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.

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.

NUWAVE Communications has integrated Tollring’s Analytics 365 Call Analytics into its unified communications offering, adding analytics to the services it supplies through its partner network.

The integration is intended to give customers more visibility into how unified communications systems are used and how they perform. NUWAVE works with carrier partners, service providers and channel partners across the UK, Europe, North America and other international markets.

The agreement centres on Analytics 365 Call Analytics, which tracks and assesses communications activity across platforms including Microsoft Teams, Webex and Zoom. NUWAVE plans to embed the software throughout the lifecycle of its unified communications services rather than offer it as a standalone tool.

The move reflects growing demand from businesses for clearer reporting on communications platforms used across multiple systems and geographies. Providers are also under pressure to demonstrate ongoing value after initial deployment, particularly as cloud-based communications become more common in larger organisations and the public sector.

Under the arrangement, NUWAVE plans to make the analytics offering available through its iPILOT platform and wider partner programmes. This will allow partners to provide ongoing services based on usage and performance data alongside the original communications deployment.

Mark Bunnell, chief operating officer at NUWAVE Communications, linked the partnership to the rise of Microsoft Teams and other cloud services in the UK market.

“This partnership is particularly relevant in the UK market, where adoption of Microsoft Teams and cloud-based communications continues to accelerate across enterprise and public sector organisations. This collaboration strengthens our ability to support UK partners and customers with data-driven insights that improve operational efficiency and long-term value.

“We selected Tollring because they are a proven leader in turning communications data into actionable business intelligence. Tollring’s approach aligns closely with how we view the future of unified communications. It’s not just about enabling voice, it’s about delivering the visibility and insights needed to continuously optimise performance, user experience and business outcomes.

“As businesses increasingly demand greater visibility, compliance and performance insight from their UC environments, analytics is becoming a critical component of modern deployments,” Bunnell said.

Partner focus

The integration is also intended to support NUWAVE’s channel strategy. Partners will be able to use data generated by Analytics 365 to develop additional services and strengthen customer relationships through ongoing monitoring and advice.

This reflects a wider shift in the unified communications market, where providers are looking beyond deployment and connectivity towards recurring service models tied to management, reporting and operational oversight. In that context, analytics tools can help resellers and carriers identify trends in call activity, user adoption and service performance.

Tollring develops cloud software focused on communications analytics, call centre analytics, conversation analysis, voice recording, fraud protection and scam detection. The company sells both directly and through channel partners and says its products are used by more than 22,000 businesses globally.

NUWAVE has been active in business communications services for more than 25 years and supports service providers offering Microsoft Teams, Zoom Phone and Webex Calling. Its iPILOT platform is designed to help carriers and partners deliver multi-platform unified communications services to channel partners and end customers.

UK demand

The UK is likely to be a key market for the combined offer because of strong adoption of Teams and broader migration to cloud-based communications. For organisations running several communications platforms at once, analytics has become more important as IT teams seek a clearer view of employee usage, call performance and operational issues.

For partners selling and supporting these systems, the ability to package analytics with unified communications could also create a new source of recurring revenue. NUWAVE said adding Tollring’s software would help position analytics as a core part of communications delivery rather than an optional extra.

The product will be supported through NUWAVE Academy training and broader partner programmes, with the analytics layer integrated into service delivery through the channel.