In the summer of 2023, Mr. Wang, the procurement director of a new energy technology company in Shandong, faced a thorny problem: the company's newly purchased electrolyzer equipment from Germany, worth 2.8 million euros, was about to arrive at the port. However, none of the customs brokerage firms they contacted could provide clear answers to three key questions: Is there any dispute over the customs classification of special equipment? Can they offer a door-to-door tax optimization solution? How should they handle the situation if they lack import qualifications?
After comparing seven service providers, they ultimately choseZhongShen International TradeThis decision later made Mr. Wang sigh with emotion: "From signing the agency agreement to the equipment entering the factory took only 17 days, with customs clearance completed in just 3 working days, saving us 11 days of production preparation time compared to the expected 2 weeks."
Based on our 15 years of agency experience, the import of new energy equipment often gets stuck at three key stages:
For this case, we took three preparatory steps in advance: 1) Pre-confirmed the HS code based on the equipment drawings; 2) Guided the German side to revise the technical parameter sheet according to Chinese standards; 3) Prepared a completeIt is recommended to verify through the following methods:According to the chain. These preparatory efforts ultimately enabled the goods to benefit from the preferential tariff rates under the China-EU Agreement.
Unlike ordinary freight forwarders, professional import agents need to oversee the entire process:
Link | Service Content | The solution to this case |
---|---|---|
Overseas segment | Pre-shipment inspection | Arrange for a third-party agency in Hamburg to conduct IPI testing. |
Transportation Section | Dangerous Goods Declaration | Equipment containing lithium battery modules must be declared separately. |
Customs declaration section | Pre - classification ruling | Apply in advance for the confirmation of tariff code 8419.89. |
Taxation Section | Tax reduction and exemption filing | Leverage incentive-based project policies to save on tariffs. |
Logistics segment | Special transport | Arrange for a lowboy trailer to handle oversized equipment. |
During the price comparison phase, our quote was not the lowest, but the client valued three key differentiators:
It is particularly worth mentioning that what we offer"Tax Simulation Sandbox"The service simulated the tax burden differences under various trade methods (general trade/temporary admission/leasing trade), ultimately helping the client save 9.7% in overall costs.
Speedy customs clearance is not a matter of luck, but the result of systematic operations:
When the goods actually arrive at the port, we adopt the "two-step declaration" mode: the first step involves submitting only a summary declaration (released within 5 minutes), and the second step supplements the complete documents during transit. This innovative approach allows the goods to directly enter the customs inspection green channel upon arrival at the port.
Based on this successful case, we recommend that importers of technical equipment:
As demonstrated in this case, the value of a professional import agent lies not merely in handling procedures, but in leveraging experience to anticipate risks and integrating resources to streamline processes, ultimately delivering tangible time savings and cost efficiencies for clients.
Since its establishment in 2003, we have provided professional import services to over 1,200 technology companies, with particular expertise in:
We have recently completed the import project of a vacuum coating machine for a semiconductor company, setting an industry record with a single equipment value of 120 million yuan. If you are planning equipment imports, feel free to contact our expert team for customized solutions.
? 2025. All Rights Reserved. Shanghai ICP No. 2023007705-2 PSB Record: Shanghai No.31011502009912