Compliant Operation, Continuous Improvement
——New EKUN Logistics Passes the Customs AEO Certification
In December 2023, the Qingdao Customs of the People's Republic of China issued the "Senior Customs AEO Certification Enterprise" certificate to Qingdao New EKUN Logistics Co., Ltd., officially marking New EKUN Logistics's successful passage of the AEO senior certification.
1. Corporate Information
Qingdao New EKUN Logistics Co., Ltd. was registered and established on April 1, 2013, and began operations in 2015. The warehouse area covers 25,000 square meters. It is located to the north of Qingdao New Airport, to the south of Qianwan Port, to the west of Jiaozhou Railway, and to the east of Jiaozhou Bay Cross-sea Bridge. The advantageous location and convenient transportation provide exceptional geographical benefits for international logistics, facilitating customers' warehousing and pickup operations.
New EKUN Logistics adheres to the management philosophy, process management, team personnel, information management, and hardware facilities advantages of EKUN. By fully utilizing the functional policy advantages of the West Coast Export Processing Zone, it carries out businesses such as bonded warehousing, transshipment and distribution, trade agency, customs declaration and inspection, and one-day tour services, meeting customers' demands for safe and robust, efficient and convenient, and integrated personalized services.
2. The Process of Advanced Certification
· In 2020, Qingdao New EKUN Logistics Co., Ltd. became one of the first batch of enterprises in the Shandong Free Trade Zone to pass the general AEO certification by customs.
· In 2023, Qingdao New EKUN Logistics Co., Ltd. officially initiated the application process for advanced AEO certification by customs.
· Study and Implementation. From the general manager to the ordinary employees, the company attached great importance to this work. The company thoroughly studied the requirements of the General Administration of Customs Order No. 251 and the Customs Public Notice No. 106 of 2022.
· Benchmarking against the advanced certification standards, the company carefully analyzed the existing business processes, software and hardware facilities of New EKUN, and developed a detailed plan for progress.
· Hardware Upgrade. New EKUN supplemented and upgraded the entire industrial park's video surveillance system, achieving full coverage of key areas related to trade security, such as the records room, and meeting the requirements for video storage duration; New EKUN also upgraded and transformed the perimeter fence and gate access control facilities of the industrial park to ensure the safety of the site; the outer area of the industrial park and office areas were systematically painted and renovated, enhancing the VI image and aligning more closely with the brand image of an advanced AEO certification enterprise.
· Software Upgrade. In line with its actual conditions, New EKUN upgraded and transformed its office management software and logistics management software. The logistics management software specifically adjusted the systems for customer management, product management, order management, payment voucher management, and customs declaration, adding approval processes and information review; by installing professional information security software, it provided strong technical support for computer network security, personnel usage security, and the protection of customers' business secrets.
· System Optimization. New EKUN benchmarked against the customs advanced certification standards and modified and adjusted 27 systems and procedures, especially the improvement of systems such as prohibited product review, inspected goods, and outbound container inspection. The corresponding record documents were also adjusted simultaneously, strengthening the implementation of the systems and ensuring accuracy and error-free operation. By benchmarking against the certification standards, there has been a significant improvement in the standardization and effectiveness of New EKUN's internal management in many aspects, including document management, site and personnel security, trade security, and information management.
3. Continuous Improvement
Xue Yingchun, the general manager of Qingdao New EKUN Logistics Co., Ltd., stated: "New EKUN's application for advanced certification is more about meeting the needs of internal compliance construction. It is a systematic improvement of EKUN's management. Through this certification, it has greatly helped EKUN's internal management and external brand competitiveness. Internally, with the help of customs, EKUN has organized its internal processes according to customs certification standards, upgraded and transformed its software and hardware facilities, further improving its customer service capabilities and risk prevention and control capabilities, which helps to cope with the domestic and international epidemic prevention and control and the severe and complex economic situation. Externally, the AEO certification can significantly reduce the customs inspection rate (50% of the general credit enterprises) for EKUN and New EKUN as operating entities, actively participating in the pilot implementation of various customs policies to improve customs clearance efficiency. At the same time, obtaining the AEO certification provides a solid guarantee for jointly maintaining the security and stability of the international industrial and supply chains and promoting the development of a dual circulation economic model.
The acquisition of advanced AEO certification is not the end goal for New EKUN, but rather a starting point. Each step forward for EKUN is based on customer needs. New EKUN will take this as an opportunity to continue to firmly position itself as a "customer's reliable logistics manager," benchmark against the customs advanced certification standards, continuously progress and innovate, strengthen compliance construction, and improve the company's customer service capabilities and risk prevention and control capabilities.
