Import checks in seconds: giving declarants their time back
Client: an EU transit customs broker in Latvia, around 8 declarants, working in shifts.
Result: 1 to 2 hours of manual checking per shift replaced by a check that takes seconds, plus the first complete audit record the business has had.
The problem
Before a declaration is filed, every shipment has to be checked against the EU import restrictions in force. Declarants looked up the goods HS code and country of origin by hand, compared them against the EU customs tariff database (TARIC), and decided whether the shipment could proceed. That took each declarant 1 to 2 hours per shift while trucks waited at the border, and it left no audit record to show in a customs inspection.
The solution
Pinpoint AI built a web tool that automates reading the codes, looking up the data, and preparing a verdict. The AI produces an answer within seconds, and the declarant approves the final decision.
How it works
- Input: the declarant uploads a CMR (PDF, JPEG, or Excel) or enters a code manually.
- The AI reads the document and identifies the HS code and country, stating a confidence level. Where confidence is low, the system asks for manual entry rather than guessing.
- A direct check compares the data against current EU legislation (source: EUR-Lex) and the customs tariff database (TARIC). New import restrictions appear in the system within about 1 day.
- A traffic-light verdict: red (prohibited), amber (needs the declarant to check), green (permitted), each with its reasoning and a link to the source.
- An audit record with a timestamp, user, the input, and the verdict, in append-only form that cannot be deleted.
Accuracy mattered more than first impressions. During testing, we selected the most accurate computer vision models available, because some models read a code incorrectly while reporting a high confidence level, which is the most dangerous kind of error in this check. For poor-quality scans, we added a re-read function.
Results
- From hours to seconds: 1 to 2 hours of manual checking per shift replaced by a check that takes seconds, freeing roughly 25 to 50 hours a month across the team.
- Full traceability: the first audit record the business can show in a customs inspection. Previously, no such data existed.
- Low, predictable costs: monthly running costs are small and foreseeable, and hosting is included at no extra charge.
- Always current data: new import restrictions take effect without anyone updating anything by hand.
- Ownership transferred: development, 2 weeks of joint work, and a full handover, so the client does not depend on us.
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