trade services
Implementing Interdoc
Handling Trade Services
8 What'sNewS Issueó-June 1998
Centre of competence
Electronic Banking
The customer-focus strategy of Rl is aimed, among others, at trade finance
customers - namely F&A and international corporates - who utilize trade
services products in mitigating their global trade flow risks. It is not surprising
then, that the development of trade services is an important consideration. At
least that is the thought behind implementing the new millennium and euro
proof business model, dubbed Interdoc.
Communication
Following a strategie study, Interdoc is
the tailor-made solution adaptable to
new market developments and customer
needs within trade services products
worldwide. It is an organizational, sys-
tems and tools revamp which makes opti-
mal use of the latest information
technology. And as Jos Hurks, head of
trade services in the Netherlands points
out, systems are just the beginning.
'People are one of the key issues to
Interdoc's success. The system is just a
tooi, it takes a dedicated, proactive team
to make it work. The basic formula
for success of the Interdoc project is a
combination of both - the latest IT
systems together with our interna!
product knowledge and drive.'
The Netherlands branch is to act as centre
of competence in terms of products, pro
cessing and IT for trade services across
our global network. This in mind, as part
of Interdoc, a new and highly
sophisticated application, Eximbills C/S
(cliënt server) has been selected and, in
consultation with global IT, is currently
being implemented. Aside from Utrecht,
offices to be up and running with
Eximbills C/S by years' end are New
York, Singapore and Hamburg. Antwerp
is next to go live in 1999. And according
to project manager Henk Prinssen the
team's ambitious aim is for the whole
network to eventually take on the same
system. 'We are convinced our future is in
a uniform package for all offices. A cliënt
in Rotterdam is entitled to expect the
same Rabobank trade service products as
a cliënt in, say, Hong Kong, or somewhere
in South America.'
Another objective of the Interdoc project
is the enhancement of the electronic com-
munication with customers. For this, the
sophisticated electronic banking applica
tion Trade-Connect has been selected.
TradeConnect is an application installed
at the customer side, with which trade ser
vice specific products can be initiated and
controlled by the customer. Within the
Arapid expansion in both
the geographical scope
and the complexity of our
global operation, combined
with our forward-looking
push towards an overlapping
matrix of service provision,
have together produced a
powerful surge in the
workload for trade services
personnel in all of our
international offices.
Unfortunately, the
business of handling docu-
mentary credits, documentary collec-
tions, and international bank guarantees
all too often goes to other banks,
although there are possibilities to handle
them within our network. Clearly, we
need to better coordinate our activities in
this field. Indeed, this issue was high-
lighted in our internal '1996-97
Documentary Payment Services' survey,
and it ranked high on the discussion
agenda when participants gathered in
late May for the international trade ser
vices network meeting in Utrecht. With
nearly all branches participating in the
Networking from left to right: Hildegard Lukowski (Frank-
furt), Ferdinand Tuinstra (Kiev International Bank, Ukraine),
Paul Flarding (London) and Sunny Cheung (Hong Kong)
meeting, it was agreed that more can be
done in order to join our efforts and thus
win a greater share of the revenues asso-
ciated with these transactions.The meet
ing included lectures and workshops and
drew a full complement of participants
from 19 branches including Utrecht. 'We
were able to address a number of impor
tant issues as a global team,' says Aad
Brink, global product manager, trade ser
vices. 'The meeting was also a success in
clarifying the steps that we need to take
in order to further improve our opera-
tional and commercial efficiency.'
Interdoc team from left to right: Mark van Leeuwen,
Pier de Jong, Huub van Ek, Esther van den Berg, Bram Postma,
Henk Prinssen, Jos Hurks, Peter Pavias, Mare Baseliers,
Sharon Olsthoorn and Wim Koudijs. (Willem van der Craats
and Gerrit-Jan Scholten are missing)
field of electronic banking, another
RI initiative the team is currently involved
with, is a package which promises to
ultimately bring customers one integrated
RI electronic banking solution.
The recent trade services meeting in
Utrecht (see below) is an example of the
kind of communication trade services will
be encouraging for the future. 'We are
knowledge-driven,' continues Hurks.
'Take IT as an example, we can offer back
office solutions to our complex products
because the developers are
also the users. They really
understand the system and
how it works. This is the
kind of know-how gained
through networking with
other branches. We feel we
have so much to learn from
our global network. As a
centre of competence we are
expected to provide
knowledge and advice, but
we also rely on the feedback
we get from offices in imple
menting Interdoc. The result
is a win-win situation.'
The trade services team will
be available next year to
implement Interdoc into
other offices in the network. Any
enquiries can be directed to either Henk
Prinssen or Jos Hurks at Utrecht's trade
services department (+31 30 216 39 90
and +31 30 216 34 54 respectively)
