Tag Archives: Trade relations

United States HTS Changes Delayed

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The changes to the United States Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) for 2012 will be delayed as per the International Trade Commission.

The 2012 U.S. HTS changes, which incorporate amendments to the Harmonized System adopted by the World Customs Organization, were initially expected to be effective on January 1, 2012. However, the proclamation that authorizes the changes has yet to be signed by the President, resulting in a delay.

Once the proclamation has been signed by the President, the 2012 HTS changes will become effective 30 days after the publication of the proclamation body in the Federal Register. It is expected that the effective date for the changes will be towards the end of January.

For more industry news, visit our Press Room

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Last Chance to Register for Tomorrow’s Webinar: Best Practices in Integrating Logistics and Compliance Management

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Broadcasting live on Wednesday, August 24 at 2pm EDT, “Best Practices in Integrating Logistics and Compliance Management” will take a close look at the ins and outs of integrating logistics and compliance management.

During the one-hour webinar, key industry experts will discuss the market dynamics driving importers to consider this strategy, and Management Dynamics customer Leggett & Platt will share their success story. Other topics will include:

- The benefits of integrating logistics and compliance

- Challenges importers will have to overcome

- The key role technology play

- Actionable advice for importers exploring this idea

Register today!

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Upcoming Webinar: Building an Export Management Program

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American Shipper is hosting an upcoming webinar, “Building an Export Management and Compliance Program.”  Sponsored by Management Dynamics (in partnership with BPE), the webinar will take place on July 28th at 2 pm ET.  The hour-long round table discussion will include the following expert panelists:

- Beth Peterson, President of BPE
- Joe Burks, Director of Trade Compliance for Cooper Industries
- Nathan Pieri, VP of Product Development and Marketing for Management Dynamics

These experts will discuss best practices for developing your company’s Export Management and Compliance Programs, including:

- Strategic value of your EMCP
- The core elements of an effective EMCP
- The steps required to build an EMCP
- Sharing your strategy with your C-level superiors

Learn how your company can implement processes and systems that ensure compliance with the Export Administration Regulations (EAR).  Best of all – it’s FREE!  Sign up today.

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Big Retailers, Wal-Mart and Tesco Go Above and Beyond For India

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What are your corporate strategies during the recession and afterwards? According to ABC News, large retailers, such as Wal-Mart, Tesco and Carrefour, it is to merge into the Indian market…but for what price?

The poor infrastructure, vast regional differences and laws limiting foreign firms to cash-and-carry wholesale outlets and franchise tie-ups with local partners in the $450 billion retail market, it’s been a challenge all three large retailers have agreed to take. Since the recession has begun and Westerners are slow to pick-up their spending, these retailers believe it’s crucial to expand into the Indian marketplace.

“The supply chain is one of the big challenges,” Raj Jain, chief of Wal-Mart India. “We are willing to invest whatever it takes in the supply chain, the back-end. But that in itself won’t deliver all the efficiencies,” he said, arguing for fully opening up the sector.

Carrefour also struggles to maintain it’s supply chain.

“There are many, many layers, with commission agents, wholesale markets, distribution agents which increase time to market and costs,” said Yannick Douville, a Carrefour director.

Even the wealtiest of the world’s top retailer, India is a challenging market to step into because of things such as tiny farms and differential policies and taxes in every state.

ABC News gave a example of what the retailers are doing to ensure quality and accuracy in their supply chain and business plan. In the village of Haider Nagar in Punjab state, where Wal-Mart sources vegetables such as cauliflower and gourd, the retailer built toilets to prevent soil contamination, and teaches farmers about transplanting and nutrient management and the use of low-cost innovations to get a higher, better yield.

Recently, the government unveiled concessional duties and tax exemptions for refrigeration units and allowed external commercial borrowings for cold storage facilities. 

But, is it enough to invest? 

“Unless there is a big front-end no one’s going to invest billions of dollars in a cold chain or supply chain just to sell to some mom-and-pop stores,” said Technopak’s Singhal.

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New Management Dynamics, FTZ Corp. Partnership to Save Companies Millions

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Management Dynamics and FTZ Corporation Announce Strategic Partnership
Alliance will Integrate and Expand the Use of Foreign Trade Zones in Global Trade Management

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ, May 12, 2010 – Management Dynamics, a leading provider of Global Trade Management solutions, today announced a strategic partnership with FTZ Corporation, a leading provider of Foreign-Trade Zone consulting services and developer of the SmartZone Premier application.  The partnership seeks to expand the use of foreign-trade zones integrated with core Global Trade Management (GTM) processes of import, export and trade agreement management.

