The firm
An independent firm, deliberately narrow
We work in five areas and stay there. Anything outside that perimeter goes to colleagues whose profession it is — that is the condition for remaining useful in ours.
What we do
FC&TRADE supports industrial companies on the compliance of their international operations: customs compliance, export control, sanctions and embargoes, AEO certification, and the reliability of the data feeding all three.
Our counterparts are supply chain, legal and compliance leadership, together with the customs and export administration managers who carry the subject day to day — often alone, often without dedicated time.
How we work
- Start from data, not descriptions. We systematically begin by extracting twelve months of your real declaration data. The gap between what is declared and what is described is almost always the engagement.
- Prioritise explicitly. We quantify exposure by topic and state what can wait, including when that reduces our own scope. An action plan that addresses everything addresses nothing.
- Leave a framework, not a report. Every engagement ends with procedures embedded in existing processes, training for the functions concerned, and a named handover. If the framework does not outlive our departure, the engagement failed.
Our independence
We provide no customs clearance services. That abstention is deliberate: it lets us check the quality of declarations lodged for our clients by third parties, which would be untenable if we were declarants ourselves.
We resell no software and take no vendor or referral commission. When we support a tool selection, we have no interest in the outcome — including the interest of telling you that no tool is needed.
We are not a law firm. We provide neither regulated legal advice nor representation before the courts. On matters that require it — litigation, criminal qualification, a position to defend before an authority — we work with specialist law firms and produce the technical and factual analysis they need.
Coverage
Where we work
France
EU regulation, national procedures, dealings with customs offices, voluntary disclosures and post-clearance audit readiness.
Switzerland
An autonomous legal order: Swiss customs law, the Goods Control Act and Ordinance, the Embargo Act, FOCBS and SECO procedures, Swiss AEO status.
International
Extraterritorial exposure to US law, articulation of regimes for multi-site groups, and coordination with local counsel where needed.
Sectors
We work mainly with industrial companies: mechanical engineering and special machines, electronics and instrumentation, specialty chemicals, production equipment, medical devices, aerospace and defence subcontracting. These sectors share one characteristic: technically complex products whose regulatory status cannot be read from the sales catalogue.
Contact us
The first conversation lasts thirty minutes, costs nothing, and ends with a clear opinion. Write to info@fc-trade.com or use the contact form. If you would rather start by placing yourself, the online assessment takes five minutes and requires no sign-up.