IPCSA-BIC agreement will deliver clarity in supply chain
A new agreement between the International Port Community Systems Association (IPCSA) and the Bureau International des Containers (BIC) will help to deliver much-needed clarity in the supply chain, assisting users in identifying the container facility where their cargo is currently located, according to IPCSA's release.
IPCSA has announced that it will incorporate the BIC Facility Codes API into the Network of Trusted Networks (NoTN) which has been developed by IPCSA and its members to provide predictability, visibility and certainty within the supply chain.
BIC has undertaken a major harmonisation exercise in standardising the codes used to identify facilities such as depots, container yards, M&R vendors and other supply chain facilities. This process harmonised and enhanced the data from some 40,000+ facilities and provided around 17,000 unique facilities, as well as providing the latitude and longitude for those facilities, each now being identified by a unique nine-character code. This identifier is used in electronic messages such as gate events, interchanges, repair status and most recently, container tracking messages.
BIC worked closely with DCSA and their members, the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA), container lessors and software providers to ensure smooth transition and adoption of the harmonised facility code list. Thanks to an agreement with SMDG, the BIC-hosted API includes both BIC Facility Code and SMDG terminal codes.
