MACHINERY denied entry to Russia after being exported from Middlesbrough has been now successfully delivered, thanks to last-minute help from a Bradford overseas trade specialist.

German businessman, Peter Gasch, who recently acquired Louise Engineering with a colleague, flew from Germany to meet export advisers at Chamber International for help in reducing costs imposed by the delivery company after Russian customs stopped them entering the country due to insufficient paperwork relating to the silo discharge machine’s origin.

Louise Engineering had sub-contracted construction and delivery to a Polish manufacturer for the customer, a cement plant in Russia’s Sverdlovsk region, but customs officials wanted documents to confirm it was an EU product before allowing it across the border.

Chamber International advisers applied EU origin tests to determine that the machine was an EU product and issued a Certificate of Origin which was accepted by Russian customs officials who released the consignment for delivery.

Peter Gasch said: “Confirmation of the origin was insisted upon at the last minute during packaging and, as the forwarder had already been instructed and paid, we had not had time to look at this.

“I flew from Germany to Chamber International through Manchester Airport and met their advisers who carried out a thorough analysis of the paperwork to understand the manufacturing processes and the value added at different stages of production. They knew exactly what was needed and saved me hundreds of pounds in costs for the delayed vehicles. We were very impressed.”

Chamber International director, Tim Bailey, added: “It can be an expensive mistake to ship something without first checking that you’ve detailed the origin of the goods. Louise Engineering did the right thing by acting so quickly. Customs sometimes order consignments to be returned in such situations and that can be disastrous for exporters.”