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January 2010 - GROB awarded AEO certification
On January 12, 2010, GROB-WERKE GmbH & Co. KG became the holder of the AEO (Authorized Economic Operator) Certificate. This status is only awarded to particularly trustworthy and reliable companies, who are then entitled to certain simplifications with customs clearance procedures throughout Europe. AEO certification will increasingly become a basic requirement for the movement of goods internationally.
The globalization of trade and in particular the changed security situation worldwide after the Iraq war and the September 11, 2001 attacks forced the World Customs Organization to put in place internationally applicable terms and conditions for effective management of security, i.e. the Framework of Standards to Secure and Facilitate Global Trade or SAFE. In 2005, when the change to the customs code was made, the political/security aspects of SAFE were incorporated into European law. One of its most important elements was the AEO certificate. Since January 1, 2008 companies with headquarters based in the European Union may apply to their customs administration to request Authorized Economic Operator status.Admission to this circle of Authorized Economic Operators was the result of a months-long evaluation process carried out by the Customs Office in Augsburg. During the evaluation period, security at our organization and our internal procedures were subjected to scrutiny in both a de facto and legal sense. As a result, for external security reasons, the fencing around our factory site had to be improved in certain places and in sensitive logistics areas CCTV cameras were installed.
AEO certification is of great significance for our company not just internationally, but also for the company as a whole. It does of course play a part at international level in the mutual recognition of trading partners, at the same time procedures can be accelerated and rationalized; in addition security for the international exchange of goods is increased. As GROB factories are now classed as lower risk, logistical processes can be optimized and competitiveness improved.
“Against this background, we would like to thank all our staff who have played a part in obtaining Authorized Economic Operator status for our company,” said Christian Grob, the company’s chief representative. “Special thanks go to the AEO Core Team, who were the key drivers in the certification acquisition process,” he added.
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