Registered exporters will be able to get direct access to basic export assistance services provided by TradeMate, which include:

• Transport (sea, air, road and/or rail)
• Freight Forwarding
• Product Inspection
• Packing
• Product Classification
• Documentation acquisition/completion
• Customs Clearance
• Marine/Cargo Insurance
• Warehousing

For the sake of unregistered users the following is an explanation of the services provided:

Transport (sea, air, road and/or rail)

The physical shipping (movement) of the consignment or goods of a transaction is provided by participating shipping- and air lines, and the traders will have access to directories containing the contact details of such service providers through a Service providers database.

Only exporters that are capable of their own forwarding and logistics management, will want to use these transporters directly.

Freight forwarding/logistics management

This section will provide leading logistics solutions for cross border trade.  Tools include:

• Cargo tracking
• Ocean/air schedules
• Rates
• Booking and tracking

Direct interfaces will be built into the various service providers in the international supply chain process including freight forwarders, transport operators, customs shippers, insurance, inspection and regulatory bodies such as SARS, Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and financial institutions.

Product inspection

South African exporters will often find that foreign importers are reluctant to alter their traditional sources of supply, due partly to their lack of familiarity with the specific qualities of South African products. They thus desire assurance from an independent inspection organisation that the commodities suit their requirements. Furthermore, foreign governments or semi-governments buying organisations often require inspection of the imported commodities before the goods are shipped. This is particularly the case in several African countries, where a clean report of findings, issued by a specified inspection organisation, is required for customs clearance and payment of imported goods.

The following inspection services are usually provided by inspection services:

• quantity inspection;
• quality inspection according to samples or specification;
• inspection of packing;
• sampling;
• analysis of the goods/commodities;
• supervision of packing, loading into railway trucks and/or in the ship, and discharge at the port of destination;
• price comparison.

Packing

In packing an item for export, the shipper should be aware of the demands that exporting puts on a package. Four problems must be kept in mind when an export shipping crate is being designed:

• breakage,
• weight,
• moisture, and
• pilferage.

Product classification

The number of documents the exporter must deal with varies depending on the destination of the shipment. Because each country has different import regulations, the exporter must be careful to provide proper documentation. If the exporter does not rely on the services of a freight forwarder, there are several methods of obtaining information on foreign import restrictions:

• SA Embassies abroad.
• Industry specialists in the DTI can advise on product classifications.
• Foreign government embassies and consulates in South Africa can often provide information on import regulations.

TradeMate will facilitate obtaining this information in a seamless manner

Documentation acquisition/completion

Exporters should seriously consider having the freight forwarder handle the formidable amount of documentation that exporting requires; freight forwarders are specialists in this process. As an alternative the exporter should be provided with trading tools that are capable of both determining which documents to complete for a particular market, as well as facilitating the automatic completion of said documents.

TradeMate will be capable of advice on the completion of all documentation and can provide that information though the Trade Portal.

Customs clearance

All South African exporters should be registered as such with the office of the Commissioner of Customs and Excise and the Department of Trade and Industry.

The Commissioner of Customs and Excise issues a reference number (which Customs uses as a computer check number for export control purposes), and this must appear on all documentation presented to the South African customs authorities. The Department of Trade and Industry allocates the same number to the company concerned, although in this case, it serves as the exporter's registration number for the purpose of claiming export incentives

The application forms for registration as an exporter and for a customs code number are issued together by the Department of Trade and Industry.

Specialised advice on the completion and submission of these documents will be provided by TradeMate through the portal.

Marine/cargo insurance

The exporter will be advised on how to obtain marine/cargo insurance through:

• facultative policies, as well as
• open policies

Warehousing

The warehousing (storing) of the consignment or goods both prior and/or after shipping will be provided by participating service providers that specialize in the warehousing of good for both exporting and importing purposes, and the traders will have access to directories containing the contact details of such service providers through a Service providers database.