SYNTEGRA LAUNCHES AIR CARGO CLEARANCE SYTEM

SYNTEGRA LAUNCHES AIR CARGO CLEARANCE SYTEM    Syntegra, the consulting and systems development unit of British Telecom, has launched a U.S. Customs-approved pre-clearance system for air cargo shipments arriving in the United States.
   MSAS Global Logistics, the first customer to use the system, has reported savings of up to 24 hours in transit times for air-cargo imports, Syntegra said.
   Syntegra’s “neutral” system links into Customs’ Automated Manifest System, through which imports must be registered. With data from the master and house waybills from forwarders and airlines, Syntegra builds and reports those shipments for pre-clearance while in-flight.
   Shipper information is also kept confidential between forwarders and Customs in Syntegra’s system, while airlines receive either the full or limited house waybill details they require.
   Agency Sector Management — the non-profit body that represents U.K. airfreight forwarders on automation issues — invested in the development of Syntegra’s system. About 550 U.K. forwarders using the ASM2000NT import and export processing software can use the service, subject to payment of messaging costs.
   Syntegra said it plans to extend its system to other countries and create a “one-stop shop solution” for global customs clearance.