Spelle, July 2012 – Krone has been certified as a ‘Known Con-signor’ by the German Office of Civil Aviation after the company proved its compliance with EU security requirements. The accreditation applies to all airfreight consignments shipped by Bernard Krone GmbH Agricultural Machinery. “The timely accreditation comes after Krone made this sensitive issue a matter of the highest priority and pursued it with the proper vigour and determination,” says Managing Director Wolfgang Jung. “This certification ensures that we can now get the ordered parts to our customers in the fastest possible way.” The regulations on airfreight consignments were revised by EU Directive 185/2010 two years ago and allowed for a transition period ending in March 2013. “Krone really did its homework fast and thoroughly,” according to airfreight security officers Josef Möller and Daniel Deventer. “The parts stockroom was turned into a closed-off area, to which only a limited number of trained and accredited people have access,” says Möller. “All airfreight consignments are stored in a special hall and packaged in a way that protects them from tampering and access by third parties.” In addition to this end-to-end security within the factory, Krone must also ensure that it uses only certified shippers. Josef Möller explains further: “The consignment must be collected from Krone and transported to the airport by so-called ‘regulated agents’. That means that we have to find a shipper who holds the appropriate certification. These are listed in a special database. Only if we are able to establish an end-to-end security chain will airport and airline load the consignment onto the aircraft directly and without subjecting it to their own screening procedures. Note that 70 to 80 percent of all parts are shipped on regular commercial aircraft, which explains why this is such a sensitive issue. Most Krone consignments contain metal parts which the X-ray equipment operated by either the regulated agent or the airport cannot identify or only with great difficulty. In such a case, the consignment would require special screening, a process that might take several days. The certification allows us to avoid such lengthy procedures and to assure our customers that the ordered part will get to them in the fastest possible way.” After all, Krone consigns more than 5,000 airfreight and priority shipments every year, with parcel weights ranging from 1 to 3,000 kilos.


Currently, there are no more than 200 German companies that hold ‘Known Consignor’ status, with 40,000 more still on the waiting list. All air security space within the company undergoes annual audits and the certification needs to be renewed every five years.