DHL launches AI tool for customs and tariff analysis

DHL Global Forwarding has launched a new AI-based tool designed to help customers analyse customs data and identify tariff exposure, clearance delays and potential compliance issues.

The new TradeNavigator tool is part of DHL’s TradeConnect environment and allows users to ask questions about their customs declaration data using natural language.

Customs data from more than 75 countries

TradeNavigator draws on customs declaration data integrated into TradeConnect from more than 75 countries.

The platform brings information from different customs jurisdictions into a single environment. Customers can analyse their activities down to individual declaration line items.

Users can ask questions about areas such as duty spending, tariff exposure, customs clearance times and activity across individual trade lanes.

The system then provides answers, analytics and charts based on the available customs data.

For example, companies can identify countries or product categories generating the highest customs duties. They can also examine which markets have longer clearance times and investigate potential causes.

DHL targets faster customs analysis

DHL said many companies still rely on spreadsheets and separate reports to analyse customs information across different markets.

TradeNavigator is designed to reduce this manual work by allowing users to examine customs activity across countries and systems through one interface.

During pilot deployments, DHL said customers used the technology to identify duty-spend patterns and recurring clearance bottlenecks. The tool was also used to examine tariff exposure across international trade lanes.

“Customs data is one of the most underutilized sources of supply chain intelligence,” said Greg Nichols, Senior Vice President Global Customs at DHL Global Forwarding.

AI supports customs specialists

TradeNavigator operates within DHL’s existing data environment and is intended to complement rather than replace customs specialists.

The AI can identify patterns, exceptions and areas requiring further investigation. However, customs and compliance decisions remain subject to customer policies, applicable regulations and review by customs professionals.

DHL Global Forwarding has more than 4,000 customs specialists handling over 30,000 customs declarations per day.

The launch expands DHL’s use of AI across its freight forwarding operations as companies face increasingly complex tariff and customs requirements.

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