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Issue 6 2019 - Freight Business Journal Panalpina purchase Rhenus buys road fi rm PSL DSV completes


DSV has completed its acquisition of fellow forwarder Panalpina, following the settlement of the previously announced public exchange off er for all publicly held shares in the Swiss-based company.


Kurt Kokhauge Larsen will be


chairman of the merged company and Jens Bjørn Andersen, Jens Lund and Thomas Stig Plenborg will be members of the Panalpina board, giving DSV full control over Panalpina.


Rhenus Logistics has acquired European road freight specialist, PSL Group. Headquartered in Maldon,


Essex, and with six additional offi ces across England, PSL Group adds an established Scandinavian service through the SkanTrans


PSL brand, a European mainland distribution network and a 24/7 customs clearance operation in Dover. Rhenus Logistics managing


director David Williams commented: “The PSL Group acquisition is an important point


New campaign to get truckers Brexit-prepared


The government has launched an information campaign in the UK and Europe to prepare hauliers and others for the UK’s departure from the EU on 31 October, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced on 9 September. It is aimed at ensuring that obtain


truckers everything


they need from traders to get through border customs smoothly, reducing risk of delays at ports. The campaign will include


a billboard and media advertising


campaign, 150


pop-up centres across the 10 countries covering the nationalities that process the most UK-bound road freight and the distribution of millions of multi-language information handbooks and pocket guides. Grant Shapps said: “the


efficiency of our ports is of paramount importance. This multi-million-pound initiative ensures the UK will


open for business, with goods


continuing to move freely.” As part of the campaign an email was due be sent to 70,000 UK operators, industry bodies and other interested parties


detailing essential


information for those driving to the EU after 31 October. If the UK leaves the EU


the right paperwork for the goods hauliers are carrying, the government points out. The UK government will also


be providing hauliers with a handbook and a pocket guide to clearly set out how they


remain


without a deal, hauliers will be required to go through customs checks when exporting goods to the EU from the UK. It is the responsibility of traders to apply and obtain Some £16 million in new funding is now available to help businesses train people in customs clearance, the government announced on 3 September. This money is to help


businesses train staff in making customs declarations, and to help businesses who support others to trade goods to invest in IT to help trade with the EU continues fl ow as smoothly as possible aſt er Brexit on 31 October. The government said the


funds would help increase the capacity of Customs agents as businesses trading with the EU consider whether to get an expert to complete documentation aſt er Brexit. More than 3,000 agents have


already been trained as part of an £8 million investment earlier this year, which has also been used to develop new online learning products for customs staff such as an electronic learning package


of growth for the Rhenus UK portfolio”, and would enable Rhenus to further solidify its place in the forwarding sector. He added: “The next few months will be a crucial time for both companies as new projects arise and the two teams begin working together.”


can prepare themselves, their vehicles and their goods across the UK and the continent at service stations, truck stops and petrol stations. Messages


will be


embedded into every booking confirmation email issued to hauliers by ferry operators, advising


of the need for Managing director of PSL Group,


John King, said: “Becoming part of the Rhenus group enables us to present new opportunities and services to our clients. With our joint experience, international contacts and expertise in road freight, there is signifi cant scope for growth.”


customs paperwork and


there will be tailored emails in relevant languages to trade bodies in countries across the EU covering border readiness and new traffic management requirements, along with industry liaison days to ensure EU businesses receive clear information.


The Chancellor allocated an


and a new UK Customs Academy, launched on 12 August. Businesses based in, or with


a branch in, the UK can apply for funding ahead of the UK leaving the EU. Grants can be used to support training costs for businesses who complete customs declarations, or who intend to in the future or funding for IT improvements for small and medium sized employers who are currently involved in trade as an intermediary. Under the second wave of the grant scheme, businesses can apply for the full cost of training, within certain limits as set out in the guidance. Financial Secretary to the


Treasury, Jesse Norman MP said: “We urge all businesses to make the necessary preparations to be fully ready. The government has doubled the support available, so that thousands more customs experts are on hand to help businesses on and aſt er Brexit day.”


extra £2.1 billion for government departments last month to prepare for no deal, and doubled Brexit funding for this year. As part of the cash injection, border and customs operations will receive an additional £344 million to be ready for Brexit, including hiring more border offi cers and improving transport infrastructure around ports. Eligible fi rms are urged to apply


early and those who applied previously may apply again as part of the new wave of grants for expenditure incurred on or aſt er 31 July 2019. Applications will close on 31 January 2020, or earlier once all the funding is allocated. British International Freight


Association (BIFA) Director General Robert Keen commented however: “Whilst we welcome the additional funding, as we did when the fi rst funding was announced in December


///NEWS


last


year, we query whether it will, as the announcement states, lead to thousands of more customs experts being on hand to help businesses on and aſt er Brexit day.”


UK gets a Customs Academy


Consultants KGH Customs Services, in collaboration with the Institute of Export and the Centre for Customs and Excise Studies has launched a new UK Customs Academy to bolster training and knowledge of the subject, at the request of HMRC. It will offer a range of courses awards


and at all levels,


including a basic Customs Practice and Procedure award, a Certificate in Customs


Compliance (the minimum required to prepare and lodge customs declarations), a Certificate in Advanced Customs Compliance and a Dipola in Advanced Customs Compliance. Hours of study start at 40 hours for the entry- level course, which costs £250. Degree level courses in


Border Management and Customs Administration are also available.


Dean of the new academy,


David Widdowson – who is also chief executive of the Centre for Customs and Excise Studies at Charles Sturt University, Australia - described it as “the world’s most innovative and comprehensive” institution of its kind. He said he hoped it would help tackle the “disturbing lack of knowledge about trading requirements post-Brexit”.


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