Australian Trusted Trader saves a lot of time at customs
a. hartrodt has certification comparable to AEO.
Since the beginning of the year, a. hartrodt Australia has been one of the few forwarders to be certified as an Australian Trusted Trader (ATT). It is comparable to an AEO certification as Authorized Economic Operator. "This saves a lot of time during import and export, especially if the customer is also ATT-certified," explains Dirk Haarhaus, Regional Director Oceania at a. hartrodt in Milperra near Sydney. He sees a need to catch up with small and medium-sized companies: "We support customers in applying for ATT certification. "
Imports are released faster
Since ATT was passed by the Australian Parliament in June 2015, around 600 companies have been certified. "Certain customs clearance procedures are now much simpler. For example, imported goods are released immediately," reports Haarhaus. Checks are less frequent. If consignments have to be physically checked by Australian customs, according to the manager the goods can "already be at the customer's premises".
Trade facilitation also for exports
"If we need tariff or customs information, we get preferential treatment," says Haarhaus. In addition, a. hartrodt has a dedicated ATT Account Manager at the responsible Department of Home Affairs and Australian Border Force: "The Australian government regularly invites certified companies to discuss industry standards and agree on processes. Feedback from freight forwarders is included." Trade facilitation for exports is provided by a Mutual Recognition Arrangement with Canada, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Singapore and Taiwan. Trusted Trade importers benefit from free trade agreements with Chile, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.
Australia is traditionally an important market for a. hartrodt, which currently employs around 160 people. The regional headquarters in Milperra is also responsible for New Zealand. In 2018, freight forwarding revenues in the Oceania region reached 67.88 million euros - more than China (62.36 million euros).