Conex, 40 years of expertise and a clear vision for the customs of the future.
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Conex: 40 years of expertise and a clear vision for the customs of the future
Under the dome of the Lille Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Conex brought together over 200 clients, partners and experts to celebrate its 40 years of innovation serving customs. This day was much more than a convention: it celebrated the digital and regulatory transformation of a profession in full mutation, centred around a strong conviction: data has become the heart of the customs of the future.
The theme of artificial intelligence, and its macroeconomic and operational impact, ran through the entire day. Internal and external speakers – experts, clients and partners – shared their analyses and feedback, illustrating how AI is already profoundly transforming the customs and supply chain professions.
Conex is now embarking on a new phase:
- Full integration of artificial intelligence across all its solutions,
- Total interoperability with European customs systems,
- Preparation of the Data Hub and customs prediction tools,
- Support for European companies facing the rise of automated controls.
A French SME that has become a European player
Bertrand Gruson, President of Conex, looked back at the trajectory of the French family business, recognised as the European reference for customs and security software solutions.
Now established in 5 countries (France, Belgium, United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark) and in Asia via structural partnerships, with 100 employees, Conex continues its controlled growth, fuelled by technical expertise and a recognised proximity to its clients.
“Conex is above all a story born from the combined expertise of customs regulations and IT. A story of trust, growth and continuous innovation. We have built a solid company that has supported the transformations of international trade since 1985, and which continues to reinvent itself with a product range that anticipates client needs,” explains Bertrand Gruson, its CEO.
Conex Day was the setting for a major moment: the reveal of the new Conex logo, designed as a symbol of connection and permanent evolution. A new logo to embody a company in motion, at the crossroads of technology, regulation and international cooperation.
An unprecedented European customs reform
Conex Day provided an opportunity to decipher the major stages of the European customs reform, which is accelerating towards the 2026–2030 horizon.
The speakers, representatives of professional organisations and specialised lawyers – Olivier Thouard, Chair of TLF OVS customs Committee, Even Derozieres, customs affairs advisor TLF Overseas, Alicia Boissière, AUTF, Freight Transport Users Association, Fabien Foucault, lawyer specialising in customs and tax law, Partner at HARVING AVOCATS, alongside Conex, represented by Claire Fournier, International Development Manager – discussed the creation of the European Data Hub, the establishment of the European Customs Authority in Lille, the generalisation of Trust & Check status and the rise of self-assessment.
These developments aim to replace the current 111 national systems with a common architecture that is more transparent, more secure and based on data.
To produce declarations, the challenge lies in producing reliable data. It is on this data that future simplifications, controls and trust will be based.
Innovation and artificial intelligence: the customs of the future is already here
The demonstrations performed by Conex on stage showed that AI is not a promise, but an operational reality at Conex.
AI in intelligent document processing automates, without requiring learning, the reading, extraction, qualification and structuring of data from the documentary bundle made of multiple formats from the four corners of the world, then injects it into the customs declaration generation workflow, under the supervision and control of the declarant.
The intelligent tariff classificationTariff classification involves assigning a code to a good in order to determine the applicable customs duties, taxes, an... [+] robot, for its part, assists experts in choosing the right customs code thanks to an extensive semantic analysis of product descriptions.
GlobeTraders: a new concept for fluid and interoperable data
Conex presented its new solution GlobeTraders via conex™.
A true international trade data hub, the platform ensures global and continuous management of supply chain operations. It collects, converts, shares and synchronises information between all players without any re-entry.
It offers a high level of personalisation to interconnect users’ own tools to build new logistics and commercial data highways between all stakeholders: economic partners and administrations.
GlobeTraders allows players to organise their own data orchestration from the source to automatically trigger the appropriate processing.
Natively interconnected with the publisher’s ecosystem of solutions – Safe via conex™ (ICS security declarations), Zen via conex™ (collaboration and archiving), customs via conex™ (entry of customs declarations),
Tariff via conex™, Express via conex™, Accises via conex™ – it forms the foundation of complete and fluid interoperability between all business needs.
