Professional profile
I am Martin Kappelmeier, an independent consultant in customs, international trade and international logistics. I help businesses organise their import and export processes and support implementation in SAP and customs and compliance systems.
My experience ranges from managing shipping and customs to consulting in international SAP projects. I am familiar with day-to-day road, sea and air freight operations as well as working with IT and development. During system migrations, I clarify what data is needed, how processes interact and how business requirements can be reflected in the system.
Martin Kappelmeier
Customs and international trade consulting with experience in SAP transformation, logistics and interim management.
Areas of expertise
Tariff classification, customs valuation, ATLAS and customs authorisations. This also includes origin, preferential treatment, and preparing for and supporting customs audits.
Shipping, inbound and transport logistics, processing arrangements and external contract processing. Experience at the interfaces between purchasing, production, sales, logistics and customs.
Restricted-party screening, licence management and internal checks. I help organise export controls and implement them in business processes and compliance systems.
SAP GTS, SAP S/4HANA International Trade and SAP SD/LE, as well as AEB, ecovium and dbh Advantage Customs. I clarify master data and interfaces, support testing and analyse errors, for example in Intrastat reporting.
The photographs illustrate specialist topics and do not depict my own projects. The laptop image represents working with business data; it does not show an SAP interface.
Experience
My experience ranges from operational customs and shipping management to consulting in SAP and international trade projects. The following examples illustrate roles and focus areas throughout my career.
View project examples, tasks and dates
This selection covers consulting, leadership roles and the operational foundations of my work today.
| Since 03/2013 | Independent customs consultant / Foreign Trade Solutions Project consulting and interim management in customs, international trade and logistics. Functional concepts, process design, SAP and IT-related implementation, migration support and operational support. |
|---|---|
| 02/2016 – 10/2018 | NTT DATA Deutschland GmbH · Lead Consultant Global Trade Solutions Consulting and implementation of customer-specific requirements in SAP GTS. Integration with SAP feeder systems and coordination between business departments, IT and development. |
| 08/2014 – 01/2016 | dbh Logistics IT AG · Business Consultant, Customs and International Trade Consulting and implementation of customs software for ATLAS, customs warehousing, export controls, origin and preferential treatment, including integration with SAP and other feeder systems. |
| 11/2011 – 02/2013 | Erwin Müller GmbH · Customs Specialist Establishment of a transport logistics and customs department. Import and export processing through ATLAS, tariff classification, origin and preferential rules, customs authorisations and audit support. |
| 10/2003 – 10/2011 | Haix-Schuhe GmbH · Head of Shipping/Customs Responsibility for customs, international trade, export controls and international transport logistics. Team leadership, organisation of shipping and customs operations, and support for overseas production. |
| 05/1998 – 09/2003 | Bäumler AG · Customs Import/Export Progression from customs clerk to deputy head of department, then head of department from May 2001. International logistics, outward processing, team leadership and introduction of ATLAS software. |
| 11/1995 – 05/1998 | Reibel Logistik / Spedition Neukirchen · Transport Planning Local and long-distance transport, domestic and international shipments with a focus on Eastern Europe, and procurement of freight capacity. |
| 1992 – 1994 | Vocational training in freight forwarding Vocational training at PRO SERVICE GmbH at Munich Airport. Subsequent specialist courses at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Außenwirtschafts-Akademie covering customs, VAT, customs organisation and export controls. |
| Languages | German, English and Spanish Native German, professional working proficiency in English and intermediate Spanish. |
Services
Depending on the task, I provide specialist advice, support a project or take on temporary responsibilities. The services are tailored to your processes, systems and operational requirements.
I analyse your import and export operations and clarify responsibilities, documentation and workflows. Together we develop a customs organisation suited to your goods movements. This also includes support with customs authorisations and introducing the relevant procedures.
Where do queries, breaks between systems or duplicated work arise? I document existing workflows and work with your team to identify steps that can be simplified or automated. I then support implementation across purchasing, production, sales, logistics and customs.
I provide support with tariff classification, applications for binding tariff information and preparation for customs audits. This includes clear product documentation, compilation of supporting evidence and coordination with the customs authorities responsible.
I analyse your export transactions and help establish internal checks. Key areas are restricted-party screening, licence management and documenting decisions. I also support your team with BAFA applications and implementation in SAP or AEB.
I provide support with determining origin, preference calculations and reviewing supplier declarations. Together we clarify which product and supplier data is needed and how supporting documents and responsibilities can be organised within the company. This includes the functional implementation of preferential origin processes, including with ecovium.
During the transition from SAP ECC to S/4HANA, I support functional coordination of logistics and international trade processes. I review material master data, clarify interfaces with SAP GTS or AEB, and support testing and error analysis. I coordinate technical implementation with IT and development.
I take on defined specialist or leadership responsibilities for an agreed period. My experience covers shipping and customs management, inbound logistics, Global Customs and Export Control. We agree on tasks, decision-making authority and handover at the outset.
I plan customer-specific training in customs and international trade. The content is based on your product portfolio, procedures and your team's questions. Work instructions and practical examples from your processes form the basis for day-to-day application. My experience includes corporate training projects and working as a speaker at customs seminars.
I help organise shipping, imports and exports, and processes surrounding international production. My experience includes road, sea and air transport logistics, coordination with logistics providers and processing arrangements. I clarify handovers between purchasing, production, sales, logistics and customs and support their documentation and improvement.
Working together
I first clarify the business requirements and the actual workflows. These become specific requirements for organisation, data and systems.
I translate business questions into actionable system requirements and coordinate them with business departments, SAP teams, development and external service providers.
Master data, interfaces and supporting documents must fit the process. Data validation, testing and clear documentation are therefore part of project work.
I work from Mexico with international teams. Remote collaboration and coordination with the German time zone are possible; travel and working arrangements are agreed for each project.
Contact
Do you need support with customs, international trade, logistics or an SAP project? Send me a brief description of your requirements, the systems you use and your planned timeframe.
martin@pura-vida-ranch.de Germany: +49 176 29860017 Mexico: +52 998 4086 403
