Reducing customs clearance time by 1.5 days for a food wholesaler
We changed the structure of proforma invoices and trained 3 employees from Lubartów. The effect was visible from the very first shipment.
We helped the Sady Podlaskie wholesaler master the chaos at the eastern border. We reduced the average truck downtime by 1.5 days, which saved fresh fruit shipments from spoiling. The numbers don't lie.
The challenge
Sady Podlaskie sent an average of 12 shipments per month to recipients in Kazakhstan. Each truck spent 3.2 days at the border. The reason was errors in goods descriptions on proforma invoices, which customs officers deemed suspicious. Losses in goods, which lost freshness during hot weather, amounted to about 14% of the value of each load. The business owner was losing over PLN 42,000 annually due to contractual penalties alone for late deliveries to wholesalers in Astana.
Our approach
Our team went directly to the warehouse near Lubartów. For 4 days, we analyzed archival documents from the last 47 shipments. We found 7 recurring errors in the tariff classification of goods. We trained 3 people from the logistics office – Mrs. Beata, Mr. Mariusz, and a junior specialist. We showed them how the border views paperwork and why one wrong comma in the apple description costs them thousands. We check facts, not promises.
The solution
We introduced a new system for preparing customs documentation. Instead of writing descriptions manually, logisticians now use a sheet we prepared with 14 ready-made legal formulas. We also established a new communication path with the customs agency in Lublin so that verification takes 2 hours instead of a full business day. Additionally, we implemented a procedure for checking CN codes every second Tuesday of the month so that legal changes do not catch the company by surprise at the terminal.
Results
Thanks to the changes, shipments pass through the border smoothly, and the company has stopped paying penalties for low-quality goods. The border is not just a line on a map; it's a barrier we've learned to bypass with paperwork.
Timeline
-
June 3, 2024Audit of export documentation at the client's headquarters near Lubartów.
-
June 12, 2024Workshops with the logistics team and implementation of new invoice templates.
-
June 24, 2024First test shipment with the new set of documents.
"We were skeptical because other consultants only talked about theory. Lublin Union GR & Audit entered the office, found the errors in the invoices, and after a week, our trucks stopped standing in queues."