Why Most Companies Lack Control - and How to Fix It

Introduction: A Legacy That Now Limits Control

In many large organisations, customs broker management is not the result of strategic design. It is the consequence of history. Over years of expansion, companies added brokers as needed - per country, per shipment, per local decision. What began as a flexible model has turned into a fragmented network of providers, with little central oversight.

This setup may have worked in the past. But today, it creates far more harm than value. The reality is clear: too many brokers, operating without alignment, create inconsistency, inefficiency, and risk. Companies lose visibility, oversight, and control - over both operations and compliance.

To meet today’s trade expectations - governance, cost efficiency, and digital readiness - organisations must rethink how they manage brokers. That begins with understanding where the problems lie, what impact they create, and how to fix them.

Too Many Brokers, No Consistency

In a decentralised setup, every broker brings their own process, interpretation, and way of working. There is no standard. One broker applies classification one way; another uses a different logic. Documentation varies. Procedures shift by location. And because no two brokers are aligned, the company ends up with a customs landscape that is inconsistent and difficult to control.

This lack of consistency weakens compliance. Internal teams can’t rely on one standard approach. It becomes difficult to train, oversee, or to prepare for audits. When authorities review customs entries, discrepancies appear - not because of malicious intent, but because there was no common framework.

Rationalising the broker network is not just about reducing numbers. It’s about building consistency. By selecting a core group of partners and aligning them under shared standards, companies create a customs environment that is predictable, documented, and scalable.

Fragmentation Drives Hidden Costs

Many companies operate with dozens of brokers, often chosen based on history, relationships, or convenience. This may seem harmless, but it introduces silent costs. When import volumes are spread across too many providers, no single broker handles enough activity to offer competitive pricing. Negotiation power is lost. So is transparency.

Worse, invoice management becomes a local activity. Fees are approved regionally, under different terms and cost structures. Leadership loses visibility into what is being paid and whether it is justified. Total cost becomes difficult to measure - let alone optimise.

By consolidating activity with fewer brokers, companies gain leverage. Contracts become visible and negotiable. Service levels can be defined and enforced. With scale comes transparency - and the ability to manage costs proactively, not reactively.

No Ownership, No Oversight

A fragmented broker model means a fragmented control structure. When something goes wrong - an incorrect declaration, a missing document, an unclear cost - responsibility is diffused. Local teams manage their brokers independently. There is no central accountability, no escalation path, and no mechanism to fix recurring issues.

At the same time, broker performance is rarely reviewed systematically. Many companies lack post-entry checks. Errors are only detected when consequences emerge - during audits, delays, or disputes. Without structure, even basic quality control becomes reactive.

Fixing this requires ownership. A customs or trade function - regional or global - must be empowered to lead. That team defines the broker strategy, sets the rules, monitors performance, and acts on deviations. Governance is not optional. It is what turns customs compliance from a reactive function into a managed process.

No Data, No Control

Perhaps the most serious issue with fragmented broker management is the absence of data. Each broker handles a portion of the work and retains their portion of the records. There is no unified source of customs information. Companies can’t access entry data centrally. Reporting is inconsistent. Records are stored in different systems - or not shared at all.

Without data, there is no control. Trade teams can’t identify recurring issues, compare performance, or even answer basic questions about duty exposure or entry accuracy. They work with partial information, often assembled manually, and always delayed.

Broker rationalisation is what makes data accessible. With a smaller number of aligned brokers, reporting can be standardised. Customs data can be consolidated. Trends become visible. Metrics become actionable. And compliance moves from assumption to evidence.

What Companies Must Do

This isn’t a problem that can be fixed with small adjustments. It requires a redesign. Companies must assess their current broker footprint. How many brokers are in place? Where? On what terms? What level of visibility exists?

From that assessment, a new model must be defined - one built around strategic partners, standard operating procedures, shared performance expectations, and access to data. Not every country will have the same needs. But every broker should operate under the same compliance structure.

This is not just about efficiency. It’s about building a customs function that supports the company’s scale, complexity, and risk exposure - today and tomorrow.

How DOJÖ Supports Change

At DOJÖ, we help companies bring structure and visibility to broker management. Our approach is end-to-end - from helping define the right model to selecting and deploying the right customs clearance partners in each country or region.

We start by understanding your current setup, and we support you in defining what needs to change. Then, we work closely with internal stakeholders - especially your procurement teams - to run a structured and independent partner selection process. We help you build a scoring matrix based on your specific needs, because those needs vary. There is no such thing as a universally good broker - only the broker that fits your business.

Broker rationalisation is not a tactical fix. It is a foundational shift that creates consistency, control, and clarity. We help you move from inherited complexity to a model that’s built to perform - and built to last.