Jamaica Customs Agency

NAME OF FEATURE | THE GLEANER | FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 2021 14 COSCO SHIPPING LINES CO. LTD. Global carrier offering full containerized service Service between Europe and Jamaica MOLACE Auto Carrier Express MITSUI OSK LINES LTD. Car carrier offering services from Japan ORIENT OVERSEAS CON`TAINER LINES MIAMI FREIGHT & SHIPPING CO. LTD. Direct Weekly Service from the United State of America Full containerized service between the Far East and Jamaica. RAM SHIPPING WE ARE AGENTS FOR: Digicel : 876-618-0192 876-618-0193 876-618-0194 Kingston Agents: email: sales@jashipco.com Website: www.jashipco.com Montego Bay Sub Agents: TURNEL SHIPPING SERVICE email: Turnship2013@gmail.com YOUR CARGO IN GOOD HANDS CUSTOMS W EK T HE JAMAICA Customs Agency operates in a very dynamic environment. This dynamism and complexity accentuate the chal- lenges to the consistent satisfaction of stakeholder quality requirements and addressing their future needs and expectations. However, the JCA has proactively taken the strategic decision, with strong support from its senior management team, to imple- ment the venerable ISO 9001:2015 QualityManagement System (QMS), as a vehicle to transform the agency into a quality, sustainable and cus- tomer-focused entity. A sustainable organisation requires a stakeholder-oriented approach to management, targeted quality ob- jectives, adaptability and a consistent focus on improving customer-satis- faction levels. An awareness of the needs of its stakeholders has enabled the JCA to align and streamline its processes to these needs. An inte- gral element of the ISO 9001:2015 QMS implementation project was the reviewof our StandardOperating Procedures (SOPs). Concerted effort was made to ensure that they are aligned to international best practices, especially in light of the increased au- tomationandprocedural adjustments in support of the COVID-19 contain- ment measures. The raging COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that risks can quickly overwhelmany system, and systems deemed resilient are only as strong as their weakest links. The renewed focus on a process-based approach provided greater under- standing of the interdependence of these streamlined processes, and when managed as a cohesive sys- tem, results in more predictability and consistent service delivery. This process-based approach also allows for the application of risk manage- ment tools and the facilitation of root cause analysis to identify problems with the objective being to eliminate or prevent its recurrence. Awareness of the interdependencies provides an opportunity for continuous im- provement to the agency’s core and support processes, systematically ac- counting for anything that may neg- atively affect its delivery of services. The QMS, being a composite of a quality culture, revised streamlined processes and resources, ensures that the JCA also places great emphasis on innovation and learning. As a knowledge-drivenorganisation, a key performance indicator is the number of training hours accessed by each employee. As more automated ser- vices are rolled out, employees have been trained in the technical require- ments to effectively execute their job functions. This was augmented with sensitisation on the requirements of theQMS aswell as service excellence training. Organisational knowledge, preserved as documented informa- tion, is embedded in SOPs, policies, manuals and system repositories; inclusive of a non-conformity and corrective action database. There is indeed transparency in what we do and how it is done to facilitate trade, secure Jamaica’s borders, and equita- bly collect revenue. A sustainable organisation con- stantly undertakesmonitoring,meas- urement, analysis and evaluation. The JCA has a robust performance measurement system that cascades from the individual to the agency level. During the ISO 9001:2015 QMS implementation project, this performance system was bolstered by the drafting of a Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Policy which sought to document the performance management system, delineate the roles and responsibili- ties of key stakeholders and expand the scope to includemonitoring and evaluation of strategic projects for effective implementation. Further, as global supply chains evolve, the JCA continues to match these new requirements, ena- bling continued economic activity. Importantly, the JCA is positioning itself to support the inevitable eco- nomic recovery. As such, change is now implementedwithina structured framework with greater accounta- bility and employee engagement. Additionally, the management of stakeholder relationships is placed in sharp focus with each change ini- tiative. Quality has become every em- ployee’s remit as the JCA transcends from solely compliance-oriented to evolving and entrenching a culture of quality to promote improved cus- tomer service, operational efficiency and organisational sustainability. The implementation of the JCA’s QMS is approximately 90 per cent complete and is already proving to be transformational. – Contributed by the JCA’s ISO Project Office/Team Transformational QMS implementation nears completion