Trade still runs on paper.
Over 28.5 billion documents move through global supply chains each year,
causing delays, errors and visibility gaps.
Many think we’ve already gone digital,
but converting paper into PDFs isn’t transformation –
it's a workaround.
Digitisation helped us move from paper to screens.
PDFs, spreadsheets, emails –
but the process didn’t change –
it's still manual, still repetitive, still prone to errors.
Digitalisation is different,
it’s about flow, not files.
Systems connect, data syncs in real time,
compliance checks happen automatically,
updates are instant – not requested.
The UK Southeast Asia Trade Digitalisation Pilots
proved that digitalisation isn’t just theory,
it delivers real results.
Forty per cent reduction in shipment processing time,
89 per cent fewer paper documents,
67 per cent increase in productivity.
That’s not just efficiency,
that’s competitive advantage.
Let’s compare.
In digitisation, documents still require manual input –
every version, every check, every update.
In digitalisation, structured data auto-generates,
validates and updates in real time,
with fewer errors and less effort.
Trade is evolving
and digitalisation is no longer optional.
The most resilient businesses don’t wrestle with data,
they use it.
This isn’t disruption, it’s progress –
secure, seamless and built around people.
The question is, will you embrace the change,
or get left behind?