Jaguar Land Rover, Inchcape, LogChain, and the UK Government have successfully completed another trade digitalisation pilot, delivering two vehicles to Thailand.
The pilot demonstrated how digital workflows can be adopted in international trade today to streamline complex, cross-border shipments. It transitioned the shipment process from fragmented email threads and duplicated documents to a single, task-driven system.
Notable outcomes included a 60% faster shipment process time, 90% less email traffic, an 89% reduction in administrative work, a significant boost in staff productivity, and a 90% decrease in the data footprint and associated CO₂ emissions.
This pilot follows a broader UK Government project last year that supported businesses in the UK, Thailand, and Singapore to adopt trade digitalisation for the first time when moving goods internationally. The project was delivered in partnership with LogChain and the British Chamber of Commerce in Singapore. More information on the work can be found at: https://www.britcham.org.sg/trade-digitalisation-pilots.
Both projects were delivered in line with the UK’s Electronic Trade Documents Act, which came into force in 2023 and removed all legal barriers to using electronic documents under the UK trading system.
Today’s announcement follows the launch of the UK Government’s Trade Strategy on 26 June. The strategy outlines the Government’s plan to boost UK trade with the rest of the world. Trade digitalisation forms an important part of that effort, with new commitments to deliver: a digital trade corridor pilot programme; a dedicated SME capability programme to help smaller firms digitalise; and a central electronic trade documents hub on GOV.UK.
“Trade digitalisation cuts costs, speeds up delivery, and improves transparency across the supply chain … these aren’t just statistics, they’re proof that trade digitalisation works. It makes trade faster, greener, and smarter.” — Mark Gooding OBE, His Majesty’s Ambassador to Thailand.
“The pilot enabled faster detection, communication, and resolution of shipment delays, showing its potential to boost agility across the supply chain.” — Andrew Baird, Chief Operating Officer, LogChain.
“To enable distribution excellence, we need digitalisation … this doesn’t only save our time, but it also saves our costs as well.” — Charnchai Mahantakhun, Managing Director, Inchcape.
Background
Trade digitalisation refers to the process of turning paper trade processes into digital ones by using e-docs and digital platforms to manage and oversee the movement of goods and cash. Moving goods across borders involves multiple actors across transport, insurance, finance, and logistics. One transaction typically involves 20 entities and between 10–20 paper documents (e.g. bills of lading). The UK was the first G7 country to adopt the UN’s Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records, removing all legal barriers to using electronic documents under the UK trading system.
The UK Government previously ran a Southeast Asia pilot in collaboration with Britcham Singapore and LogChain, delivering real-world shipments between Thailand, Singapore, and the UK using trade digitalisation. The project report showed that over 86% of paper documents were digitalised, shipment times were reduced from five to three days, email traffic dropped by over 90%, staff productivity improved by up to 67%, and new market access barriers were identified.
In 2025, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) Asia Pacific undertook a pilot to assess the operational and environmental impact of trade digitalisation within its Southeast Asia supply chain, particularly for shipments from the UK through Singapore to final delivery in Thailand. JLR Asia Pacific oversees vehicle shipments across the region, working closely with Inchcape Thailand and regional logistics partners.
