KC Group Shipping provided support to a British Textile Company to help them navigate the complexities of post Brexit customs formalities. Our expertise allowed their supply chain to continue despite the additional and uncertain processes.

THE BACKGROUND

KC Group Shipping supports a vast range of manufacturing customers, and we have developed many effective relationships across the textiles sector. For one of our textiles customers, KC provide daily support to their ever expanding European supply chain utilising our 200,000sq ft European transit hub in Antwerp Belgium. Our operations, processes and paperwork Pre-Brexit for this particular logistics supply chain were predominately seamless end-to-end. However, as many people and organisations know, Brexit has changed the landscape considerably.

THE CHALLENGE

For us, the challenge was to find a solution for moving textiles throughout Europe, beginning their journey at the client's Midland`s manufacturing centre, and exporting to multiple destinations across Europe.

Before Brexit, because of the freedom of trade and movement within the EU, the only paperwork required would have been a CMR/POD, signed at the origin and destinations.

Post-Brexit, the complexities increased significantly. There is a requirement for customs clearance processes in the UK and the various European destination countries. A UK export declaration is required, which the KC team have many years of worldwide experience in managing. A T1 document is also necessary to allow cargo to transit European countries, avoiding the need for numerous customs declarations enroute to our European Hub and/or our clients final distribution centre.

We also had to provide a fiscal clearance service, which would allow KC to process customs declarations using a single EU EORI number with goods travelling to upwards of 10+ destination countries.

THE SOLUTION

The export entry from the UK was not an issue for KC to implement, having had 35 years experience in this process. We continually evolved with the market as a business and now have full access to the NCTS system and raise T1 documentation on a daily basis to countries throughout Europe.

We have procedures to plan a full trailer or groupage consignment from the UK to the Belgium hub and onward across Europe on whatever day the customer requests.

We work closely with a trusted and experienced Belgian partner and customs broker who can complete the destination clearance once goods arrive at our hub. We can then store the goods on the client’s behalf or deliver them for the onward journey.

Once cleared, we offer multiple weekly groupage vehicles to over ten countries throughout Europe, transporting the goods under free circulation into the single market as the client’s needs to the final delivery point.

THE RESULTS

We had ensured positive results for the client even with significantly more paperwork and processes involved than an identical shipment before the UK left the EU. Our client has the assurance that when they ask KC to collect a consignment, they can rely on us to uplift cargo, complete all necessary customs declarations and transit documents, safely transit and store their valuable cargo and final complete delivery to final destination within an agreed timescale. Our one stop European solution has ensured continuity within this supply chain.