On · Customs Intelligence
Page 01 — Framing the problem

We don't know yet
where the error is.
That's the problem.

Errors are showing up at customs — but we are working with hypotheses, not conclusions. The documents may not be telling the same story. The systems may not be talking to each other. There may be human error in between. Before fixing anything, we need to understand where the problem lives.

METHODOLOGY · READ BEFORE EVERYTHING
This document was built by studying the customs/trade space and looking at how comparable companies operate — without deep insider knowledge of On's actual processes, systems or problems. The goal is not to deliver a finished diagnosis, but to demonstrate a way of thinking: how to frame a problem, how to build visibility around it, and how to design a process that turns data into decisions. AI was used to research the domain, structure the narrative and produce this material. Every number, KPI and example is illustrative.
Working hypotheses
H1
Documents may not speak the same language
PO, CI, IC and CD are produced by different teams. The same field (value, qty, HS code) may be described differently across them.
H2
Systems may not be talking to each other
D365, Coupa, Infor Nexus and the broker's stack don't share a validation layer. Data is copied and re-typed along the chain.
H3
Human error along the chain
Manual edits, reclassifications, last-minute changes. We don't yet know how often, where, or by whom.
The 4 dimensions we need to investigate

Before any fix, the first step is identification. For every error we see, we need to be able to answer:

01
Which document?
PO · CI · IC · CD
02
Which information?
Value · Qty · HS · Origin · Description
03
Which region?
EU · Americas · Asia
04
Which broker?
Flexport · DHL · EU-01 · …
The process — and where the gaps may be

Four documents, three regions, four systems. No shared validation layer between them. This is the map we want to instrument — and these are the questions we need to answer at each step.

INTERNAL
PO
Purchase Order
D365 via EDI
Generated when a customer places an order
?Does the PO carry all the info the CI will need? Are fields standardized?
INTERNAL
CI
Commercial Invoice
D365 / Coupa
Semi-automatic, with manual adjustments
?When the CI is adjusted, has the broker who will receive it been notified? Is the product description the same as the PO?
INTERNAL
IC
Intercompany Invoice
D365 internal
Transfer pricing between entities
?Is transfer pricing properly documented so it isn't confused with the CI in an audit?
EXTERNAL
CD
Customs Declaration
Broker system
Based on the received CI
?Does the broker receive the right info? Uses the same HS Code? Interprets fields the same way?
APPROACH
Step 1 — Identify. Instrument the chain so every error can be located precisely.
Step 2 — Visibility. Surface patterns through KPIs and dashboards.
Step 3 — Act. Standardize what is internal. Hold accountable what is external.