AEO – what you need to know
Holly Tonge, Manager at Vartan, is presenting a webinar for the Institute of Export & International Trade, as part of their free online information service, Open to Export.
“AEO – what you need to know” will take place on 14 March 2018 at 14:00. In this 1 hour webinar Holly will cover the essentials of Authorised Economic Operator status and why it might be more important for businesses after Brexit.
You can register for the webinar here (it’s free!) and find out more about Open to Export here
Welcome to Vartan – Our new brand
Miles Vartan Consultancy has rebranded as “Vartan”, with the change accompanying a move to new premises close to the Port of Felixstowe to accommodate continued expansion.
Managing director, Miles Vartan, said: “We have experienced a steady increase in enquiries across the range of our service offerings and felt the time was right to refresh our brand.
“Vartan will continue to offer unrivalled expertise in supporting businesses across all industry sectors, assisting them manage their compliance and risk profile.”
Read the full story and see more pictures on the EADT site here
Vartan Consultancy at the IOE&IT World Trade Summit
The Institute of Export and International Trade annual World Trade Summit, held at Stationers’ Hall, London, focused on ‘The Landscape Post Brexit’.
Vartan’s Neil Bird delivered a compelling speech regarding the strategic advantages of AEO for UK based importers and exporters. The main advantages include access to Customs simplifications, competitive advantage & mutual recognition benefits. Contact us if you would like to know more!
Quickgrind gain full AEO status
Quickgrind Ltd based in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, have been awarded full AEO status by HMRC, effective from 30 April 2017. As a UK based exporter specialising in carbide cutting tools, AEO status will provide Quickgrind with access to simplified customs procedures. In addition, the status ensures all products are secured throughout the international supply chain, providing peace of mind to clients. Project managed by Vartan Consultancy.
Leading UK flooring manufacturer awarded AEO
Polyflor Ltd have achieved full AEO status effective from 15th February 2017. Based near Manchester, Polyflor is a major UK manufacturer of commercial floor coverings. As a quality driven organisation, AEO complements the ISO certifications already held by Polyflor, with a focus on customs compliance and supply chain security. Project managed by Vartan Consultancy.
Mobile phones affecting your life
As mankind continues to evolve into the 21st Century, we continue to be able to take advantage of technological developments that are designed to make our lives easier, but also don’t forget, to make money for the individual and corporations who introduce them into society.
The rate of innovation is startling. In 1987, when arriving in Felixstowe I was issued with my company slide-rule to calculate rate increases, from which I had to manually type out rate schedules for 126 postcodes. Microsoft launched Excel, for what was then called the Macintosh, in September 1985 – perhaps the development of the A12 delayed the software’s arrival into Suffolk and all of sudden our bosses expected us to work that much faster. Salaries stayed the same and the stresses of life in general did not alter.
With the first hand-held mobile phone having been launched by Motorola in 1973, the early 1990s saw phones being fitted into cars; but it was not until 27 February 2007 that the first penalties for driving whilst using a hand-held mobile phone were introduced – £60 and three points added to one’s licence.
A standard spec in a 2.0 litre car will generally have a media pack enabling the driver to select a wide range of DAB radio stations, use Sat-Nav to guide you to a destination and enable your blue-tooth phone to become part of the car. The ability to communicate with anyone at any time is now possible whilst you are driving a 1.5 tonne piece of metal at somewhere around the national speed-limit – you as the driver, your passengers and other road users are in a vulnerable position.
The Automobile Association of America (AAA) states that ‘the average driver makes about 20 major decisions during each mile driven – and often has less than one-half second to react to avoid a potential collision.’
If you are chatting away on your mobile phone whilst driving, your eyes may be on the road but your mind will not be.
Inappropriate mobile phone usage behind the wheel has recently been highlighted by the tragic case involving jailed lorry driver Paul Kroker. He drove his 44 tonne unit and trailer for three quarters of a kilometre along the A34 whilst looking for music on his phone, resulting in him driving into a car at 56 miles an hour, killing a mother and three young children instantly. The judge, when sentencing him to 10 years in prison said, his attention had been so poor that he “might as well have had his eyes closed”.
WARNING – THE FOLLOWING VIDEO FOOTAGE IS EXTREMELY DISTURBING ³
Vartan Consultancy will be encouraging all our clients to critically look at their mobile phone policies, how their office staff communicate with people working out on the office. With careful planning it will be possible to reduce calls being made to the absolute minimum.
Take advantage of technology, but do not put your life at risk or others that are around you.
Miles.
Are you keeping your staff and others safe at work……
Our full article can be found on Page 8 in the March Edition of the Felixstowe Flyer.
This link will take you directly to the page. You’ll need to enable Adobe Flash to read it.
ISO Accreditations
Vartan Consultancy can assist you in obtaining and maintaining the following accreditations:
ISO 9001:2015 – Quality Management
(formerly ISO 9001:2008)
ISO 9001:2015 specifies requirements for a quality management system when an organisation:
a) needs to demonstrate its ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements, and
b) aims to enhance customer satisfaction through the effective application of the system, including processes for improvement of the system and the assurance of conformity to customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.
All the requirements of ISO 9001:2015 are generic and are intended to be applicable to any organisation, regardless of its type or size, or the products and services it provides.
ISO 14000 – Environmental Management
The ISO 14000 family of standards provides practical tools for companies and organizations of all kinds looking to manage their environmental responsibilities.
ISO 14001:2015 and its supporting standards such as ISO 14006:2011 focus on environmental systems to achieve this. The other standards in the family focus on specific approaches such as audits, communications, labelling and life cycle analysis, as well as environmental challenges such as climate change.
OHSAS 18001 – Occupational Health & Safety Assessment Series
OHSAS 18000 comprises two parts, 18001 and 18002
OHSAS 18001 is an Occupation Health and Safety Assessment Series for health and safety management systems. It is intended to help companies control occupational health and safety risks. It was devloped in response to widespread demand for a recognised standard against which to be certified and assessed.
ISO 45001 – Occupational Health & Safety
Currently at Enquiry Stage, ISO 45001 is intended for use by any organization, regardless of its size or the nature of its work, and can be integrated into other health and safety programmes such as worker wellness and wellbeing. It also addresses many, if not all, legal requirements in this area. It is anticipated ISO 45001 will be at approval stage by May 2016 with expected publication in October 2016.
All the above have been referenced from the ISO website.