TechVit Solutions

Case Study

Automating HS Code Lookup and Precedent Search (Trading Company)

Trade & Import/ExportPDF & DocumentsInternal AI Search

*These are illustrative model cases, not actual client engagements. Real-world time savings vary by workload and data volume.

Before (Manual)

  • Check item specs and research HS code candidates40m
  • Search shared folders for similar past cases30m
  • Organize rationale and get manager sign-off20m

Total 1h 30m

After (Automated)

  • Enter item details; review AI-suggested codes, rationale, and precedents10m
  • Get manager sign-off on the confirmed code10m

Total 20m

Time saved per run

−1h 10m(78% reduction)

The scenario

A trading company handling roughly 100 items per month needs to classify each one with an HS code. The lookup relies entirely on one experienced staff member’s judgment, and past similar cases sit buried in a shared folder no one can search.

What gets automated

The team enters an item’s name, specification, and material. The AI proposes HS code candidates with cited rationale drawn from the tariff schedule and past classification precedents, and surfaces similar past cases from the company’s own archive side by side. The final code is always confirmed by a person.

Why it works

  • AI handles the candidate research, cutting lookup time from ~90 minutes to ~20 minutes per item
  • Every suggestion shows its source, so the workflow doubles as an audit trail
  • Past-case search drops to seconds, letting new staff draw on a veteran’s judgment history

How it's built

  • · Claude API (candidate classification and rationale extraction)
  • · Vector search over the tariff schedule and classification precedents
  • · Indexing of internal past cases

Timeline

About 6 weeks (2-week assessment + 1-month PoC)

Estimated cost

PoC: ¥100,000–300,000

Get a free assessment of what can be automated

It's fine to start with "could this work for us?". Tell us about your current manual process and we'll tell you what's automatable and roughly what it costs.