Cut customs delays by 12 days for a Sheffield tool brand
This client had tools sitting in port for two weeks every month. We redesigned their invoice templates and re-classified their HS codes.
SteelEdge Manufacturing makes heavy-duty hand tools in South Yorkshire. They were struggling with long waits at the border when shipping to their Asian distributors. We stepped in to fix their paperwork and stop the constant port inspections.
The challenge
Shipping industrial tools from Sheffield should be straightforward. But SteelEdge was seeing their crates sit in the destination port for 13 or 14 days on average. Every delay cost them £420 in daily storage fees. By mid-2024, they had over £14,600 tied up in delayed inventory every month. Their invoices used old-fashioned descriptions that didn't match the digital systems used by customs officers abroad. This meant 8 out of 10 shipments were pulled aside for manual checks, which added 10 days to the delivery time.
Our approach
Our team of 4 spent three days at the Sheffield warehouse auditing 118 different product lines. We sat down with their shipping clerk to see exactly how they filled out forms. We found that 47 of their HS codes were technically legal but too generic. (Honestly, the previous shipping agent had just been lazy with the categories.) We contacted the destination port authorities to see why the red flags were appearing. We then spent 5 weeks rewriting their entire export manual and training two staff members on the new digital requirements.
The solution
We built a new invoice template that automatically includes the specific technical data local customs officers look for. We re-classified 47 tool categories into more precise codes that avoid high-risk triggers. We also set up a pre-clearance protocol. This means the paperwork arrives at the destination 3 days before the ship does. This gives the local agents time to resolve any questions before the tools even touch the dock. We also replaced their manual spreadsheet with a more reliable tracking system for their 8 active distributors.
Results
The tools now move through the port in 48 hours or less. SteelEdge has eliminated almost all storage fees and their distributors in Asia are receiving stock nearly two weeks faster than before.
Timeline
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August 2024On-site audit of 118 tool lines in Sheffield
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September 2024HS code re-classification and agent interviews
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October 2024Rollout of new invoice templates and staff training
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November 2024Final review of 19 successful shipments
"I was skeptical about hiring consultants to look at our invoices. But Khiri Vietnam found errors that our old agent missed for 5 years. Our tools get to customers 12 days faster now."