Conex revolutionises customs management with its new version of ZEN: a collaborative platform powered by AI

Conex is unveiling the most advanced version of its international collaboration platform, marking a real breakthrough in the sector. Incorporating an enhanced version of artificial intelligence, ZEN redefines automatic document processing with the power of intelligent understanding.

A technological leap towards an accelerated customs process 

Designed to automate reliably the intelligent identification and extraction of data from multiple document sources, ZEN harnesses the power of AI and takes declarants into a new era of customs management. Since its launch, ZEN has already transformed working methods, but goes further by analysing documents and data, while increasing the accuracy and speed of information processing.

Unprecedented automation, powered by AI

Its intelligent Document Understanding agent decodes, classifies, verifies and analyses the various documents with unprecedented speed and accuracy. It transforms documentary chaos into a perfectly structured data stream that is immediately operational for customs clearance.

Enhanced control for optimised user comfort

With this innovation, ZEN puts the declarant at the heart of the process. The user retains total control over their declarations, assisted by ultra-high-performance summary indicators that instantly highlight any inconsistencies that need to be rectified. Data can be analysed in the blink of an eye, even for large volumes, allowing the declarant to focus on any contentious issues and ensure quality control in record time.

“Thanks to the work of our development teams and our investment in R&D, CONEX enables declarants to meet today's challenges in drawing up customs declarations, such as complexity, the diversity of information sources, the heterogeneity of document formats and the pressure of urgency.  As a result, customs operators are entering a new era in which ease of use, speed and accuracy are finally combined.
ZEN is the key to this transformation,” stresses Bertrand Gruson, CEO of Conex.

Tangible benefits for businesses

The first companies to adopt Zen, including major players in transport and logistics, are already reporting a spectacular change in their operations. Saving time, reducing errors and simplifying processes are just some of the benefits that make ZEN an essential tool for anyone looking to modernise their customs management.

Agence C3M
Michelle Amiard, michelle@agence-c3M.com

Conex continues its international development strategy with the acquisition of Lector, Denmark's leading customs software publisher

In the frame of its international expansion strategy, the French leading provider of customs and security management software backed by 21 Invest France’s Fund VI since September 2023, has completed a first acquisition with Lector, Denmark's top customs software publisher. This external growth operation allows Conex to further expand its European footprint and enhance its service offerings.

For almost 40 years, Conex has been helping companies involved in international trade, shippers and Registered Customs Representative (RCR) to optimize their customs and security management procedures through specialized software and related services.

With its long-standing expertise, comprehensive solution range, and tailored offerings, Conex dominates the French market. The group already has an international presence with subsidiaries in Belgium, the UK, in Ireland and a commercial presence in Spain. The partnership with 21 Invest aims to accelerate Conex's European growth, particularly through acquisitions, as now evidenced by the acquisition of Lector, a major player in Denmark.

Based in Copenhagen, Lector provides software solutions for Nordic and European clients. Its innovative, scalable platform simplifies customs processes, regulatory flows, and document management. Lector has a strong market position and a diverse customer base, contributing to its consistent and solid growth.

This first acquisition broadens Conex's geographical reach and product portfolio while enhancing its value proposition. The group experiences outstanding growth and reaches sales of nearly €20 million i.e. +50% compared to 21’s entry in 2023, with over 80% of revenue being recurring. The group employs 90 people across Western and Northern Europe.

Bertrand Gruson, CEO of Conex, says: "We are delighted to welcome Lector to the Conex family. Lector offers innovative and intuitive software solutions at the cutting edge of technology, giving full satisfaction to its customers, and which will benefit from the Group's R&D and be enriched by our technological input around AI and Blockchain. The Conex Group has now opened up a window on the Scandinavian countries and Northern Europe, further extending its capacity to support its customers."

Stéphane Perriquet, Managing Partner, and Hadrien Jourdan, Principal at 21 Invest France, comment: "We are very pleased with our first year collaborating with the Conex team. Alongside double-digit organic growth, the group is now poised to consolidate its leadership in Europe. The acquisition of Lector is the first step in this direction. We are also considering several other acquisitions that will complement our geographic reach and expand our offerings."

Tue Villum Sørensen, CEO of Lector adds: "We are delighted to join Conex and look forward to starting a new international chapter in Lector's history. Conex brings to Lector a wealth of resources, expertise and innovation that will enable us to improve our products and services and open up new markets. We are convinced that this support will have a positive impact on our customers.”

