IRELAND\\\


Association gets industry up to speed on customs


As well as raising awareness of Brexit issues, the Irish International Freight Association (IFFA) has been stepping up its training efforts in other areas, including a stand-alone customs course, says executive officer Seamus Kavanagh. This gives a full awareness of


all the issues that they need to be aware of, including financial implications and responsibilities. This is then backed up by an online practical module including completion of a dummy entry. Students also get access to TimeT customs soſtware for a trial period. The course has proved popular


says Kavanagh, especially considering that many consider customs quite a ‘difficult’ subject. People coming forward to take the course come from a variety of backgrounds. Some already work in freight forwarding but there are also those in other areas of logistics


who wish to become freight forwarders. There are also people from completely unrelated areas. IIFA has also been one of


the associations that have been getting Ireland’s new Logistics Apprenticeship off the ground, scheduled for launch in September. Under the scheme, companies would offer paid apprenticeship places for a year. Apprentices would work for the company, but also be given time off to attend study courses in Dublin. The course would include an


element of business studies, but would also have a strong freight element including the major modes such as road, sea and air. The main target would be


school leavers aged 17-18 and the aim is to get young people interested and enthused about logistics in a country where high tech employers offer many alternative enticements.


The plan is for the first


apprentices to start their placements


in September and


there is every sign that the initial target of 16 places will easily be achieved, says Kavanagh. It will be a Level 6 course within


Ireland’s QQI framework and it could also be used as a stepping stone to a university level course, says Kavanagh. Initially, the classroom element


of the course will be held in Dublin, but there is also strong interest from colleges in Cork, says Kavanagh. IIFA now has around 120


members, and while there are still a few potential recruits to go for, the association includes the majority of active freight forwarders in Ireland, Kavanagh considers. IIFA’s new terms and conditions,


finalised last


November, have been an effective recruiting tool.


It’s always a good sign when people in Dublin start grumbling about the traffic, says Garrett Thornton. As


the managing


director of one of Ireland’s biggest logistics companies, JMC, congestion is a sign that the economy is growing again. In fact, the latest economic published


figures, that very


morning, suggested that the Irish economy grew by a very healthy 7.3% in 2017 compared with 2016, which itself wasn’t a bad year either. While there may be an element


of business owners making hay while the sun shines ahead of coming storms, particularly Brexit, confidence is returning to Ireland, he says. As for JMC (now in the


processing of rebranding itself from JMC Van Trans): “We expect our business to grow by 7-10% in 2018, so we’re pretty confident too.”


Like all Irish businesses, JMC has been preparing for Brexit,


Issue 2 2017 - FBJ


3 A van man with a plan


insofar as anyone can for a still largely unknown quantity. “We’ve been recruiting new people, including graduates, and we are also obtaining AEO status. We also expect customs clearance to become a bigger part of our business aſter Brexit.” In fact, JMC is setting up a


customs bond, which would allow it to carry out customs clearances at its own premises rather than at the ports. While it is still far from clear what the customs situation will be aſter Brexit, “it does reassure customers that we have a plan.” Goods could be held at


the


bonded premises until they are given clearance by Irish Customs NCTS system. Moving


the process away


from the ports could also be an important part of efforts to keep Ireland moving should Brexit impose a customs clearance process between the UK and Ireland, says Thornton: “There’s around 9km of trucks arriving


in Irish ports every day; you couldn’t hold all that traffic there – you would have to release it to a customs compliant facility.” Anything that impedes the free


flow of trade between the UK and Ireland would be a serious issue. JMC alone handles around 700 to 1,000 consignments a night from mainland UK, plus around 600 to and from Northern Ireland. “The UK is probably around a third of everything we do. Clearly, though, volumes could drop by between 20 and 30% if customs clearance is imposed, as some people would either source from the remaining EU countries, or locally. But transport volumes overall wouldn’t be affected – unless, of course, Brexit triggered a recession.” JMC’s customs bond is partly


an insurance in case the worst happens, but it could be a useful facility to have in any event. The company


already


certain amount of overseas


handles 4 >> a


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