Kavida accelerates export/import processes, delivering real-time supply chain visibility

The international trade and procurement sector is highly competitive and relies on efficient, error-free processes. Yet operations are traditionally burdened by manual data entry and document processing, which is time-consuming and prone to human error. With error rates running in customs declarations running at an average of 10%, mistakes can be extremely costly.

The heavy reliance on manual processing (for example, it previously took the BAE Systems team 71,000 hours to manage 30,000 shipments a year) takes up large amounts of valuable time that could be spent on strategic planning, improved communication between departments, and proactive customer service.

Through the Made Smarter Innovation | Digital Supply Chain Hub, Digital Catapult identified this as a pertinent challenge that could be addressed through the practical application of deep tech. By launching the International Supply Chain Accelerator – the Digital Catapult team not only wanted to improve global supply chain resilience but also wanted to enable UK deep tech companies to scale by providing them funding and support to address these industry challenges.

Previous Digital Supply Chain Hub alumni Kavida.ai, joined the International Supply Chain Accelerator to tackle this challenge faced by defence giants BAE Systems and Leonardo. The Kavida solution addresses these challenges by automating up to 90% of these tasks, reducing errors, and providing real-time visibility to transform teams into strategic partners rather than just processors.

Funding and support to build capability

Taking part in the accelerator provided Kavida team with funding and network support that was instrumental in helping them achieve their goals. Funding for their pilot projects enabled rapid development and integration; by partnering with industry challenge owners, BAE Systems and Leonardo, and working Digital Catapult technologists, they benefited from expert guidance on regulatory compliance, integration with legacy systems, and best practices in automation.

Kavida uses AI-powered agents to automate procurement and trade systems, handling everything from document validation and customs declaration matching to real-time shipment tracking. This means integrating new AI technologies with existing ERP and other systems of record, while overcoming the complexity of manual processes and ensuring regulatory compliance.

Enterprise partnership for real-world testing

The International Supply Chain Accelerator has helped the Kavida platform evolve from procurement automation to become a comprehensive solution that supports end-to-end trade management workflows. Being able to partner with leading enterprises allowed them to conduct valuable real-world testing and make iterative improvements.

These partnerships and the enthusiasm of industry challenge holders gave the team confidence that they were solving real problems that matter to businesses, validating their approach and helping them to refine their value proposition for the wider market.

As a result, the pilot phase successfully demonstrated how Kavida can deliver quantifiable efficiencies through a dramatic reduction in manual work and the number of errors made; while real-time visibility, tracking and automated follow-up enables proactive customer service and improves supply chain responsiveness.

These improvements deliver significant cost savings for Kavida users:

• Reducing manual processing workload to just 10% of current levels
• Reducing trade compliance error rates from 10% to less than 1% 

“These figures underscore the urgent need for technology that can streamline operations and improve customer satisfaction. The Kavida platform automates up to 90% of tasks, reduces errors, and provides real-time visibility to transform teams into strategic partners rather than just processors. We’re now focusing on selling the Kavida solution to enterprises within aerospace manufacturing and distribution within the UK and US.”

Sumit Sinha, Co-founder and CTO, Kavida

Collaboration builds confidence

Direct feedback from the industry challenge owners’ trade teams and IT departments accelerated the refinement of Kavida use cases, with collaborative workshops and live demonstrations building confidence in the solution’s capabilities. While initially focused on automating procurement processes, Kavida’s remit has expanded to include international trade automation and integrated supply chain visibility. This evolution has been driven by feedback from pilot implementations and partner insights.

About Kavida

Kavida is a supply chain automation company that is pioneering the agentic AI era of supply chain management. Their AI assistants secure global supply chains, combining automation, advanced reasoning LLMs, and rapid response capabilities to transform instability into opportunity.