Clearight bags big share of overborder business

Clive Emdon
CLEARIGHT WAS instrumental in helping SA Revenue Service to set out the menu and the manual for the SAD 500 – the start of transformation to computerised documentation – says financial manager Richard Gunning. Trading as Advanced Customs Solutions, the company has built up a big slice of cross-border business, says Gunning. “We have 80% of clearing and forwarding firms in Musina, Komatipoort and Groblersbrug as clients and 60% of the Durban market. As our Cape Town base is rapidly expanding we have appointed a business partner for the region and will open an office there in January. “We are at a huge advantage with a Windows front over companies still using the old DOS system. It’s user friendly, simple to operate and accessible,” says Gunning from his Kempton Park office. “The accounting pack is specifically designed for the freight industry,” he says, including exciting features like drilldown facilities, automatic interaction between the accounting system and the freight system, and calculation of periodic VAT returns. “We are currently testing our add-on accounting module which provides a fully integrated accounting pack, with everything from invoicing right through to balance sheet. It should be ready for release in January 2007.” The system includes full import and export via EDI, groupage, indenting, duty calculations, and amendments to tariffs, he says. It provides exchange rates as well as programme changes when they occur via email or off Clearight’s website, estimates, as well as a full chemical inventory, metric conversions and Word search. “We also have a fully functional web-based track and trace system that allows the agent’s clients to access only their information from the agent’s own database via the agent’s website.”