News

If you were a fly on the wall...........you'd get some idea of the broad range of our activities. Chamber International is well known for its expertise in providing certification services.

But we do far more than that – specialised training, customised advice on tax and duty, international arbitration and helping exporters both big and small meet cost reduction targets.

Our staff are plugged into all the latest developments in international trade. We speak to top people in business and government – at home and abroad. And we're the only such organisation open from 8am to 6pm every working day.

It's 10.26am on Wednesday 5th May, 2010 and this is what we're up to right now...

"On the line is Dr.Kegang Wu, the chief China advisor to the British Chambers of Commerce. We're working on a venture backed by the Chinese government in which Chamber International will play a key role. He wanted to tell me about some important developments in the project before getting back to campaigning in the final hours before the General Election. He's standing as the Conservative candidate in the Liverpool Riverside constituency." - Tim Bailey, International Trade Director 

"Over the past few months we've been working closely with Leeds Bradford Airport to increase the number of Yorkshire business passengers and tempt them away from Manchester. We've also been co-operating with individual airlines. Our partnership with them is particularly important as they undertake an unprecedented multi-million pound expansion. Today I'm talking to them about finalising details for ideas around joint promotions and other projects." - Joe Baker, International Account Executive

"I'm ringing a firm that specialises in selling printer and PC spares over the Internet.  They've applied to us for an AT.R customs document which is urgently needed to get their goods into Turkey duty free. They've not declared the customs procedure code or tariff classification they're using. This is important information that allows us to check that the goods are entitled to duty free status, without it we can't issue the document and the goods won't clear customs." - Kate Flanagan, Senior International Trade Procedures Executive

"I'm with Iliya Kovacevic, the European general manager of the Newspaper Press Division of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Europe Ltd in Leeds. I'm checking his shipping documents for a half million pound order to refurbish a newspaper printing press in the Egyptian capital Cairo." - Alison Holmes, International Trade Procedures Manager 

"I'm making a call to a chemical company. It's a follow-up from an inquiry to Sheffield Chamber about VAT on bringing goods from the United States to Germany. I was able to give them general advice on how to clear goods using the new Economic Operators Registration & Identification Scheme which came into force in July 2009. This was an opportunity to look at doing an import 'health check' to identify possible savings and duty deferment as well as any additional training they may need." - Hannah Stansfield, Senior Executive and international trade regulations specialist

"I'm following up some in-house training I did on letters of credit and documentation with a machinery manufacturer. After receiving an official order the firm had questions on documents required for the Middle East, which I was able to help with. It's not uncommon that businesses need clarification on small points which can make a big difference. It means the training is ongoing. This exporter is now much more confident after our involvement." - Mike Strawson, Training Manager

"This was a courtesy call to a firm awaiting a letter of credit from Algeria to see if they'd heard anything from the customer. We'd already offered them the full export office service where we look after everything because from their point of view they didn't want to do it themselves. They're exporters but they aren't au fait with letters of credit and prefer to outsource. We find that a lot of people are frightened and don't know what to do with a letter of credit when they receive one. This is where we come in." - Roy Broadhead, Documentary Credits Account Manager

"My job is to tell the world about the important and ground-breaking work we do via the media locally, nationally and internationally. We've just teamed up with a prestigious organisation called SØRENSEN - Connecting Markets which helps UK businesses set up in Scandinavia, Holland and Germany. I'm speaking to one of my key media contacts about him running a story on a programme of meetings with clients we're setting-up in conjunction with SØRENSEN." - Tim Wyatt, PR & Media Executive