PHILADELPHIA and ANTWERP, January 26, 2010 – The Belgian customs service has certified Antwerp-based BDP International NV, a wholly-owned subsidiary of BDP International, as an Authorized Economic Operator (AEO), based on its compliant, safe and secure performance in the international supply chain.
AEO status gives BDP's Belgian operations, which include sea and air freight services and logistics support for bulk liquid, commodity and project-related shipments, easier access to certain simplifications in customs procedures such as guarantee waivers and centralized clearance, as well as facilitations from certain security and safety controls.
"This will translate into speed and compliance to the benefit of both our customers and BDP, particularly when extended EU-wide," explained Mathias Wellhausen, BDP's country manager for Belgium. "It's what is generally termed by the industry as the 'green lane'."
To qualify for AEO certification, BDP had to meet specified criteria for regulatory compliance, record keeping, solvency and security. The certification process took nearly a year, and involved multiple audits by the customs service.
"This included personal audits of specific files handled, as well as intensive questioning of team members about our customs and forwarding process, sales and vendor management, even building security," said Wellhausen. "And we'll be re-audited every three years."
About BDP International
With annual revenues of approximately $1.6 billion, BDP International is one of the leading privately held freight logistics/transportation management firms based in the U.S. It operates freight logistics centers in more than 20 cities throughout North America and a network of subsidiaries, joint ventures and strategic partnerships in more than 120 countries. The company serves more than 4,000 customers worldwide. Clients include Bayer, Conoco Phillips, Dow, DuPont, Heineken USA, Honeywell, Johnson & Johnson, Marks & Spencer, Revlon, Trek Bicycle, Wacker and others. BDP provides a range of services, including ocean, air and ground transportation; lead logistics process analysis, design and management; export freight forwarding; import customs brokerage and regulatory compliance; project and energy logistics; warehousing/consolidation/distribution; and Internet shipping transaction/tracking management systems. For more information visit www.bdpinternational.com.
