Backman-Trummer and Blomberg Stevedoring granted AEO status by the Finnish Customs

Backman-Trummer and Blomberg Stevedoring have been granted AEO (Authorised Economic Operator) status by the Finnish Customs. Authorised Economic Operators are able to offer their customers an even higher standard of service because security related to information and goods meets stringent international criteria.

AEO status is based on the norms of the World Customs Organisation, which seeks to secure and simplify world trade. In Finland, AEO status can be granted to companies that obtain security certification for their customs procedures and logistics from the Finnish Customs. The application process evaluates the operations and risks faced by the company and a comprehensive security management system is drawn up on the basis of the assessment. At Backman-Trummer and Blomberg Stevedoring adoption of the system required, among other things, introduction of personal identification cards, compulsory registration of visitors, and establishment of a separate information point for truck drivers. For Blomberg Stevedoring this also meant increased camera surveillance in the warehouse area.

“AEO status will significantly simplify customs procedures in the EU area and eventually elsewhere in the world when the EU’s objective of multilateral approval for AEO status in trade across its external frontiers has been realised,” explains system developer Ilkka Pesonen, who directed the application process at Backman-Trummer.

“For us, security management is now an integral part of everyday operations and will be developed according to the principle of continuous improvement,” Pesonen says.