August 13, 2020: : Kale Logistics Solutions (Kale), a trusted global IT solutions partner for several Fortune 500 companies worldwide for the Logistics Industry announced launch of first ever digital platform for facilitation of Electronic Certificate of Origin (e-CoO) for the members of Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Agriculture (MACCIA).
In an online event which took place on 7 August 2020 organized by MACCIA in collaboration with Kale, the facilitation was digitally launched by Shri Subhash Desai, Hon’ble Minister of Industries, Mining and Marathi Language. The event was the first ever digital launch of a trade facilitation service offered by a Chamber of Commerce in India. Exporters, Importers, Members of MACCIA and members from other Chambers of Commerce across Maharashtra and the country witnessed the digital launch.
Expressing his delight over the development, Shri Subhash Desai, Minister of Industries, Mining and Marathi Language – Government of Maharashtra said, “By introducing the online certificate of origin, Maharashtra Chambers of Commerce has taken a strong and an important step towards electronic trade. The biggest achievement is the launch of e-CoO during COVID-19 outbreak where exchange of physical documents could potentially transmit the virus. But now the online system will help arrest the spread of virus. We can now proudly say that somewhere we have won the battle against COVID-19.”
He added further, “We strongly desire to make Maharashtra no. 1 state for foreign investments, initiatives like e-CoO from MACCIA will help improve the ranking of the state. The merits of making certificate of origin online are not only time saving improving work efficiency, but also reduce scope for misuse and malpractices.”
Santosh Mandlecha, President of Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Agriculture said, “While issuing Certificate of Origin during the lockdown was challenging, e-CoO facilitation is now all set to revive the trade. While we continue to take efforts to make the export import operations smooth, such digitization measures will change the dynamics of the trade and lead to improved productivity and efficiency.”
Amar More, CEO of Kale Logistics Solutions said, “Kale has been emphasizing on the need for digitization and paperless trade in the logistics industry globally. It is a matter of great pride and joy that the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce has shown how any crisis can be turned into an opportunity and have taken digitization to the next level with e-CoO. This is a crucial step taken not only to ensure industry efficiency but also providing a safe environment for the logistics frontline like customs brokers, freight forwarders, transporters, exporters-importers, etc. from the virus, which stays on paper for four days. Even though the world is now rising to normalcy, disease spreading risk still exist. In order to save all our logistics stakeholders in the frontline, digitization is essential.”
He further added, “This will not only save their lives but also change the dynamics of the trade. The manual processes which now takes hours to complete will now consume only minutes by automating the functions.”
