Customs Support Group’s expertise key in helping technology giant launch Republic of Ireland business
Global technology provider Toshiba has hailed the impact of a customs partnership forged during Brexit which has been instrumental in the launch of its new Republic of Ireland branch.
Customs Support Group (CSG) was already acting as customs agent for Toshiba Tec’s European headquarters – who then introduced the UK arm, Toshiba Tec UK Imaging Systems Limited, during preparations for Brexit, to ensure daily shipments from its European distribution centre in Germany crossed the UK border without issues.
The ongoing relationship with the customs clearance and trade solutions provider has been described as “seamless” by Toshiba – and led them to engaging its help to establish its new Republic of Ireland branch, which went live on September 1.
It turned to CSG UK&IE in the run-up to the departure from the European Union, as it had limited in-house customs knowledge to help it tackle the regulatory burdens Brexit was anticipated to cause.
Fast-forward nearly seven years and CSG is now providing hands-on help for Toshiba as it launches into the Republic of Ireland, advising on requirements for moving goods compliantly and cost-effectively, including the complexities of shipping between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Richard Hester, head of operations at Camberley-based Toshiba Tec UK, said he was confident the support from CSG would lead to direct financial savings for the business.
He said: “To be honest, the relationship has been seamless every single day since go-live. Customs Support Group were right by our side and supported us all the way in the run-up to Brexit, and took all the pain out of the process.
“Since then, it has been very much a success story, not only for Toshiba but also for Customs Support Group.
“They fully appreciated that our core competency is not customs or legislation. They have immense knowledge, immense patience, and the way that they’ve detailed it to us is very much in layman’s terms, and in the most simplistic of formats.
“What they also offer us is a consultancy perspective, to identify opportunities for savings. That’s very much an ongoing service which we’re looking forward to expanding, because they’re the experts and we believe they can save us money on our processes.
“As we approached our go live date in Ireland, we had the full focus of all the right people. As with Brexit, they explained it all in layman’s terms and were very clear about the legalities and our responsibilities, so we would not be left vulnerable as a business.”
Keiron Myall, UK&IE managing director at Customs Support Group, said: “It’s extremely rewarding to see the ongoing growth of a relationship which began during one of the most significant trading changes in recent history.
“The support we provided for Toshiba around Brexit quickly built trust and has delivered results over a long period, so we were ideally placed to help it launch into a new territory this year.
“We will be on hand to offer the practical guidance and support Toshiba has come to rely on us for as it starts trading in the Republic of Ireland, to ensure its supply chain continues to run smoothly. We wish the team every success as the business continues to grow.”
Customs Support Group is Europe’s leading independent provider of customs clearance and trade solutions. For more information, visit https://www.customssupport.com
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