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Greetings! Five years ago this month Trade Innovations was launched as a practical alternative to traditional consulting and law firms. Since our founding in 2005, we have steadily built a portfolio of satisfied clients. Through carefully crafted strategic alliances we have the ability to provide world class service in the areas of customs and import compliance consulting, export compliance, training, C-TPAT programs, surety bonds, direct-filing of customs entries and Importer Security Filings (ISFs), marine insurance, and carnets. We can also tap in to the best-in-class services of our partners on five continents!
To commemorate our 5 year anniversary we recently refreshed and updated our web site. In addition to our Blog, we've added all of today's social media links so now you can follow Trade Innovations on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Also, you will notice we have added a new column to this newsletter called "Monthly Trade News Briefs". This new addition will give you a 30-day snapshot of important headlines in international trade news. If applicable, it will contain links to the source so you can peruse the entire source document if interested.
We look forward to serving our friends in the trade community for many years to come and look forward to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
As always, the Trade Innovations Team welcomes your ideas, questions, or suggestions. We can be reached by
e-mail at [email protected].
Sincerely,
The Trade Innovations Team
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ACE in the Hole: a Footnote By Michael Laden | I have  been warned that the sequel or redux is never as good as the original piece. With that said, I am compelled to follow-up on my story called ACE in the Hole. Why? Because some new information has come to my attention that I find quite revealing and disturbing about the attitude and mindset of U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) and its senior leadership.
On November 5, 2009, on a webinar hosted by the National Customs Brokers & Freight Forwarders Association (NCBFFA), Lew Samenfink, CBP's Executive Director, Office of Information Technology, was updating the participants (NCBFFA members and members of the Trade Support Network) on CBP's Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) program. In this article I will not belabor you with the entire transcript, I will only paraphrase and summarize Mr. Samenfink's comments to the best of my ability. However, if you are interested in perusing an excerpt of Mr. Samenfink's controversial, and in some circles blasphemous remarks relating to ACE edits they can be found by clicking here: Excerpt of Webinar Comments by Lew Samenfink.
Now, before I go any further I want to say that I have known Lew Samenfink since he was appointed to his current position with the ACE program; he is an intelligent and dedicated CBP employee with a fantastic sense of humor. In fact I've often said that Lew missed his calling as a stand-up comic and opted instead for the pressures of building out ACE. With that as my caveat, I found Mr. Samenfink's comments discussed below to be alarming and completely inconsistent with the principles of "shared responsibility" and  "informed compliance" as espoused by CBP. Furthermore his oratory was in my humble opinion diametrically opposed to the "spirit of partnership" that is supposed to exist between the trade community and CBP. Lastly and perhaps most importantly, I think his comments were indicative of an office and agency that is building a next generation system that is dumber and has less functionality than the legacy application; one word, "Brilliant!" (more follows...to read or download the entire
article please follow the link below)
To read the entire
article click here: ACE in the Hole: a Footnote
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Welcome to the Team
By Kelby Woodard
| On March 27, 2010, Customs & Border Protection (CBP) welcomed their new Commissioner, Alan Bersin to the team. It is too early to tell what impact Mr. Bersin will have on this centuries old agency. One thing is for certain, however. Leadership is exactly what this $11 billion, 57,000 employee organization needs at this point in its history. The new Commissioner stands on the shoulders of giants like William Von Raab, George Weise, and Robert Bonner. All were great and at times controversial Commissioners who provided thoughtful leadership when we needed it the most.
While Mr. Bersin was nominated to this position in September of 2009, his confirmation by the Senate has languished. A frustrated President Obama used his recess appointment authority to finally fill the slot. This means that the appointment will be subject to confirmation by the end of the Senate's next session. That fact alone may curb Mr. Bersin's inclination towards bold and innovative moves. In other words, the trade community may comfortably expect more of the same.
It is a well documented fact that the good people here at Trade Innovations are self-described 'customs groupies'. In fact my first job was working for the legacy Customs Service under Commissioner Von Raab. And as most people in the customs compliance and security field, we alternate between loving and hating the organization tasked with keeping our borders safe while ensuring the government gets its 'fair share' of the revenue. Any bureaucratic organization can become overly zealous in its pursuits when left to its own devices, however. (more follows...to read or download the entire article please follow the link below)
To read the entire article click here: Welcome to the Team
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Monthly Trade News Briefs |
The International Compliance Professionals Association (ICPA) held their annual conference in Orlando, FL last month and it was a huge success. TRG Direct's Greg Hodge was presented with an ICPA Founders Award for his single-handed selfless efforts to build ICPA's membership in 2009. Congratulations Greg on a job well done.
