- The Federal Aviation Office (LBA) gives official approval according to EU regulation
- Saving of time and costs thanks to secure supply chain
- Harald Boes becomes new air freight security officer, ZF Group
Green light for ZF. The Federal Aviation Office granted the status of “known consignor” to the automotive supplier. Hence, the freight shipments sent by the company are classified as secure and do not need to go through extra security checks at suppliers or airports. Several months before the expiration of the official transition period for “known consignors”, it has already been clear: The Group fulfills all necessary requirements.
“The certification helps us to save time and costs,” says Harald Boes, air freight security officer, ZF Group. Thanks to this procedure, shipments can pass through the supply chain to the customer significantly faster since additional checks are more expensive and time-consuming. Here, there can easily occur delays of up to three days. Furthermore, the Group can save several million euros per year as additional checks are superfluous thanks to the certification.
The shipping at the Research & Development Center in Friedrichshafen, where different transmission prototypes are sent all over the world, was the first certified dispatch area. Meanwhile, a further eleven dispatch areas have been certified as “known consignor”. Certificates for another 18 dispatch areas at different ZF locations are to follow by the end of the year. “So we are able to complete the project well ahead of the transition period ending on March 25, 2013,” emphasizes Mr. Boes.
Since the beginning of September, he has been air freight security officer in addition to his responsibility in customs management. This is prerequisite for ZF Group to be able to act as “known consignor”. Until April last year, German companies had the possibility to deliver the air freight to a shipping agency with a “secure” status. It was only necessary to provide a security declaration. After some amendments of European regulations this declaration is no longer sufficient. The consignors are held responsible instead.
Everyday, ZF products leave German airports as air freight. In the course of the certification process, the company has trained about 1 300 employees in Germany, who are part of the air freight shipment process, in the new security regulations. Moreover, at the particular Group dispatch areas, hermetically sealed air freight security areas were set up. “The LBA scrutinized the processes in the company regarding the treatment of identifiable air freight. Air freight must be demonstrably protected from unauthorized access,” Mr. Boes underlined. “Our efforts were successful”.
