William Grant prepares for the new EMCS legislation and becomes compliant with Kewill

Kewill, provider of solutions that simplify global trade and logistics, has signed a three year contract with William Grant & Sons, the luxury spirits company, to deliver a global export documentation solution to meet its electronic customs reporting requirements, including the Excise Movement Control System (EMCS), which becomes mandatory across Europe on 1 January 2011.

Under the terms of the contract, Kewill will implement its export documentation software, Kewill SPEX, along with its Kewill eBiz-Manager integration software, across William Grant's UK operations and parts of its global network. Kewill will also deliver integration with William Grant's operating systems on an ongoing basis, providing direct links to the HMRC CHIEF and EMCS systems to enable seamless, efficient processing of electronic customs declarations.
 
The fully integrated solution will drive improvements to accuracy and quality for the complete export declaration function, utilising a web based service to facilitate the required messages to HMRC and support the production of export documentation, allowing William Grant's staff worldwide to print a uniform set of export documents with a minimum of manual intervention. The direct integration with William Grant's operating systems will enable straight-through processing of data, reducing time spent on document creation and local customs/government reporting and allowing the company to support all of its international compliance activities through a single provider.  
 
Brian Robertson, Solution Manager at William Grant & Sons commented: "The Kewill solution will provide us with the ongoing assurance that we are fully compliant with all regulatory and statutory customs requirements, as well as delivering a consistent approach to customs documentation and reporting across our global operations. We have worked with Kewill for several years and are confident the solution will be in place and fully functional ahead of the January 2011 EMCS deadline."
 
Jacquie Boast, Kewill's European Chief Operating Officer, added: "By trusting Kewill for electronic customs compliance, William Grant & Sons has eliminated its exposure to critical document and customs changes, significantly reducing both the burden of keeping pace and the risks associated with not doing so."