List of participants

21 Invest France (Stéphane Perriquet, Hadrien Jourdan, Patrick Aris), Conex (Bertrand Gruson, Alban Gruson), Lector (Tue V. Sørensen, Thomas Bargholz, Karl Haals Jensen, Jens A. Rasmussen)

Advisors to the buyers
M&A advisor: Clairfield (Bertrand Hermez, Marie Dokchine, Martin Muff, Julie Berggreen Jørgensen) - Financial due diligence: Grant Thornton (Jakob Fogt) - Strategic due diligence: Implement (Mark Stougaard) - Legal advisor: SmithKrag (Martin Ambæk Krag)

Advisors to the sellers
M&A advisor: Carlsquare (Anders Bo) - Legal advisor: Horten (Peter Helbo)

Financing
CIC Private Debt (Nicolas Offroy, Baptiste Robin)
Legal counsel: Nabarro Béraud (Magali Béraud, Yacine Arhmir)

About Conex

As a partner to key accounts and SMEs in all sectors of activity, CONEX develops and markets a range of collaborative tools for managing customs and security declarations. Its customers -importing/exporting companies, carriersand RDEs (Registered Customs Representatives) -use its solutions and services to optimise and secure the entry, processing and electronic exchange of declarations for all their international trade in goods. For almost 40 years, CONEX has been taking partin developments in international trade and the supply chain, supporting companies in their customs development and working with European and international customs administrations.
CONEX is headquartered near Lille (Orchies), with offices in Paris and three subsidiaries in Belgium, Irelandand the United Kingdom. An independent SME founded in 1985, CONEX has around sixty employees.

For more information, visit www.conex.net

Contact: Carole Mignonet, carole.mignonet@conex.net - Agence C3M: Michelle Amiard, michelle@agence-c3M.com

About 21 Invest

Founded by Alessandro Benetton, the 21 Invest group has been an active and responsible shareholder alongside management teams for 32 years and has supported over 110 companies based in France, Italy and Poland through local funds. In France, the investment strategy focuses on companies combining growth and recurrence in 4 sectors: healthcare, technology/software, education and business services. 21 Invest supports the transformation of companies by providing its expertise in structuring and accelerating growth, particularly through market consolidation.

For more information, visit www.21invest.com

Contact: Fabrice Voituron, f.voituron@21investfrance.com

About Lector

Lectors has a 25-year track-record with SW development in Denmark. Lector’s solutions focus on automation of customs processes and document/case management being one of the leading vendors in these areas with outstanding levels of customer satisfaction. Lector is active in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Poland servicing large and medium sized business customers. From its offices in Charlottenlund (Copenhagen) Lector currently employs 30 FTE’s with a retention level way above industry standards.

For more information, visit www.lector.dk

Contact: Tue Villum Sorensen, tvs@lector.dk

Conex signs a partnership agreement with E&P International Inc., China (Shanghai) International Trade Single Window, in the framework of security declarations.

Officialised on the occasion of the PAA (Pan Asian E-commerce Alliance) conference in Paris, this partnership agreement with E&P' makes the Conex pre-customs clearance formality platform the trusted solution for E&P's international carrier and forwarding customers in the context of ICS2.

ICS2, a pre-customs clearance declaration formality, will, by 2025, be extended to include all modes of transport for all goods arriving on European Union soil. It must be made in electronic form, before the departure of the goods and concerns all economic operators who trade with the EU.

The SAFE via conex™ electronic transmission platform meets this security formality and communicates in full regulatory and technological compliance with the central European ICS2 system.

With Conex solutions and EDI exchanges between the two partners, economic operators connected to the E&P’ platform benefit from reliability, security and compliance for the exchange of their messages with the European ICS2 system.

“This partnership, the result of cooperation and collaboration with international players, allows the facilitation of data exchanges with China for all goods destined for the European Union. Sharing our common expertise in terms of customs regulations and technological innovation offers operators facilitating tools,” explains Bertrand Gruson, CEO of CONEX.

“This strategic partnership, leveraging the ICS2 system to align with the new EU safety and security regulations for our clients in China, opens up new possibilities for cross-border data flows and significantly enhances trade facilitation between the EU and China” says Lyu Feng, CEO of E&P.

About E&P

E&P International Inc., established in 2001 by the Shanghai municipal government, is a mixed-capital government enterprise specialising in the construction and operation of Shanghai E-port, promoting digital transformation in the field of international shipping and trade. Since its establishment, the company has devoted itself to the integration of information resources and innovation for Shanghai e-port, while striving to construct the “Shanghai International Shipping Center” and “Shanghai International Trade Center”.

About ICS2

The European Union makes the security of its citizens and the single market a top priority. Every year, trillions of euros worth of goods are imported into the EU. Today the 27 members of the EU represent around 15% of global trade in goods. This new system for the declaration of advance information on goods entering the EU supports the implementation of the European Union Customs Code and the customs risk management program aimed at better protecting the single market and citizens of the EU.

