LGI has been certified for 10 years

HERRENBERG. Since September 2019, LGI Logistics Group International GmbH has been one of the few German companies who have owned the AEO permit for more than 10 years. AEO stands for „Authorized Economic Operators“ and offers companies many advantages in handling goods that must be cleared. Since 2008, companies from the EU can apply for the status of „Authorized Economic Operators“ (AEO).

Why does AEO exist?

After the attack in the USA in September 2001, the World Customs Organization send a signal against terror and for free trade. The SAFE regulations were created, from which the „Authorized Economic Operator“ program was derived in 2007.

„In October 2008, we handed over the application for the status to the main customs office and one year later we were AEO-certified,“ Joachim Köcher, Head of Customs at LGI, explains. „This makes LGI to one of the first 300 German companies who have owned the status of AEO.

What has changed in the last 10 years?

“Meanwhile we not only have almost twice as many questions to answer. The requirements have also become much more complex,” explains Gerald Stach, employee of the Customs Department. Thanks to digitization, the customs authority can monitor more specifically.

What is AEO

“A good example of what AEO means is securing the location,” explains Stach. “For example, we have to prove that the site is fenced in, that certain areas are illuminated at night and so on“. In addition, the customs authorities estimate an amount for goods that have not yet been cleared. „With the permit, we give the authorities security and in return the amount collected is lower for us,” explains Stach. The authorisation is automatically renewed if the customs authority has accepted a detailed report from LGI. For more than a month, LGI has been an “Authorized Economic Operator” for more than ten years.

Author. Julian Valachovic