Poland has expanded its SENT transport monitoring system to cover clothing and footwear, bringing fashion and retail shipments moving into, out of, or through the country under tighter reporting rules.

The revised scope applies to goods classified under CN codes 61 for knitted or crocheted apparel, 62 for non-knitted apparel, 6309 for worn clothing and 64 for footwear. Shipments in those categories must now be reported through the PUESC platform, including either weight or number of items, the value of the goods and a product description.

SENT, short for System Elektronicznego Nadzoru Transportu, is Poland’s electronic tracking system for selected goods transported by road and rail. It has previously focused on products considered vulnerable to illegal trade and tax evasion, such as fuel, food, alcohol and tobacco.

The extension to clothing and footwear increases the compliance burden for a sector that often moves large volumes across multiple borders on tight delivery schedules. It also affects businesses using Poland as a transit route to other markets in Central and Eastern Europe, even when the goods are not destined for the Polish market.

Chris Roome, associate director of customs and compliance at Baxter Freight, warned that many fashion businesses could be caught unprepared.

He said SENT requires shippers, carriers and drivers to report cargo movements via the PUESC platform, primarily to combat illegal trade and counterfeit goods.

Until now, the system has focused on higher-risk goods linked to tax evasion, such as fuel, food products, alcohol and tobacco. Its scope is now widening into the fashion and textiles sector.

Roome said this marks a notable shift because it brings a high-volume, fast-moving sector into a system previously focused on excise goods. Many retailers and importers will not have had to deal with SENT before, creating a real risk of early non-compliance.

He added that penalties can be significant and may in some cases be calculated as a percentage of the value of the goods. A bigger concern for retailers, however, may be disruption, as non-compliant shipments can be stopped at inspection points, affecting stock availability and delivery timelines.

Roome also noted that responsibility does not rest solely with importers. Suppliers, carriers and drivers all have roles to play in avoiding delays or penalties.

For businesses that rely on Poland as a logistics hub, he said adapting to the new requirements will require supply chain coordination, clear communication between partners and robust internal checks before goods move.

Registration steps

Businesses covered by the rules must also complete administrative steps before moving affected goods. These include registering on the PUESC system, appointing a named contact and obtaining a Polish identification number through a vetting process with the Polish authorities.

Roome said businesses may need support from an approved third party during that process, and those providers can be found on the PUESC website.

He added that companies using a freight provider will need to sign a power of attorney to allow the provider to act on their behalf in customs matters.

The change adds a new layer of scrutiny to a trade route widely used by apparel and footwear companies serving Europe, with penalties and shipment stoppages among the immediate risks for operators that fail to meet the reporting requirements.

The University of Oxford has installed a Harrison 32Classic mixing console in the new Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities. The desk is housed in one of three music studios used by the Faculty of Music.

The installation is part of a wider audio setup across the building, which brings together studios, rehearsal areas and performance venues on a Dante audio-over-IP network. In Studio Three, the 32-channel analogue console is linked to an Ensemble Room and four smaller practice spaces, allowing staff and students to record live performances from multiple locations.

Studio Manager Daniel Hulme said Studio Three was designed to support conventional recording methods alongside electronic and experimental work. “Studio Three is a traditional recording studio. As well as more experimental and electronic compositional work, we teach students the traditional ways of making music in the recording studio, with small- to medium-sized ensembles performing in a room together.”

The nearby rooms are connected to the Harrison console through the network. “The Harrison gives us connectivity between all those spaces in that immediate area, so you can really capture a good-sized ensemble with separation,” Hulme said.

Teaching focus

Oxford selected the console in part for how students would use it in teaching sessions. Hulme noted that many users are musicians rather than trainee engineers, and that this shaped the studio workflow.

“They’re not technicians, they’re not engineering students; they’re musicians. It’s not an engineering course; it’s a creative practice course. So the workflow of the Harrison was perfect, in that it’s a relatively simple, open architecture. Some other products are more geared towards tech-heavy engineering and have multiple layers; there’s lots of stuff that could be overwhelming for a music student. There are no hidden layers to the Harrison. It’s all there to see.”

He also cited the sound of the desk as a factor in the final choice. “The thing that I liked about the Harrison was primarily the sound of the console, the sound of the EQ and the mic pre. It did not disappoint. I ran some stems through it and listened to the EQ. It was a beautiful thing. The 32Classic has the right balance of function, form and sound. That really appealed to me.”

