26
January
2023
|
06:45
Europe/Berlin

Happy International Customs Day!

4 take-aways about customs from talking to our experts

Since 1983, the World Customs Organization (WCO) recognises the role of customs by celebrating International Customs Day on January 26th. The perfect moment to shed light on Kuehne+Nagel’s customs brokerage experts.

Customs brokers must be on top of regulatory changes, continuously update their knowledge and deploy it in their day-to-day work in an industry with no tolerance for errors. They also connect authorities with traders and selected partners.

Without customs brokers, there would be no international trade. We talked with some of our experts and derived 4 key take-aways about their important roles.

1.     Customs brokerage is a critical component of the overall supply chain

The warehouse staff managed to load to the truck on time, which then arrived in the port on-schedule, just like the vessel anchored at destination as foreseen. Great! Until… a missing entry in the import customs documentation puts a stop to the smooth logistics journey thus far. Yes, errors in customs procedures can disrupt your supply chain. 

2.     Global trade regulations are constantly changing

In 2023 there are some 355 regional trade agreements. They have more than doubled since the year 2000. This increases the complexity of customs clearance procedures, as well as the number of clearances themselves. Here’s an illustration: the UK customs market in Europe has grown 5-fold, from 50 million declarations in 2020 to 250 million in 2021.

So, either customs procedures need to get more efficient (see point 4), or we need more customers brokers. Or both.

3.     Businesses can save a lot of money if customs brokerage is done well

The more countries you trade with, the more complex your supply chain, including customs, gets. Constant regulatory changes and increasing complexity boost the appetite for businesses to partner with dedicated customs brokers that can provide worldwide coverage with additional value-added services. Their expert advice and close connections to customs officials can help them leverage trade agreements to reduce duties and taxes, and thus, save money.

4.     Customs digitalization is happening

Can customs get more efficient? Well… yes! Regulatory authorities are advancing their technologies, making enforcement more efficient. The introduction of electronic filing and Smart Borders (i.e. clearance of goods in destination countries prior to departure in export countries) are a few examples.

In Kuehne+Nagel, we also follow this trend and digitise our data. Our own Single Window Customs Portal foresees one digital entry point for the customer to orchestrate customs in all the countries they do business with.

This trend will help to mitigate the increasing complexity of international trade.

In conclusion

The rising demand for customs brokerage services has led Kuehne+Nagel to offer dedicated customs standalone services. In 2022, over 1500 highly skilled customs brokers in Kuehne+Nagel handled around 4 million declarations!

Kuehne+Nagel’s customs teams are staying on top of the changes in the industry to provide efficient solutions to our customers. Reach out to us if you want to find peace of mind about your customs too.

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About Kuehne+Nagel

With more than 80,000 employees at over 1,300 sites in over 100 countries, the Kuehne+Nagel Group is one of the world's leading logistics providers. It operates in sea logistics, air logistics, road logistics and contract logistics, with a clear focus on integrated logistics solutions.