When it comes to delivering to foreign countries, accidents are in a small corner. Companies in logistics should therefore pay attention to their export licences. Says Richard Groenendijk, director of AEB Netherlands.
Groenendijk worked for years in Rotterdam's logistics sector, where his responsibilities included exports. "The question of whether goods could be delivered to certain countries, companies or individuals was a constant concern there. It was very difficult to find out what was or was not allowed to be delivered," Groenendijk told Briskmagazine.
Hefty fines
Companies that pay little attention to this may face costly surprises. “By no means can every product simply be supplied to a foreign customer. Sometimes this is abundantly clear – think of products for military purposes. But in other cases, it is far less obvious. Take green paint, for example. There’s nothing wrong with supplying that to a German construction firm. But what about an import/export company from Mali? Or a business owner from Belarus who is sometimes suspected of illegal arms trading? Will that green paint be used to maintain a school or hospital? Or to camouflage armoured vehicles?”
Up-to-date boycott list
Sales managers are sometimes eager to secure foreign customers. However, it is important to first check whether these goods or services are actually permitted to be supplied to the country in question. This requires an up-to-date boycott list. Many logistics professionals have doubts and questions about how to use such a boycott list. “It is often still unclear which list to use,” Groenendijk tells the magazine for entrepreneurs. “A Dutch list or an EU overview? And how accurate and up-to-date is the list you’re actually using?”
Editorial LogistiekProfs
