UTSCH is now an ''officially recognised known consignor''

“It was difficult, but we have succeeded once again“ - with these words, Peter Anselm, who is in charge of customs matters for Erich Utsch AG, announced the inclusion of the company in the EU database. This was preceded by a lengthy process carried out by the German Civil Aviation Authority, in the course of which a test took place to check whether UTSCH really did meet the strict requirements for the awarding of this status, which is coveted by export-oriented companies. 
''Known consignors'' enjoy significant advantages with regard to the processing of export transactions which make use of air freight, in particular in respect of relaxations concerning security restrictions. In the past, certification of companies as ''known consignors“ could also be issued by specially approved forwarding agents. As a result of unfortunate experiences in the recent past, the lawmakers have now decided that only the Civil Aviation Authority is now permitted to issue such certification.
For this reason, all companies which had previously been certified as ''known consignors'' were called upon to have their certification renewed by the Civil Aviation Authority by April 29, 2013. If this is not done, the certification becomes invalid, and each piece of air freight must be tested, x-rayed and released by a suitable service provider before it is authorised for loading onto an aircraft. This results in increased freight costs for the dispatcher (and also for the customer), and there is also the risk of delays in delivery.

As UTSCH is well aware of the advantages of being certified, it was only logical to have the elaborate procedure carried out. In addition to intensive on-site checks, the training of around 80 employees and the setting up of a special air freight warehouse were also necessary. All the tests and the measures taken were carried out to the complete satisfaction of the Civil Aviation Authority, which, on April 25, 2013, granted Erich Utsch AG the status of ''officially recognised known consignor''. This includes registration in the webgate.ec.europa.eu database, which lists all regulated representatives and officially recognised known consignors in the European Union.