The first ever fully digitalised goods shipment landed in Singapore from Burnley after the UK introduced legislation to digitise trade documents to make importing and exporting easier for businesses.

A valve produced by Burnley-based manufacturer Fort Vale set off from Manchester Airport on Thursday, facilitated by UK and Singapore based tech company LogChain, and arrived in Singapore. For the first time ever, the shipment was processed entirely digitally, rather than via physical customs documents.

The news comes following the UK’s digital trade agreement with Singapore, which facilitated electronic trade, as well as the introduction of the UK’s Electronic Trade Documents Act (ETDA) which came into force last week.

The Act made the UK the first G7 country to place electronic trade documents on the same legal footing as paper documents. It is estimated the move could generate £1.14 billion for the UK economy over the next decade.

See: World’s first fully digitalised goods shipment sent from Burnley in billion-pound Brexit boost for British businesses – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)