Marcel Hoek

Marcel Hoek, forwarding department of Steder Groep B.V. about Portbase’s ECS services:

‘Allows you to be right on top of things’

‘Since 1 July 2009, it has been compulsory to submit your export declarations electronically in every country in the EU. Then a system like the ECS services from Portbase is a godsend. You get your confirmation of exit in no time. Plus, you get watertight validation of the declaration, so that you don’t have to worry about any VAT problems – backcharges, for instance. Or that you still have to try and prove that the cargo actually left Europe.

‘Of course,’ he continues, ‘ECS services are all about convenience: you only need to enter five pieces of information. And it’s for free! But to me the biggest advantage is that you are right on top of things, so that you can provide an even better service to your clients. Think about it: thanks to Portbase we can see whether the man with the green cap has accepted a container or wants to inspect it.

‘If a shipment needs to leave the day after tomorrow and the system shows that Customs first wants to come and take a look, it’s pretty tight, and we know that we need to get moving. Then we pick up the phone and call the shipping company, for instance. Because you only want your shipment to miss the boat when there really is no other option. You want to be able to quickly give your client certainty, after all, and that’s possible now.’