Case Study
Shaping a Resilient Customs & Excise Coordination Model:
A global petrochemical company faced mounting operational risks in managing its customs and excise reporting obligations in France, the Netherlands, and Belgium. Each country had a dedicated trade operations coordinator working independently, without shared processes or systems, unified documentation, or backup resources. This fragile structure had persisted for years without disruption - until two of the three coordinators became unavailable in close succession, one due to resignation and the other because of maternity leave.
Faced with an urgent continuity risk, the company engaged DOJÖ Consulting Group to secure short-term execution capacity and drive a structural transformation of the customs coordination function.
This mission was carried out by the DOJÖ team under the direction of Thibaut Grandjean-Miner, with the assistance of Ghiwa Issa and Alexandra Rassi.
The Story
Although the company’s operations were regionally distributed, its customs function had evolved without strategic alignment. Each country managed its declarations independently, relying on individual knowledge and locally tailored processes. Over time, this led to deep inconsistencies in execution quality, control mechanisms, and compliance documentation. In the absence of standardization, in-house knowledge remained undocumented and isolated within specific individuals. This fragile setup is further weakened by the nationally-centered nature of excise declarative processes. And when two key coordinators left their roles nearly simultaneously, it became clear that the model was not resilient and scaled.
Leadership recognized that this was not only a staffing issue, it was a structural risk. What began as a short-term personnel challenge became the starting point for a broader reorganization focused on continuity, control, and long-term scalability.
DOJÖ’s initial priority was to ensure continuity of customs operations in the immediate term. With two of the three in-house trade coordinators unavailable, the company faced the real possibility of non-compliance across France, the Netherlands, and Belgium - and a direct impact on operations in a business where customs and excise lead times must be minimized as much as possible. DOJÖ responded by rapidly centralizing execution within its own trade management delivery team. Several resources trained in the declarative customs & excise systems of the countries concerned were involved to manage the company's operations.This allowed the company to maintain its declaration activities without interruption, while giving DOJÖ direct access to operational in-house realities across the three countries.
Once stability was secured, DOJÖ launched a broader transformation initiative. A detailed process mapping exercise was conducted to identify inefficiencies, risks, and discrepancies in how tasks were performed. This revealed wide inconsistencies especially in execution quality, process efficiency and the management of archiving obligations. The company was insufficiently prepared to respond effectively to potential audits by authorities.
To address these gaps, DOJÖ developed and implemented a unified framework for customs operations management. Standard operating procedures were shaped to align practices across all jurisdictions, and a new centralized management model was deployed. A robust archiving protocol was introduced to ensure full traceability, simplify audits, and strengthen regulatory defense. In parallel, DOJÖ built consistent reporting tools to give management clear visibility into task status, timing, and outcomes.The objective was to eliminate the black box and provide greater visibility - and therefore control - to management.
As the new operating model took shape, DOJÖ supported the client in reorienting its internal teams. Rather than rebuilding the same decentralized structure, the company transitioned its trade operations staff into oversight and audit roles. These individuals now focus on quality assurance, performance monitoring, and strategic guidance, while DOJÖ's outsourcing team ensures day-to-day consistency and execution quality across all regions.
The Approach
The Results
By shifting from a fragmented and person-dependent structure to a centralized, managed coordination model, the company significantly reduced its exposure to operational risk. Customs and excise declarations are now executed consistently across all three countries, with harmonized controls and reliable oversight.
Lead times have shortened by 35%, trade compliance documentation is archived centrally and securely, and quality reviews are integrated into routine operations. Internal stakeholders now have visibility across the full spectrum of customs tasks, and decision-makers benefit from timely, standardized reporting.
Most importantly, the company no longer depends on any single individual to remain compliant, execution is handled by DOJÖ’s expert team, and internal resources are focused on strategic and supervisory responsibilities.This allows the company to absorb any increase or decrease in operational volumes. The customs and excise management organization is now fully scaled.
The Takeaway
This engagement demonstrates how a short-term operational crisis can become an opportunity for long-term transformation. Rather than replacing roles reactively, the company took a strategic step toward outsourcing its customs coordination activities to a trusted partner. By centralizing execution, harmonizing processes, and shifting its own staff into oversight functions, the organization not only protected itself from immediate risk but built a more scalable, resilient customs function for the future. With DOJÖ’s support, customs operations have become a stable, controlled, and performance-driven capability, fully aligned with the company’s broader compliance and operational goals.
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