Networked rooms

The building’s Dante network extends beyond the studio complex. It also connects the 500-seat Sohmen Concert Hall and the 120-capacity Black Box Performance Lab, giving the Faculty of Music the option to route live performances back to the studio for recording through the Harrison desk.

Hulme said this setup simplifies the teaching process for students moving between live rooms, the console and digital audio workstation software. “The functionality with the Dante integration means that there’s a really simple workflow that we can create for the students. It’s one-to-one from the live room into the console and one-to-one from the console into the DAW. It’s an easy thing to teach and for students to understand. They get good results quickly, and we can move through the curriculum quickly.”

He also described the acoustic and technical specification of the main concert hall. “The concert hall is pin-drop quiet and has a beautiful, variable acoustic, and there’s a multitude of concealed microphone ties and various other connectivity to connect back to the studios.”

Joshua Rush, chief marketing officer at Audinate, said the project shows how a single network can link different types of spaces in a teaching building. “We are excited to be part of the audio infrastructure at the University of Oxford’s new multi-studio facility. Dante was built to make audio routing as flexible as creativity itself, and this project is a perfect example of what’s possible when a whole building shares one network. By connecting studios, rehearsal spaces and performance venues to a common Dante backbone, the Faculty of Music can capture performances wherever they happen quickly, reliably and at the highest quality.”

Immersive audio

The centre’s other two music studios are also connected to Dante interfaces. Studio One is configured as a Dolby Atmos 9.1.4 room, while Studio Two is designed for several immersive audio formats, including NHK 22.2, Dolby Atmos, Sony 360 Reality Audio and Ambisonics.

All three studios were acoustically designed by Level Acoustics. Hulme said the 32Classic can monitor a 12-channel surround source from the Dante interface, and he is considering workflows that would let students record with immersive formats in mind while monitoring projects through Studio One’s Dolby Atmos speaker system.

His preference for an analogue console reflects his early experience in recording studios in the north of England and later work in London and Liverpool. Hulme said that background informed the design priorities for Studio Three and the wider balance between established recording practice and newer production formats.

“I wanted an analogue console. There’s a view to the future of music production here and what that might mean. We are very invested in exploring immersive technologies and workflows creatively, but let’s not forget about the past and where we’ve come from. If you’ve got good foldback and you can combine things together in an easy and immediate way, and it sounds fantastic without you having to do too much, you’re in a good place creatively. That makes things more fluid and makes the whole production process happen quicker. I think a good analogue console uniquely brings that to the table.”

Darren Jones, Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg (aired on Sunday, April 26) that he was looking at the economic impact of the war “in a lot of detail”.

He shared that “price pressure” was more likely than gaps on supermarket shelves.

The US-Iran war has been ongoing since the end of February, and the blockade of the crucial shipping route, the Strait of Hormuz, has been a sticking point.

BBC News reports that energy production and transportation across the Middle East has slowed or stopped entirely due to the conflict, causing supply chain issues and price rises globally.

Higher prices could last ‘eight plus months from the point of resolution’

Discussing how long the higher prices of energy and food would last, Jones shared that it could be for many months once the conflict is concluded.

He said: “Our best guess is eight plus months from the point of resolution that you’ll see economic impacts coming through the system.

“So people will see higher energy prices, food prices […] flight ticket prices as a consequence of what Donald Trump has done in the Middle East.”

Sky News reports that Jones is heading up a contingency planning group of ministers meeting twice a week to focus on live monitoring of stock levels and what plans are in place for addressing supply chain disruption.

They will assess how the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the subsequent reduction in oil, gas and ammonia supply will directly impact the UK.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will also chair another meeting of a Cabinet committee on Tuesday (April 28), set up to deal with any shortfalls.

Ministers have stressed there are no shortages yet, and drivers should continue to fill up as usual and not change travel plans over fears of potential jet fuel shortages.

Jones has previously said: “This is not our war.

“The government made the right call to stay out of the conflict and only take defensive action to protect Britain’s interests.

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“We’re acting now to prepare for, and mitigate where possible, the impact on our economy and domestic security as a result of the conflict.

“The prime minister wants to see a toll-free Strait of Hormuz reopened as soon as possible.

“The UK is working tirelessly with our international partners to find a permanent solution to this crisis and minimise the knock-on impact to households.