Full EDI Service for Production Notification
Saturday, February 26, 2000

Trade Department announced today (Saturday) that full electronic data interchange (EDI) service for Production Notification (PN) will be implemented on February 28 (Monday).

"In view of the encouraging response from the trade on the migration to EDI service for PN, Tradelink Electronic Commerce Limited (Tradelink) and Trade Department decided in mid December 1999 that the full migration of EDI service for PN should be introduced on February 28, 2000 and traders have been informed of this arrangement on December 22, 1999," said a Trade Department spokesman.

"Seven months since the first introduction of EDI service for PN in July 1999, the average EDI take-up rate has reached 85%. The enthusiastic response from traders to the paperless mode of operation of PN has been very encouraging and has given us confidence in implementing full EDI service for PN ahead of the original schedule.

"Receipt counters for submission of paper PN in Trade Department will be closed as from February 28 (Monday). Traders, in lodging PN, can either use EDI service or patronise one of the six electronic trading access service centres provided by Tradelink.

"EDI service brings much convenience and efficiencies to traders as the whole process of lodging and validation of PN has become paperless and the turnaround time in obtaining a response to the PN lodgement is much shortened with electronic processing." the spokesman added.

All registered manufacturers producing cut-and-sewn garments destined for restrained markets are required to notify Trade Department regarding the production details by submitting a PN within three working days before they start the principal assembly process in Hong Kong.

PN is the second statutory document processed by Trade Department to go on full EDI service following the successful full migration of EDI service for Restrained Textiles Export Licences in 1999.

Certificate of Origin is the third document to go on full EDI scheduled to be implemented in the later half of 2000.