Porath - Customs Agents for more than 20 years   Reliable, punctual and customer-orientated: Established in 1985, Porath GmbH has been a reliable partner for professional handling of all customs-related services for more than 20 years. With a total of 22 employees at three locations, the family-run company ranks amongst the leading customs agencies in Germany today.   In 1985, in the Speicherstadt district of Hamburg, Jürgen Porath, a trained forwarding agent and former warehouse manager, started his own business with the founding of the Porath Speditionsgesellschaft mbH. Initially, a shipping company/freight forwarding company, the new business venture quickly evolves into a professional customs clearance company. The new business venture very soon concentrated completely on professional customs clearance. Consequently, it is renamed Porath GmbH Zolldeklaranten (Customs Agents) in 1989.   In 1991, the company moved into new offices at the Zollamt Brooktor in Hamburg. At the same time, a new branch office is opened in Hamburg-Waltershof. A year later, the founder's son, Thorsten Porath, begins his employment with the company. In 1996, he is made a managing director. The Porath head office moved to the Überseezentrum in Hamburg in 2001.   Porath remains an independent partner   Following Anneliese and Jürgen Poraths death in 2003, their son, Thorsten Porath, becomes the sole Managing Director. Thus, Porath GmbH continues to be a 100 % family-owned business and, by remaining independent of other large companies, it ensures complete impartiality to their customers.   Due to the company's strong growth, Porath centralises the two Hamburg based offices at the Windhukkai. It opens its air cargo branch at Frankfurt airport's Cargo City South in September 2006. Owing to the constantly growing number of international clients, the company's additional name Zolldeklaranten is changed to Customs Agents.   A strong network of partnerships in Europe   Today, Porath GmbH's customers include well-known freight forwarding and logistics service providers, traders, importers and exporters. Moreover, the company offers a continuously growing network of partnerships in Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland and the United States. Services provided cover the full range from customs clearance of international cargos and warehouse bonding, to inward and outward processing of goods. Additionally, it offers many value-added services, such as veterinary clearance and express courier and specialised transportation, as well as comprehensive import administration as an outsourcing facility. Porath is registered as a fiscal representative under Section 22a ff. UStG (VAT act).   Always up-to-date   When it comes to customs code, German law on sales tax, or anti-dumping legislation – the members of the Porath team have vast expertise in national and European law. Continuous training courses ensure the team's cutting-edge knowledge. Porath utilizes up-to-date IT-systems such as Atlas, NCTS, AES, EGDAT and ZAPP. Porath customers profit from a customized software, designed to suit their specific individual needs, ensuring fast and quality service.