Specialist logistics, shipping and customs skills are needed for successful trade with Africa and the rest of the world, according to industry specialists. “It constantly surprises me how often I get asked to put logistics chains together after construction has started on a new factory,” says John Lawlor of Maritime Logistics Solutions. He believes that a thorough analysis of the ingoing and outgoing logistics should form part of any planning for a new plant or central warehouse. Planning should also allow for flexibility to cater for changes in shipping schedules or the road and rail infrastructure. Modernisation of customs legislation and procedures in South Africa and elsewhere on the continent is putting more emphasis on the customs skills within an organisation, says Graeme Lennie, customs manager at DSV South Africa, Port Elizabeth. “The need for customs skills is no doubt spurred on by modernisation efforts of the South African Revenue Service (Sars), which include the new Customs Legislation, Preferred Trader Accreditation (PTA) and the Customs Sufficient Knowledge (CSK) test.” Similar modernisation programmes are in place across the African continent, according to the African Development Bank. Impetus to the programmes was added in 2012, with the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the African Development Bank and the World Customs Organisation (WCO). The WCO has an ongoing capacity-building programme, with the most recent workshop having been hosted in Mozambique in September this year. There is a risk to companies that do not have the correct customs advice, according to Lennie. “Customs and Excise is classified by tax authorities as an indirect tax. “It is a highly specialised area of work requiring many years of experience. “No single person I know is an expert in all spheres of customs”. These spheres include tariffs, valuations, rules of origin, and legislation specific to particular commodities or countries. “Unfortunately there is no university training available in South Africa for it, just yet. “In most large customs clearing agencies, accounting and legal firms, customs is managed by a team of experts. Some teams are also supported by accounting and legal personnel,” he says.
It surprises me how often I get asked to put logistics chains together after construction has started. – John Lawlor
