One of the 227 Rotronic HygroFlex transmitters in the duty-free warehouse of Ports Francs.
PERFECT CLIMATE IN DUTY-FREE WAREHOUSE
Switzerland has around a dozen duty-free warehouses. These warehouses are transit zones for the storage of goods, whose main advantages are the temporary suspension of customs law and taxes. They benefit not only from a lo-cation in the heart of Europe, but also from legal and political stability. The company Ports Francs et Entrepôts de Genève SA, in which the Canton of Geneva holds an 87% interest, is domiciled in La Praille, where it manages a floor space of 150 000 m² , half of which under the Swiss customs regime (duty-free). The company also maintains storage space (10 000 m²) in the cargo hangar at the international airport in Geneva.
To ensure it is able to meet high standards in quality and security, Ports Francs et Entrepôts de Genève SA inaugurat-ed its new warehouse in 2014. It was specially designed to store valuables in accordance with the requirements of in-surers. To establish the necessary climatic conditions, tem-perature and humidity transmitters from the Zurich-based company Rotronic were installed to enable control of the optimum storage climate.
But first a little history. A free port is originally a transit zone in a harbor in which it is possible to discharge, store, convey, re-ship or temporarily hold goods in expectation of importing them. Payment of the customs duties and tax-es is suspended and eventually effected in the country in which the goods are consumed or used.
A delivery under the free port regime is equated with an export from a country of origin and the value added tax of this country can be reimbursed immediately. There are free ports on all continents. They promote the movement of goods, and therefore also trade and ultimately the econo-my as a whole. Most European countries have one or more free ports allowing storage for a certain period of time.
1000 commercial premises in La Praille
There are currently 10 duty-free warehouses in Switzer-land, with the one in Geneva being the most important. Du-ty-free warehouses are usually located near national bor-ders and the country’s second-largest airport. In contrast to most other countries, there is no time limit for storage in Swiss duty-free warehouses for goods not stemming from.