About CONEX

Partner of economic operators in all sectors of activity, CONEX develops and markets a range of collaborative tools for the management of customs and security declarations. Its clients, importing/exporting companies, transporters, RDEs (Registered Customs Representatives), use its solutions and services to optimise and secure the entry, processing and electronic exchange of declarations for all their international exchanges of goods. CONEX has been participating in developments in international trade and the supply chain for nearly 40 years, supporting companies in their customs development, and collaborating with European and international customs administrations. CONEX, whose historic headquarters is located near Lille (Orchies), has offices in Paris, and subsidiaries in Belgium, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Created in 1985, CONEX has around sixty employees.

Agence C3M
Michelle Amiard, michelle@agence-c3M.com

Conex welcomes the Pan Asian E-Commerce
Alliance (PAA) delegation to Paris

Conex, an official member of the Pan Asian E-Commerce Alliance (PAA), is hosting the delegation for its 69^th conference in Paris from May 13^th to 15^th, 2024.

The PAA conference enables reflection and collaboration between these key players in trade between the EU and Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Oceania.

On the agenda: the integration of the Import Control System 2 (ICS2) declaration into export formalities to the EU and other collaborative data exchange projects.

A summit meeting on the digitalisation of customs and security formalities

PAA is a pioneering group in Asia, dedicated to facilitating international trade. Its ambition is to expand its network to other regions of the world. A recognised player in the dematerialisation of customs declarations in France and Europe, CONEX sought to join the group to perfect its recognition in Asia, share its experience, benefit from that of the countries represented, accelerate the interconnections between its own tools and the platforms of international data exchange. CONEX was welcomed to the discussion table in 2021 an associate member of the PAA before becoming a full member last year.

CONEX's membership to the PAA allows it to maintain ongoing relationships with stakeholders who are centre stage of international trade: single windows, technical and regulatory partners, for all players in the supply chain (shippers, multimodal carriers and RDE -Registered Customs Representatives-) from the moment the goods leave for the EU.

“Through this think tank, CONEX is involved in all projects related to the facilitation of international data exchanges. At the heart of analyses, new technologies such as blockchain and AI, hold a prominent place to which CONEX brings its know-how. The realisation of these joint projects and the resulting solutions serve economic players engaged in global trade” explains Bertrand Gruson CEO of Conex.

ICS2, one of the key topics of the 2024 edition of the PAA conference

ICS2 is a European IT system created to collect data on all goods entering the EU prior to their arrival. Economic operators (EO) must declare data relating to safety and security to the ICS2 system, by way of the entry summary declaration (ENS).

In 2024, ICS2 extends its scope to maritime transport and from 2025 its coverage will be total with the inclusion of road and rail transport. All modes of transport entering the EU will thus be concerned by ICS2.

Invited as keynote speakers on the subject, FIATA (International Federation of Freight Forwarder Associations), GSF (Global Shippers Forum) and TLF (Union of French Transport and Logistics Companies speaking on behalf of CLECAT, European Association for Forwarding, Transport, Logistics and Customs Services) were able to share their thoughts and valuable analysis, particularly in terms of the recent joint FIATA-GSF publication of the ICS2 Guidance Note for freight forwarders and shippers.

“Organising the delegation’s conference in Paris in 2024, in this Olympic year, is a wonderful opportunity. It is a great honour for CONEX, 3 years after our membership began, to be the reference host on European soil for all our Alliance partners,” explains Bertrand Gruson.

About PAA

The PAA - Pan Asian E-commerce Alliance - consists of twenty members representing international trade platforms involved in import/export formalities and their digitalisation, in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Vietnam, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Senegal, the Middle East and Europe. Created in 2000, the alliance continues to expand.
It brings together the key players in international trade from each country; in Asia, they serve 350,000 organisations, almost all of the commercial companies active in the area. Together, they process several hundred million customs declarations annually. Their discussions and work aim to promote and provide secure, reliable and value-added IT infrastructure and equipment for efficient global trade and logistics.

For more information: https://paa.net/

About ICS2

The European Union makes the security of its citizens and the single market a top priority. Every year, trillions of euros worth of goods are imported into the EU. Today the 27 members of the EU represent around 15% of global trade in goods. This new system for the declaration of advance information on goods entering the EU supports the implementation of the European Union Customs Code and the customs risk management program aimed at better protecting the single market and citizens of the EU.

About CONEX

Partner of economic operators in all sectors of activity, CONEX develops and markets a range of collaborative tools for the management of customs and security declarations. Its clients, importing/exporting companies, transporters, RDEs (Registered Customs Representatives), use its solutions and services to optimise and secure the entry, processing and electronic exchange of declarations for all their international exchanges of goods. CONEX has been participating in developments in international trade and the supply chain for nearly 40 years, supporting companies in their customs development, and collaborating with European and international customs administrations.
CONEX, whose historic headquarters is located near Lille (Orchies), has offices in Paris, and subsidiaries in Belgium, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Created in 1985, CONEX has around sixty employees.

To learn more : www.conex.net

Agence C3M : Michelle Amiard, michelle@agence-c3M.com