How H.Essers achieved 5x faster declarations and cut compliance costs by 30%
H.Essers, one of Europe’s leading logistics providers, processes tens of thousands of customs documents each year. But with declaration volumes rising by over 40% and staffing challenges across the industry, it became clear that manual customs handling was no longer sustainable. The solution was a bold shift towards automation, one that combined AI technology with human expertise to deliver real, measurable results.
The challenge: Complexity under pressure
Following Brexit, the pressure on H.Essers’ customs team intensified. Manual data entry, fragmented documentation and a shortage of qualified declarants led to delays, increased error rates, and internal inefficiencies.
The business needed a way to process higher volumes, faster and more accurately, without adding headcount.
The solution: Human-Assisted AI
By partnering with Customaite, H.Essers deployed a solution that blends the power of automation with the oversight of experienced declarants.
Invoices, packing lists and transport documents are processed automatically. Relevant data is extracted, structured and pushed into their customs software, ready for final review and approval by the declarant.
This human-assisted approach allowed H.Essers to retain control and compliance while eliminating the slowest parts of the process.
The results: Faster, smarter, more scalable
Declaration processing became up to 5x faster
Compliance-related costs were reduced by 30%
Manual workload dropped significantly
Error rates fell below 1%
Declarants could refocus on training, collaboration and client service
The AI reached an accuracy of 89% and continues to improve through live feedback
A job which took one hour in the past now gets completed in 20 minutes with Customaite.
Wim Gijbels - Business Unit Manager Customs & Forwarding, H.Essers
Why it worked
The key to success wasn’t just the technology, it was the partnership. H.Essers describes the collaboration as strategic and solution-driven, with Customaite acting as a true partner rather than a software supplier.
Shared values around efficiency, reliability and continuous improvement ensured that the platform was implemented seamlessly and adapted to real-world customs needs.
Following the success in customs, H.Essers is now exploring broader applications of the platform in forwarding operations.
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