How Our Team Helped CustomsPlus Automate Customs Document Processing with AI/ML & Multi-Cloud, Reducing Manual Effort and Ensuring Compliance

Client: CustomsPlus

Industry: Logistics

Project Type: Customs Document Processing & Automation

Core Tech:

Azure Form Recognizer
AWS Serverless (S3, SQS, Lambda)
Python
FastAPI
ReactJS
DynamoDB

Services Provided:

AI/ML Development
Data Science Solutions
Custom Software Development
Strategic Consultation

Project Overview

With thousands of shipments moving across the borders every day, logistics companies, freight forwarders, and third-party logistics providers (3PLs) around the world receive hundreds of documents daily.

Each shipment carries a trail of paperwork,paperwork including the shipping manifests, customs declarations, commercial invoices, bills of lading, packing lists, and more—essential for customs clearance. Each document contains vital information that must be accurately extracted and entered into various systems.

Here was the problem:problem, all of this was done manually. The logistics workers manually sift through the PDFs or files, entering the data word by word, validating information, and then transferring it into operational systems.

The Challenge

Why CustomsPlus Set Out to Automate Customs Documentation Processing

The primary challenges due to the manual document process were:

Time-Consuming Manual Processing

Employees had to manually enter details from invoices, packing lists, and bills of lading into multiple systems. This took up 50% of their time. It often led to mistakes, causing delays and financial discrepancies.

Data Inaccuracy and Costly Errors

With thousands of documents passing through daily, even a minor miscalculation or typo could result in incorrect shipments, invoice mismatches, and operational setbacks. The lack of structured data meant companies struggled to maintain accuracy and compliance.

Isolated Systems and Integration Bottlenecks

Even when data was extracted manually, integrating it into various systems like ERPs, CRMs, or warehouse management solutions was another hurdle. The lack of structured and validated data meant companies spent additional time fixing inconsistencies before processing transactions.

The Vision

The Need for Streamlined Logistics Document Handling

Recognizing these pain points, CustomsPlus, a leading provider of automated customs technology, sought to revolutionize how logistics documents are processed.

This sparked the development of a cutting-edge solution that could automatically classify, extract, validate, and seamlessly integrate logistics data into existing systems—with minimal human intervention.

The Solution

Automation In Customs Document Management

We built an AI-powered document processing automation system designed to transform raw, unstructured PDFs into structured, actionable data. By leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning, the solution reduces dependency on manual data entry and streamlines customs processes like never before.

Streamlining Manual Document Processing

Manual handling of documents like invoices, packing lists, and shipping manifests is labor-intensive and prone to human error. This not only slows down operations but also increases the likelihood of inaccuracies and financial discrepancies. We implemented:

Automated Document Classification: We developed an AI-driven system that automatically identifies and categorizes different document types. This eliminated tedious manual sorting and ensured that each document was processed accurately from the start.

Automated Data Extraction: By integrating advanced data extraction techniques, we enabled our system to automatically capture key details—such as invoice numbers, dates, and item specifics—thereby reducing reliance on manual input and minimizing errors.

Enhancing Data Verification and Transparency

Without clear visibility into processed data, verifying the accuracy of information becomes a daunting task. This lack of transparency can lead to delays and frequent rechecks, affecting overall productivity. Our team worked on:

Text Highlighting in PDF: Our solution highlights the extracted text within the PDF itself, providing a visual confirmation that makes it easier for users to verify data accuracy at a glance.

Labeling Extracted Data: We incorporated a feature that tags and labels key data points directly within the document, ensuring that information is organized and easily accessible for review.

Ensuring Consistent Integration and Data Uniformity

Diverse document formats often result in inconsistent data outputs, complicating integration with various enterprise systems such as ERPs, CRMs, and warehouse management systems. This can lead to additional manual adjustments and restructuring work. We achieved it with:

Automated Data Correction: We built in dynamic data transformation capabilities that adjust and standardize data fields according to document type. This ensures that regardless of the source , the output remains uniform and compliant with industry standards.

Webhook Integration: To facilitate real-time integration, our solution automatically sends the validated data as structured payloads to external systems. This seamless connection ensures that your enterprise applications receive accurate, up-to-date information without manual intervention.

Adapt to Evolving Document Formats

The logistics industry continually evolves, and static systems quickly become outdated as document formats change and data requirements shift. To ensure adaptability, we designed:

Model Training with Azure Form Recognizer: We designed our system to be adaptive. By continuously training our models using diverse PDF samples, our model learns and evolves to accurately handle new and changing document formats, ensuring long-term efficiency and relevance.

The Transformational Impact

Efficiency & Accuracy In Customs Document Processing

Reducing Manual Effort and Errors

By automating classification and extraction, businesses saw a 50-70% reduction in manual data entry efforts. Employees no longer spent hours transcribing information, allowing them to focus on higher-value tasks.

Reduction in Processing Time:

Automation cut down the time spent on document handling from hours to minutes, allowing logistics teams to focus on more strategic tasks.

Data Accuracy:

With AI-powered validation, errors and inconsistencies were nearly eliminated, reducing compliance risks and costly delays.

Accelerating Workflow Speed and System Integration:

Real-time webhook integration meant that businesses could process and act on documents instantly. This eliminated the traditional lag in data entry and processing, improving overall workflow efficiency.

Scalability on Demand:

Built on a serverless architecture using AWS and Azure, we designed the platform to ensure scalability without the need for dedicated infrastructure management. As businesses grew, CustomsPlus seamlessly handled increased document volumes without performance issues.

Conclusion

Setting a New Standard in Logistics Document Processing Automation

CustomsPlus didn’t just automate document handling—it redefined it. By eliminating manual effort, reducing errors, and enabling seamless integration, the platform became a game-changer for logistics companies, freight forwarders, 3PL providers, and businesses dealing with high volumes of paperwork.

As global trade continues to expand, CustomPlus remains committed to driving innovation in AI-powered automation for logistics and beyond.