In line with the Ajman Digital Transformation Roadmap, Ajman Department of Ports and Customs (DPC) launched in November 2018 an Integrated Customs System positioning the Emirate at the forefront of digital transformation in international trade and in conformity with the UAE Government’s strategy for embedding Artificial Intelligence in its operations.

The Customs system, labeled Enjaz, is a trade facilitation enabler in the Emirate and provides a suite of technological solutions including AI, machine learning and Business Intelligence covering a whole spectrum of trade and customs products and services.

One of the most significant solutions deployed by DPC is an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Search engine, developed by DPC technology provider Webb Fontaine, to identify the Harmonized system code of an imported/exported product from its commercial description.

Salim Balaa, Project Manager – Ajman for Webb Fontaine said, “Every item that passes through Customs has a classification code that identifies the product worldwide. This is known as the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System, or simply ‘HS’. This standard is developed by the World Customs Organization (WCO). With the help of AI, customs officers, traders and clearing agents can identify the code of a product more quickly and efficiently, in turn increasing accuracy when dealing with increasing volume of international trade. It also ensures that customs officers can focus on more important tasks such as risk management, post-clearance audit and service quality assurance to clients. It is effectively the ‘Google Search’ of the international trade industry, offering a search engine to identify HS Code for any product based on its generic commercial description.” This system is unique since it relies on Machine Learning models harvesting huge trade transaction database accumulated in Webb Fontaine Classification and Valuation centers.

Another innovative technology solution in Enjaz, is Webb Executive Vision (WEV), a business intelligence tool providing DPC with visual insight on international trade of the Emirate. This tool which utilizes Big Data technology enables processing of large volumes of data collected through customs clearance operations and delivers analytical statistics and reports in organized, visual and informative dashboards.

Quoting HE Shaikh Mohamad Ben Abdullah AL Nuaimi, DPC Chairman – “The launch of HS classification and WEV is a testament to Ajman’s strong drive to promote digital transformation and is in line with the overarching UAE Government Strategy for Artificial Intelligence. It marks a tremendous breakthrough in current trade practices to improve the efficiency and accuracy of international trade. We at DPC are firm believers in Data Driven management.”

The Integrated Customs System developed by Webb Fontaine is available on the Ajman trade portal and is accessible to traders in Ajman and the wider community. Please visit https://portal.apcd.gov.ae.