“GlobeTraders via conex™ becomes the point of convergence between commercial, logistics and regulatory data. A disruptive innovation, GlobeTraders™ releases data, facilitates compliance and creates a common language between supply chain players,” concludes Bertrand Gruson, CEO of Conex.
2026 outlook: the Conex roadmap
This celebration of Conex’s 40th anniversary was an opportunity to present European regulatory news, analyse the impact of these changes on data and present Conex’s new global technological response.
The company affirmed its vision of an interconnected European customs, where data flows in a fluid, structured and secure manner between operators and administrations.
PRESS CONTACT – C3M Agency
Michelle Amiard, michelle@agence-c3M.com
About Conex
Conex is a publisher of software solutions dedicated to customs and security formalities. For 40 years, the company has been developing cutting-edge digital tools to support importers, exporters, carriers and registered customs representatives in the management and automation of their flows. Its platforms, including CUSTOMS via conex™, ZEN via conex™ and SAFE via conex™, are enhanced with artificial intelligence and blockchain to analyse documents, automate processing, make data reliable and guarantee its integrity. TARIFF via conex™, the reference customs encyclopedia, integrates ALBA, an AI conversational agent dedicated to tariff classification. LEO via conex™ completes this range of AI agents by handling the intelligent processing of commercial and logistics documents. Combined with advisory and training services, these solutions allow companies to combine productivity, regulatory compliance and innovation. Conex equips more than 2,000 customs departments in Europe.
“An anniversary is not a conclusion, it is a springboard. In ten or twenty years, you will still be able to count on Conex to anticipate, innovate and support you,” concluded Bertrand Gruson.
Customs content to discover
« Une nouvelle ère de gestion douanière » : interview de Bertrand Gruson, PDG de Conex
Bertrand Gruson, PDG de Conex, revient sur les enjeux qui animent l'entreprise et les utilisateurs de ses solutions.
Avec Conex, la douane fonce vers l’IA
Conex, leader du logiciel douane en France, a annoncé de nombreuses nouveautés liées au déploiement de l’IA dans ses logiciels.
Conex, 40 ans d’expertise et une vision claire pour la douane du futur.
06/02/2026 - Sous la coupole de la Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie de Lille, Conex a réuni plus de 200 clients, partenaires et experts pour célébrer ses 40 ans d’innovation au service de la douane.
Conex, la PME française qui digitalise la douane mondiale
Face à la complexité croissante des échanges internationaux, la société française Conex s’impose comme un acteur clé de la transformation numérique des formalités douanières.
Discover our solutions
A comprehensive software suite to meet your customs management needs.
CUSTOMS via conex™
An intuitive software solution dedicated to managing all electronic customs clearance procedures for all customs regimes. A secure SaaS solution connected to national and European customs systems for the creation and transmission of import and export customs declarations.
ZEN via conex™
The international collaborative customs platform designed to streamline the collection, sharing, centralisation, tracking, and archiving of all information required throughout the customs process. Ideal for documenting your information flows from the pre-declaration through to electronic archiving.
TARIFF via conex™
The new generation Customs Encyclopedia, boosted by AI agents for tariff classification of goods: customs tariff, Harmonized System Explanatory Notes (HSEN), Combined Nomenclature, official publications and texts, customs regulatory watch.
SAFE via conex™
The perfect software to manage pre-customs clearance formalities in Europe and Great Britain with complete peace of mind: ENS declarations (EU ICS2ICS2 (Import Control System 2) is the European Union's IT system for transmitting pre-customs clearance declarations for... [+], GB S&S), PNTS/ANTES and logistics envelopes (ELO, GMR, PBN) in compliance with regulations.
EXPRESS via conex™
The solution dedicated to managing data for the European H7 declaration, required for distance sales and e-commerce of low-value goods imported from third countries.
ACCISES via conex™
The software for managing goods subject to excise duties for the electronic processing of accompanying documents (EAD) and the management of excise goods accounting.
FACTO via conex™
Customs service invoicing software allowing you to automatically invoice your customs services based on declaration data.
EUROPSTAT via conex™
The software that automates your intrastat/EMEBI and ESD declarations, ensuring declarative compliance for all your exchanges of goods and services within the European Union.