The very first electronic ATA carnet used in the UK recently went through Heathrow customs. A great step forward for a document which is vital for temporary exports, acting as a “passport for goods” across 81 countries and territories.
The UK’s oversight body, the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) needed a Guinea pig for the trial and chose Dynamic International, along with their sister company, Dynamic Dox.
Dynamic Dox are the UK’s largest independent ATA carnet provider and Dynamic International have been providing bespoke logistics to the film and TV sector for 34 years. A good place to find the right challenge for the LCCI’s eATA Carnet trial.
Creating The App
Developing an electronic App to manage ATA carnet use has been a key project for the London Chamber for some time, to simplify the handling and presentation of carnets at ports and airports.
They were excited to reach the trial stage and Dynamic were equally thrilled, to be asked to be the first company in the UK to trial the App.
Tony Scott, Dynamic’s CEO said “We have been following the development of this App closely and eagerly awaiting the trial, which will revolutionize the handling of ATA carnets. There are so many advantages, time saving, error reduction, security and the environment, think of the trees we will save!”
The initial trial covers 5 airports, not all strong filming destinations but a suitable case soon arose. Dynamic received a panic call from a well known streaming network, at 16.15 on a Friday afternoon.
An Ideal Scenario
A critical piece of camera equipment had gone rogue, a replacement was needed in Brussels by the following morning. A perfect opportunity to trial the new App but just 30 minutes go before the Chamber closed.
The Dynamic team sprung into action and issued a paper version of the carnet, whilst liaising with the head of the department running the trial. The app was downloaded, an electronic version of the carnet issued, all ready to roll.
Dynamic’s driver had collected the the replacement camera, a flight been booked and a brief training session from the Chamber saw the App in working order.
Dynamic Neil (who lived up to the name) had his passport in his office draw, a prerequisite for staff at Dynamic and was on the next flight to Brussels. The LCCI had alerted Border Force of our pending arrival at Terminal 5 Heathrow.
When Neil arrived at the customs presentation point, he was greeted by 3 very excited customs officers, that was a first! They were fully prepped, with manual in hand and scanned the carnet from the App in less than a minute.
Neil was on his way, once current legislation was met. The old paper version of the ATA carnet had to be checked, completed and stamped, which took far longer. Part of the trial, to compare a complex, time taking process with smooth use of the App.
A Successful Trip
On arrival in Brussels, their customs officers were as helpful as ours. The officer on duty was aware of the scheme and thought this fantastic but had not yet received full training, so the paper version was used in tandem with the eATA Carnet.
With this stamped and customs cleared, the camera was delivered on time and rolling again, within hours of the client’s call to Dynamic.
The full international ATA convention has been in use for 59 years and operated in much the same way. This trial was historic, validating the London Chamber’s efforts and those of Dynamic.
We matched our “Don’t panic call Dynamic” slogan and more importantly, helped to test a vital resource For many UK businesses. The time and cost they will save after the full launch is immeasurable.