Importer Security Filing (ISF) continues without major interruption and with no importers are currently being penalized for inaccurate or untimely filings. U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) continues to refine their systems for collecting, measuring and analyzing this data.
A free members only C-TPAT Conference was held by CBP in Anaheim, CA. It was largely viewed as an informative event and a success.
CBP Commissioner Nominee Alan Bersin was 1 of the 15 recess appointments made by President Obama on March 27th. While partisan politics played a role in the delay, the appointment for this critical role was not made until September.
ACE Portal Accounts not posting properly. In CSMS #10-000096, CBP advised that forms 28, 29 and 4647 are not being posted to the importer's ACE Portal properly. Importers are reminded that they must select both methods of delivery, by mail and by electronic means until these problems with reliability are resolved. Source CSMS 10-000096.
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Wisps of Wisdom
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Written Policies and Procedures are Imperative
In keeping with reasonable care standards and best practice minimums, it is critical that importers and exporters have a set of fully documented and detailed policies and procedures for their international consignments. All too often we run across importers or exporters who expose themselves to much greater risk by failing to document policies and procedures. If the individual with all of the institutional knowledge leaves the company it is more difficult to maintain the stability of the vacant position without written procedures. The company's supply chain and compliance rating with U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) or Bureau of Industry Standards (BIS) could also be at great risk. Worse yet, if CBP or BIS conducts an audit failure to have documented procedures could result in a negligence penalty and/or other corrective actions.
Remember, importing or exporting is considered a privilege, CBP and other government agencies will be quick to remind you that there's nothing in the U.S. Constitution guaranteeing you the right to import or export. In order to maintain that highly valued privilege U.S. companies engaged in global trade must pay attention to the myriad of complex laws and regulations that govern it; failure to do so may be very detrimental to your business.
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 Direct Filing and
Importer Security Filing
| | Often called "Turbo-Tax" for importers, TRG Direct's best-in-class ISF and direct-filing application is extremely intuitive and very easy to
use.
Leveraging all of the system functionality you can literally file your ISF's in a matter of seconds. TRG Direct's web based system is very versatile and allows multiple users. No permits or licenses are required and any importer can file their ISF's directly with CBP. And, your ISF data can now flow directly to a customs entry.
TRG Direct's pricing ($5 per ISF, or $3 per ISF if you also file your customs entry with TRG Direct) can save your company up to 90% off current market rates. TRG Direct accepts both XML feeds and Excel uploads to expedite the filing process even more.
Contact TRG Direct today for a free demonstration of the system.
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Global Reach
Global trade has become the lifeblood of many businesses; it is an engine of economic growth and the means by which millions of individuals make their living. The volume of goods transported internationally continues to expand exponentially. Yet national borders still exist, and with them the need to comply with myriad reporting, documentation, and tax and duty payment obligations. In recent years, ensuring secure trade lanes and product safety in the global supply chain has been placed at the top of the list of priorities for governments, resulting in a new layer of complex requirements to be met to ensure that goods can be moved quickly across borders. Across the globe, the Trusted Trade Alliance is dedicated to helping your company achieve compliant, efficient solutions to these challenges.
The Trusted Trade Alliance provides a full range of consulting and training services focused on assisting business in addressing the challenges of global trade. We provide a comprehensive network of member offices located around the globe, staffed to provide a consistent level of expertise on 5 continents. Our members include noted experts, well-versed in the local requirements of the countries you do business in, as well as recognized leaders in multilateral efforts to make global trade challenges as business-friendly and practicable as possible. Our mission is to provide our customers with high-quality, personalized consulting, training, advice and assistance in the implementation of compliant trade processes at a country, multi-country or global level.
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| Kelby & Mike's Event Calendar and Upcoming Travel
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Minneapolis, MN - April 19 - Mike will be doing a Guest Lecture
at Carlson Management School at the University of Minnesota
Toronto, Canada - April 20 - Mike will be addressing the IE Canada Conference
Chicago/Princeton, IL - April 26-28 - Kelby and Mike site audits
Greeneville, TN - May 5 - Kelby client visit
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Service Spotlight: Compliance Diagnostic
Trade Innovations specializes in performing a 1-2 day on-site di agnostics of your compliance practices for import or export. During this visit our team will interview employees and examine policies, procedures and other documentation related to your international consignments. At the conclusion of our review you will get a verbal report of our findings, followed by a comprehensive written report including a series of recommendations to improve efficiency and compliance.
Call or e-mail today for a free initial consultation!
[email protected]
+1 952.975.9099 | |
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