Europa’s DAP Flow transforms trade for West Midlands exports

A Birmingham-based freight expert has launched an industry-first innovation to eliminate costly inland customs stops for exporters in the West Midlands.

Europa Road, located at Prologis Park, is rolling out its DAP Flow product which is helping to streamline border trade.

For businesses shipping full loads to Europe, customs clearance has become a complex show of detours, delays and cash flow disruption for the end consumer. For the West Midlands, which exports approximately £7.529[1] bn worth of goods into the Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, France and Germany, disruption puts strain on these businesses’ reputations, and consumers in Europe are now less likely to purchase British-made goods.

Europa Road’s DAP Flow service changes everything. Exporters can clear customs directly in Calais so goods can travel straight to their European destinations within the bureaucratic maze that has disrupted British trade since Brexit.

As European road freight experts and part of pioneering logistics operator Europa Worldwide Group, Europa Road is reinforcing its robust customs infrastructure with the roll out of this service.

DAP Flow transforms how full trailer loads move from the UK to Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, France and Germany, eliminating the expensive inland customs stops that add days to delivery schedules and thousands to transport costs.

Jack Baxter, General Manager for Haulage at Europa Worldwide Group, said: “Our West Midlands businesses are still struggling with the extra red tape surrounding customs clearance when shipping using DAP incoterms.

“The West Midlands hosts a plethora of British businesses. Perhaps the most prominent for us is automotive manufacturing, retail and life sciences. All these businesses must pay for T-forms and transport their goods via third-party clearance facilities before delivery. This means appointing brokers, longer transit times and delays to time-critical consignments.

“The traditional process can add hours or even days into delivery times. Trucks must take lengthy detours to inland customs points, and drivers wait in queues for paperwork to be completed. This causes supply chain disruption and cash flow problems, ultimately making it less appealing for EU businesses to buy from the UK and creating a significant disadvantage for British exporters.

“DAP Flow transforms this entirely, eliminating T-forms, removing inland customs stops and taking away upfront VAT requirements. Ultimately, we’re committed to delivering faster transit times and improved cash flow for European buyers of British goods.”

Adrian Redmile, Branch & Sales Director for Europa Worldwide Group, said: “We have many customers in the Midlands who ship full loads using DAP incoterms. In fact, our Birmingham team processes between 2,500 and 3,300 total consignments per month into Europe – much of this will be DAP.

“So, we felt it was time to invest further to reduce the cost of deliveries and processing customs, while maintaining our market-leading transit times.”

The service represents another innovation milestone for Europa Road, building on the success of their DDP Europa Flow service launched in 2021, which now accounts for 50 per cent of all groupage transport leaving the UK. Earlier this year, the company also launched FCA Flow for full loads entering Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg from the UK.

Operating from their 270,000 sq ft transit hub in Dartford and serving more than 42 continental hubs with over 30,000 annual Channel crossings, Europa Road is positioned as one of the largest commercial users of Eurotunnel’s Le Shuttle Freight service.

As the first UK logistics provider to offer this streamlined DAP customs clearance process, Europa Road continues its pioneering approach to European road transport that began when the company was founded in 1966. Europa also has an award-winning 3PL facility in Birmingham, Europa Warehouse, which provides expert manual fulfilment and pallet storage capacity.

[1] Combined statistics from UK Trade & Investment Sheets: Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, France and Germany.