Thomas, briefly about you: what background do you bring with you? And what is your first impression of Gerlach Customs?
I have worked in Freight and Customs area for the last 20 years. Lastly before joining Gerlach, I was also responsible for Customs and Brexit, building up the Customs product and ramping up teams in the light of Brexit.
On my first day at work it was really a special day. We celebrated Gerlach’s 140th birthday and I was received very warmly by the team. My Managers came over from other countries to give me a personal introduction. I was really very honored by that.
My first impression of Gerlach was what an impressive company with such a long history. Not many companies can look back on 140 years.
"The way the team has mastered the challenges with Covid and Brexit makes us all proud."
Let us speak about Brexit: a short review from you and what is still to come?
I think for many companies the new customs formalities were a big challenge. Not only to name the problem side… I also see a lot of the positive side.
Some companies in the UK are now better positioned for international trade, they have better and more compliant processes in the Supply Chain.
From 1 January 2022, Goods vehicle movement (GVMS) will be in place for all imports and exports at GB port locations who have chosen to use it. GVMS is a UK Government IT platform for moving goods. In short, all customs declarations must be completed before the truck arrives at the border. It is very important for us and our customers to stay informed about these changes.
For me, in my role as Managing Director, the most important thing is to build a structure in our organization in the UK. We have grown very quickly and now need to organize ourselves effectively in order to be able to continue our growth. At the same time, we are also looking at automation and digitization and will be tackling projects in this area.
We are still recruiting and now is a great opportunity for newcomers to join us, we are looking for innovative, committed team members who want to grow quickly and help shape a company.
What makes you proud of your team?
Our team is simply incredible: Dedicated to their jobs, enthusiastic, resilient.
We stick together very closely as a team and don’t let anyone fall. The way the team has mastered the challenges with Covid and Brexit makes us all proud. I am very grateful to be part of this great team.
