Soewarna offers integrated warehousing system
Soewarna offers integrated warehousing system
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
An online connection with the Customs and Excise Office is
expected to lessen the paperwork for freight forwarding companies
at the Soewarna Business Park, located near Soekarno-Hatta
International Airport in Cengkareng, west of Jakarta.
Soewarna's senior general manager Ishak Chandra told a press
briefing on Friday that the Customs and Excise Office set up a
branch in the business park last March to serve tenants directly
under a one-roof system.
"All customs and excise paperwork can be filled out in several
minutes. Our tenants don't have to go outside of the complex
since customs and excise is part of our integrated system," he
said.
The service has attracted giant multinational freight
forwarding companies -- such as Japanese firms Kintetsu and
Nippon Express USA Inc. and TNT Express -- to the 102-hectare
business park.
"We are the only warehouse complex offering such a one-roof
service in the country. We were able to convince the government
to extend its services into our complex because they believe we
are a credible firm and have many trustworthy tenants," Ishak
claimed.
Soewarna -- owned by the Sojitz Group of Japan, the Four
Season group and several local shareholders -- has lured around
70 multinational companies to rent space there, including non-
related airport companies, such as German electrical and
communications company Siemens and New York-listed paint and
coatings company Valspar Corporation.
Businesses have often complained about the arduous clearance
procedure for imported goods placed in warehouses within the
airport complex.
The customs clearance procedure is supposed to be free of
administrative charges, but businesses allege that customs and
excise officials collect illegal fees and accept bribes for
speedy clearance.
Besides warehouses and the online system, the business park's
integrated system is also equipped with Internet networking,
office buildings, restaurants, a hotel, travel services and the
18-hole Cengkareng Golf Club.
Ishak claims the golf club is one of the busiest golf clubs in
Jakarta with 5,500 visitors monthly.
Soewarna also offers potential tenants a customized warehouse
building, called a built-to-suit facility.
"Tenants can choose the location inside the business park,
pick a particular model and quality of building, then we build it
for them. They just pay when it's finished," said Ishak.
He added that Soewarna's income was expected to rise by 20
percent but refused to mention a figure. He also said the
business park management intended to increase the number of
tenants by 10, with most expected to choose built-to-suit
premises, which have a minimum area of 2,000 square meters each.
"We don't expect many tenants because we are focusing on giant
companies to take the built-to-suit facility," said Ishak.