XN000022-1985-08-29 — Page 3

THURSDAY, AUGUST 29,

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SIR DAVID SEES PROGRESS OF ECIC COMPUTERISATION

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THE CHIEF SECRETARY, SIR DAVID AKERS-JONES, WHO TAKES A PERSONAL INTEREST IN THE AUTOMATING OF GOVERNMENT SERVICES, TODAY (THURSDAY) INSPECTED THE COMPUTERISED OPERATIONS OF THE HONG KONG EXPORT CREDIT INSURANCE CORPORATION (ECIC).

ACCOMPANIED BY THE COMMISSIONER, MR YEUNG KAI-YIN, SIR DAVID WAS SHOWN THE RESULTS OF THE CORPORATION'S FIVE-YEAR- COMPUTERISATION PROGRAMME.

THE ECIC IS HONG KONG'S LARGEST SOURCE OF CREDIT MANAGEMENT DATA,

A +TREASURE HOUSE OF TRADE INFORMATION THAT IS NOW ON-LINE, MR YEUNG SAID.

AS HONG KONG'S OFFICIAL EXPORT CREDIT INSURER, ITS VOLUME OF BUSINESS HAD MORE THAN DOUBLED OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS, BUT THE NUMBER OF CLERICAL STAFF HAD REMAINED ABOUT THE SAME.

THE COMPUTERISATION PROGRAMME HAD BROUGHT MANY OTHER BENEFITS TO ECIC POLICYHOLDERS, MR YEUNG SAID. WITH A CENTRALISED DATA BASE COUPLED WITH AN ON-LINE INPUT AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEM, THE CORPORATION'S UNDERWRITERS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO REDUCE CONSIDERABLY THE TIME TAKEN TO ASSESS POLICYHOLDERS' CREDIT LIMIT APPLICATIONS IN RESPECT OF KNOWN OVERSEAS BUYERS.

PRINTOUTS OF SHIPMENTS DECLARED AND CREDIT LIMITS WERE NOW EASILY AVAILABLE. A HOT-LINE TELEPHONE SERVICE STAFFED BY ECIC PEOPLE SEATED IN FRONT OF COMPUTER VISUAL DISPLAY UNITS PROVIDED QUICK RESPONSES TO POLICYHOLDERS' QUERIES.

INTERNALLY. IMPROVEMENTS DUE TO COMPUTERISATION HAVE BEEN MOST SIGNIFICANT. ECIC OFFICERS CAN ALMOST INSTANTLY OBTAIN DATA FROM FILES ON 55 000 OVERSEAS BUYERS AND 18 000 HONG KONG EXPORTERS AND MANUFACTURERS, MR YEUNG SAID.

A RISK MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, WHICH COMPARES DECLARED EXPORTS WITH CREDIT LIMITS. TRIGGERS OFF WARNINGS FOR THE CORPORATION'S UNDERWRITERS IN THOSE CASES WHERE INSURED EXPORTS HAVE SUBSTANTIALLY EXCEEDED CREDIT LIMITS.

DETAILS OF PAYMENT DIFFICULTIES, CLAIMS AND RECOVERIES ARE AVAILABLE IN A FEW SECONDS. GENERAL LEDGER AND BUDGETARY CONTROL SYSTEMS ENSURE THE ECIC MANAGES ITS FINANCES EFFICIENTLY,

IN THE SECOND PHASE OF ITS COMPUTERISATION PROGRAMME THE ECIC PLANNED TO DEVISE A MORE EFFECTIVE INFORMATION SYSTEM BY REFINING AND LINKING EXISTING PROGRAMMES TO FORM A MORE INTEGRATED DATABASE.

/THE FIC