“This was indeed a very special situation, which we had never experienced before,” says Matthias Ehlert, Business Development & Sales at the Gerlach location in Duisburg. In the middle of the Corona crisis, a customer had an extremely urgent inquiry. The company had signed a contract with the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) for the supply of protective masks. However, as with many other imports from China, especially at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, there were massive production and delivery delays. The supply chain had almost completely collapsed during this time and nobody could reliably predict when and in what form goods could be transported again.
The importing company was under great pressure. On the one hand, the customer received hardly any reliable information from the Far East as to whether the goods could even be produced and, if so, whether they would still arrive in Germany on time. This is because the BMG allocates fixed delivery slots; if these are not adhered to, the purchase contract is automatically cancelled by the Federal Ministry. On the other hand, the authorities were eagerly awaiting the urgently needed protective masks with which medical personnel throughout Germany would be protected against the dangerous Covid 19 viruses. But then suddenly everything had to happen very quickly.
Suddenly everything had to go quickly
The importer was informed at short notice from China that the goods were on their way to Germany. The delivery to the BMG could just barely go ahead if all parties involved would now give their best. Fortunately, he had chosen Gerlach Customs for the customs arrangements. The experts at Europe’s leading neutral customs service provider had already prepared everything and were now working flat out. As delivery had to be made the next day due to the fixed appointment slots, it was clear that the goods had to be loaded at 4 a.m. at the latest. A Gerlach employee from the compliance department did not hesitate for long and immediately pulled out all the stops to help the customer. In record time he processed the import declaration, made a few telephone calls with the handling agent and customs, until finally customs clearance was granted and the goods reached the Federal Ministry of Health in time.
The customer was enthusiastic about the professional work and commitment of the customs experts from Gerlach Customs. He will continue to handle further shipments of masks and protective equipment with Gerlach in the future. After all, he has experienced for himself how important it is to have a partner at his side who helps quickly and without complications – no matter what the circumstances.
