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VTG-Customs Officer

November 2023

Interview with Florian Rimatzki: „I am happy about every customs issue!“

Customs issues affect more areas at VTG than you might think. As VTG's new customs officer, Florian Rimatzki has therefore been the contact person for customs issues of all kinds since May. In an interview with ON TRACK, he gives an insight into his day-to-day work and explains the relevance of customs issues for VTG.

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Many areas and departments at VTG have to deal with customs sooner or later. “On the one hand, there are the colleagues from a wide variety of departments who also take care of customs clearance for the wagons in connection with wagon leasing,” explains Florian. This is the case, for example, when a wagon is taken to another country as part of a revision.

#CustomsFacts: There are almost 2,000 customs offices in the EU with over 80,000 customs officers.

“But we also have to deal with customs issues in the area of new builds,” he adds. The reason for this is that VTG is increasingly having wagons manufactured in third countries. And so we also encounter various issues here, for example when concluding a contract, when it comes to which contracting party bears the responsibility and costs for customs clearance.

New role for an important topic

And precisely because the topic runs through so many areas of the company, there needs to be a central point of contact who can support colleagues with both very basic questions and very specialised customs expertise. “I’m happy about every customs issue that I can solve together with my colleagues!” says Florian. “Whether it’s a cryptic letter from the customs office that needs to be answered or a new business model that I need to assess from a customs perspective.”

„Whether it’s a cryptic letter from the customs office that needs to be answered or a new business model – I’m happy about every customs issue!“
Florian Rimatzki

Florian and his team have also recently started offering VTG-specific customs training. This teaches the basics of customs law. “If you’re interested, you’re welcome to contact me,” he says.

North Star and customs law

Customs will play an important role at VTG not only in everyday life, but also in achieving long-term goals: “We want to grow strongly as part of the North Star,” says Florian, adding: “This is also a very ambitious goal from a customs perspective, and we will inevitably come up against customs issues.” As an example, he mentions manufacturers outside the EU whose products we want to import.

“However, as the number of wagons increases, we will also see more inspections, which may also be relevant to customs if the wagons cross a border to a third country for the inspection,” he adds. In short, the likelihood that VTG will have more customs-related encounters at a wide variety of points increases significantly with more wagons.

Daily tasks, statements, training

According to Florian, the typical working day of a customs officer starts with a cup of coffee: “I’m not really approachable before that,” he explains with a laugh. He then deals with acute issues where he can provide support with his expertise. “This can be the case, for example, when goods are stuck in customs and cannot be dispatched any further.” But more extensive, strategic issues also regularly land on Florian’s desk: “Then, for example, I prepare statements for the customs authorities as part of customs audits, which happen time and again.”

#CustomsFacts:Every second, 37 items with a combined value of EUR 241,420 are imported and exported in the EU.

The topic of further training also plays an important role in Florian’s work: “As customs law is constantly changing and bringing with it innovations, I have to keep myself up to date with customs newsletters and webinars from time to time.” He likes to pass this knowledge on to his colleagues in an understandable way, for example via VIBES. However, he only gets round to it at the end of a full day: “After work, there’s always time to work on articles on the new customs page in VIBES.” It’s worth taking a look!

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