> **From:** Francoise Mbeki <f.mbeki@boisdulittoral.cm> > **Subject:** Fwd: URGENT -- Chain of custody documentation delays > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > **From:** Jean-Pierre Atangana <jp.atangana@boisdulittoral.cm> > **To:** Francoise Mbeki > **Subject:** RE: Antwerp shipment documentation > > Francoise, > > The Antwerp buyer is threatening penalties. They need chain of custody documents for the March shipment by Friday and we still haven't matched the sawmill records to the forestry tags. The problem is the same as always -- three systems, no connection. > > JP > > ---------- > > As you can see, this is what we deal with every shipment. I manage operations for Bois du Littoral -- four forest concessions, a sawmill, and export logistics out of Douala port. We export sawn timber to about 30 countries. > > Our EU buyers require FLEGT chain of custody documentation: proof that every piece of timber in a shipment can be traced back to a legally managed concession. This means connecting records across three separate systems -- forestry inventory, sawmill production, and customs/export. > > Currently this is a manual process that takes roughly one week per shipment. We export approximately 40 times per year. The math does not work. > > I need these three data sources consolidated so that chain of custody documentation can be generated quickly. I can provide sample exports from each system. > > Please advise on your approach and timeline. > > Francoise Mbeki > Head of Operations **Suggested message buttons:** 1. "Hello Francoise. I've reviewed the email chain. Before I start, can you tell me more about the three systems -- specifically, how logs are tracked from the forest to the sawmill?" 2. "Hello Francoise. I'll start by profiling the sample exports from each system to understand what we're working with. I'll report back with a plan for connecting them."