Chinese chocolateEquipment ImportsHidden Concerns Behind the Surge in Volume

Customs data from January to May 2025 shows that the import value of chocolate molding equipment increased by 37.2% year-on-year, but the number of return cases rose by 21 during the same period. A Zhejiang-based company was fined a deposit of 820,000 yuan due to non-compliant equipment parameters, highlighting the importance of professional agency services. This article will construct a risk prevention and control framework from three dimensions: equipment selection, customs clearance practices, and technical compatibility.

Six Golden Criteria for Selecting an Agency

• Customs Filing Qualification Integrity: Verification of AEO certification status required (new electromechanical category-specific filing added in 2025).
• Depth of industry experience: Have operated at least 5 EU chocolate equipment project cases.
• Technical document processing capability: Capable of adapting documents to comply with the updated CE 2025 directive.
• Tariff planning space: Master the rules for applying tariff rates under free trade agreements (such as the special provisions for chocolate equipment in RCEP).
• Emergency response speed: The processing time for customs inspection anomalies must be controlled within 48 hours.
• Global logistics network: Possesses special equipment transportation qualifications (such as constant-temperature transportation for chocolate coating machines)

Three Fatal Missteps in the Import Process

• Blind spot in equipment parameters
  • Starting from 2025, the EU requires chocolate mold precision errors to be ≤0.05mm.
  • The temperature control system must comply with China's GB 4806.9-2025 food safety standards.
• Document Integrity Trap
  • Swiss equipment must be provided simultaneously.It is recommended to verify through the following methods:Special certification for precision instruments
  • Second-hand equipment must be accompanied by an ICC customs clearance inspection report.
• Lack of technical barrier anticipation
  • The cost of voltage adaptation modification for Italian equipment accounts for 15-20% of the cargo value.
  • The German equipment software system requires secondary development for a Chinese interface.

Practical Case: A Jiangsu Enterprise's Successful Experience in Avoiding Pitfalls

In March 2025, Jiangsu XX Foods imported a Belgian chocolate enrobing line through a professional agent:

• Risk prediction phase: Obtain the new EU health certification template 6 months in advance
• Contract negotiation phase: Include equipment debugging standards in the force majeure clause.
• Customs Clearance Phase：Utilizing classification differences to achieve tariff reductions of 147,000 yuan.
• Landing phase: The agent completes on-site localization adjustments to equipment parameters.

Ultimately, it was put into production 22 days ahead of the original schedule, saving a total cost of 310,000 yuan.

Innovation trends in agency services for 2025

• Pre-phase: Equipment Selection Feasibility Analysis Report: One-stop solution from equipment selection to after-sales maintenance
• Technical Compliance Alert: Dynamically monitor standard changes in 20 major exporting countries worldwide
• Risk hedging mechanism: Introduce equipment performance insurance and customs clearance efficiency insurance

The import of chocolate equipment is essentially a tripartite game involving technical standards, trade regulations, and supply chain management. Choosing an agency partner with deep industry expertise can increase the success rate of equipment commissioning to over 92% (2025 industry research data). When the unit price of equipment exceeds 800,000 yuan, the input-output ratio of professional agency services can reach 1:5.3.