Share

celebrating international success

Within a year of its introduction Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce’s state of the art document certification system to help members export their goods has become a major success.

Three out of four members who require documentation have now registered for the system and more than 50% are using it.

However it is in the Orkney and Shetland Isles and the outlying areas of Aberdeenshire, Moray, Gordon and Banff and Buchan where it is making the biggest impact.

Pat Christie, Export Documentation Service Manager, and her team have all undergone the intensive training and passed the rigorous exams required to be export documentation specialists.

They act as issuing bodies and are authorised by the Department of Business Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (BERR) for the issue of all EC Certificates of Origin and act as agents for the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce in the issue of Arab Certificates of Origin. Chambers are also authorised by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to issue EUR1 and A.TR certificates.

They also have a wealth of experience of the complex processes which are sometimes involved to support exporting companies.

Pat says that more and more countries are insisting on stringent document control.

Just over a year ago the new system, Trade Cert, was introduced. It can reduce the time for obtaining the vital documentation from, in some cases, days to minutes.

The team issues certificates of origin for all sorts of goods heading for destinations around the globe.

Pat said that until the introduction of Trade Cert documents arrived by post, courier, and taxi and could take three or four days from the more distant destinations and sometimes even disappeared en route.

Now they can be sent in seconds online.

It’s all too easy for overseas orders to turn sour if you don’t know the market. Every opportunity must be properly assessed and everything from shipping costs to local regulations examined to ensure that a profit can be made and any longer term potential is identified for your business.

It is vital to know about export certification. What should be a straightforward process can be very time demanding and costly if not completed accurately. Expert advice, support and research funding is always important to help avoid pitfalls, but never more so than in the current economic climate.

If you have developed a successful product and have orders then you have to deliver your goods on time and ensure you receive your payment quickly. This can be a simple process if you are familiar with the procedures but understanding which document is required for each shipment to each destination can be overwhelming for the uninitiated.

Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber provides professional advice and certification services to help make the whole process of exporting as straightforward as possible, supporting your business at every stage of the journey.

It provides a wide range of international trade services, all of which have been developed with the needs of your business in mind.

For specialist help and advice on exporting, contact Documentation Service manager Pat Christie on (01224) 343916 or visit the Chamber website at www.agcc.co.uk.