail, you can eliminate the risk of lost documents, forgeries, delays, and unforeseen charges. 

No more wasteful paper

Bills of lading require manual handling and couriering that are wasteful and costly
TradeLens eBL gives you instant, secure digital surrender, so you can reduce or eliminate the cost of printing and couriering paper bills of lading.

Access a digital ecosystem

Managing bills of lading and other documents with various shippers and carriers can lead to errors and confusion.
TradeLens eBL has wide ocean carrier support, so you can go digital and work from a single platform, moving beyond the inefficient, manual, paper-based process of handling original bills of lading.

For Importers

TradeLens' core suite of transport insight and trade-document handling tools. Designed to support your drive to simplify and streamline business processes and realize cost savings with actionable insights, timely data and reliable direct-from-source updates on your shipping containers.

Complete customs packs digitally

End the time-consuming process of preparing customs document packs via multiple email exchanges.
Secure digital document functions let you quickly assemble customs document packs with your relevant parties on a single, shared, easily-accessible platform.

No more scraped data

Managing multiple shipments has meant re-checking third-party websites for information.
With broad ocean carrier support and a growing ecosystem of information providers, you can search from a single window for most of your shipment information.

Schedule pickups efficiently

You churn through time trying to coordinate container pickups. There’s not enough clarity or updates.
With container data direct from carriers, customs and terminals and the ability to set custom notifications, you get alerted when they're ready for pickup so you can optimize your transport scheduling.

Lower your D&D charges

Detention and demurrage charges are levied invisibly and there's no easy way to know if the fees are correct or fair.
With complete container visibility, including at railheads and terminals, TradeLens helps you easily manage any D&D charges using actual container movement data.

Related case studies

Expediting the coffee trade

How European coffee importer NKG is building a visible supply chain from inland Brazil

read case study
Eliminating D&D charges

How Dutch wholesaler Van Den Ban eliminated $300,000 in detention and demurrage charges

read case study