Press report

After Brexit, the exit of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Single Market and the Customs Union, the window cons­ truction companies from Great Britain were not only weakened by a skills shor­ tage and a much higher administrative expense, but also by a considerable rise in duties for services from the EU. In order to relieve all customers from the United Kingdom, the Urban GmbH & Co. Maschinenbau KG has set up a special customs service, which is operated by the Export department in Memmingen.

"We have registered early as 'registered exporter' at the main customs office and this way we relieve our customers. Because if the European country of origin can be proven for deliveries of our machines and spare parts, then the customer saves the import duty. Depending on the product group that is between one and eight percent of the value of the goods" explained Susanne Sommer, Head of the Export Department and customs specialist at Urban.

The transition phase between the Brexit ruling (January 2020) and the final completion (31st December 2020) was an enormous challenge for Susanne Sommer:

"Because it was not clear until almost right at the end, how the whole thing was to be handled according to customs law and then also implemented in fact."

Direct exchange

By means of countless webinars and online lectures as well as the intensive exchange with the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) and the main customs office, Sommer quickly got to grips with the material and is now an absolute expert, not only regarding origin- and export certificates as well as the REX process for UK. In the mean time as a rule everything run smoothly, but there are still exceptions.

"We also require long-term supplier declarations (LTSD) from our suppliers, that are valid for UK, but sometimes precisely this notice is missing on the form. Then we have to request it again and have it issued completely new."

For Urban customers the service is great. Because regardless of whether a delivery of spare parts or complete window construction production: From Susanne Sommer and her team you get perfectly completed export documents, in which all details are listed precisely.

Customs Service Worldwide

This customs service is naturally valid in all destinations worldwide – regardless of whether certificates of origin, accreditive- and preference handling are required, Urban has for years provided this service for all customers throughout the world.

"For us that is an important building block in customer service and quite clearly serves the customer relations", stated Martin Urban, the managing partner of Urban GmbH & Co. Maschinenbau KG.

Urban not only has an excellent reputation among its customers, but also with the customs authorities.

"We have many customs authorizations and are an approved economic operator (AEO-C). That means, that the customs authorities no longer check our exports, rather they trust that we do it right", said Susanne Sommer.

She knows, that this is only a leap of faith, that is to be fulfilled with every individual delivery: "Because one thing is clear: The next customs audit comes for sure!"