Belden attains “Known Consignor Status”

On 25 March 2013, new European Union Air Cargo Security guidelines (Regulation EC 300/2008 and Regulation EU 185/2010) will come into force, bringing fundamental changes in terms of air freight services. The idea behind the actions is that secure supply chains should prevent potential threats in air space and rule out the transport of unsafe and dangerous goods.

Any company wishing to dispatch its freight by air from this date on has to expect additional security checks at airports if they do not have the relevant certification,. This may lead to delays in processing air cargo shipments, which are often time-critical and add considerable costs.

In the Netherlands, the Dutch Royal Military Police (KMAR) is implementing these regulations in the form of certification as a "Known Consignor". In May 2012 Belden was certified by the Dutch Royal Military Police (KMAR). The company now holds the status of "Known Consignor".

This means that according to the legal specifications, Belden has developed a security concept and implemented it into procedures at the distribution centre in Venlo, which categorically rules out any unauthorized access to shipments during the preparation phase.

The appointment and training of responsible personnel and all other persons with access to air cargo goes hand in hand with structural changes. These applied changes serve to secure the warehouse, packaging and production areas for air cargo and were taken into account in the course of the extension to the distribution centre completed in May 2012. Only in this way compliance with the security requirements can be guaranteed across the entire transport chain.

Manager Distribution EMEA Bart Mertens emphasizes the importance of the certification for Belden: "Considering the amount of air cargo, it was clear we had to start the certification process as soon as possible. Moreover it also means we are now allowed to ship cargo on SPX (secure passenger) flights. That way, in future we can guarantee delivery of goods to our customers all over the world in a manner that is as cost-effective and on-time as possible."

Inge Hendriks, Quality Engineer Forwarding at Belden, adds: "By the beginning of 2013, hundreds of other companies want to be audited by the Dutch Royal Military Police (KMAR). As bottlenecks are expected, we're very happy that we have already successfully implemented the process."