Foreign-Trade Zones have been in use for nearly seventy six years with the passage of the Foreign-Trade Zones Act of 1934 to expedite and encourage foreign commerce.  Foreign-Trade Zones are now a key component of U.S. trade policy and offer companies several opportunities to reduce costs with:

- Exemption of duty payment upon re-export of goods

- Relief from inverted tariffs where raw materials with high duty rates can be transformed to an end product with a low duty rate

- Use of consolidated weekly entries to reduce merchandise processing fees (MPFs)

- Deferral of duty on any inventory stored within an FTZ

For many companies these benefits can justify the investment in a Foreign-Trade Zone in the first year of operation.

 “Foreign-trade zones are becoming an integral part of a company’s GTM strategy and their use is expanding given the strong value proposition and fast pay back,” said Craig Pool, President, FTZ Corporation.  “Our customers are looking to integrate foreign-trade zones across their GTM processes and we look forward to working with Management Dynamics to deliver this solution.”

FTZ Corporation has extensive experience, having implemented over two hundred and fifty Foreign-Trade Zone projects.  The company is also active in Washington D.C. with involvement in recent industry advancements including the passage of Weekly Entry legislation and opening up the benefits of Foreign-Trade Zones to new industries.  FTZ Corporation offers a complete set of implementation services including the application to the FTZ Board and activation of the zone with Customs and Border Protection.  Combined with the implementation of SmartZone Premier software, FTZ Corporation can cut the time to first benefit with a “turnkey” implementation.

“Implementing a foreign-trade zone program can generate millions in recurring savings and is a key initiative for companies as the global economy is rebuilding,” said Jim Preuninger, CEO, Management Dynamics.  “FTZ Corporation has a tremendous track record of success in this industry and we look forward to working together to expand the GTM market.”

About FTZ Corporation

The Foreign-Trade Zone Corporation is the only nationally recognized consulting firm with a practice focused on Foreign Trade-Zone consulting.  The firm provides a wide range of consulting work from Foreign-Trade Zones Board applications to activations with Customs and Border Protection, and administers nine foreign-trade zone projects. Its management of these projects is in keeping with the Foreign-Trade Zone Corporation’s philosophy that there is no substitute for hands-on-experience.

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Free Direct Import Webinar May 25th: Register Now

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Presented by Management Dynamics and World Trade Magazine, expert speakers from Ocean World Lines and Management Dynamics will take a look at the foundation technologies for a direct import program, explore the implementation options by working with a global logistics provider, and discuss a number of successful case studies.

Link to register: http://ow.ly/1wDDg

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Encouraged Bilateral Trade for Small to Mid-sized U.S.Companies to India

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According to American Shipper magazine, both the U.S. and Indian government has announced an incentive to encourage small to mid-sized companies to trade bilaterally between the two countries.

 “There is almost limitless potential for growth in trade between our two countries, and that can contribute to economic recovery and job creation in the United States and continued economic growth in India,” Ron Kirk, U.S. Trade Representative said in a statement.  

In October 2009, Mr. Kirk and Anand Sharma, Indian Minister of Commerce and Industry met at the Trade Policy Forum meeting to create the necessary framework to support small to mid-sized companies and encourage trade. This week the two representatives will met again to host an advisory meeting of American and Indian trade experts to enhance their efforts for this new program.

“We can realize that potential by working together toward the goals set forth in the framework agreement, such as developing and enforcing policies that encourage technological innovation; increasing agriculture, services, and industrial goods; and increasing investment flows,” Ron Kirk added.

To continue reading…

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High Levels of Cadmium Raise Import Standards to Help with Health Risk

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American Shipper magazine reports U.S. Customs and Border Protection will enforce stricter standards with products that contain metal. Numerous toys and women’s hand bags have been pulled from shelves after testing reveals dangerously high levels of  cadmium.

Sufficient exposure from regularly sucking or biting jewelry with high cadmium content can hinder brain development in children. Wal-Mart has pulled several jewelry items after reports indicated cadmium. Furthermore, H&M has taken action after some of its hand bags had been tested and came back positive for this type of metal. The concern is that the metal can rub off on hands and can get in the mouths of children. H&M will enforce higher lead standards in the future.

Import safety has become a greater priority for CBP following recent scares of tainted products from China and other countries. CBP and CPSC inspectors are co-located at several locations now, including at a container examination station near the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

For more information about the American Shipper article.

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Management Dynamics Releases End-Use Manager to Help Companies Reduce Trade Compliance Risks

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New On-Demand Solution Enables Cross-functional Teams to Create and Manage End-Use Statements for Customers, Vendors and Employees

Management Dynamics, a leading provider of Global Trade Management solutions, today announced the release of End-Use Manager, an on-demand solution that generates end-use surveys for parties involved in any cross-border transaction. The new solution allows a trade compliance team to comprehensively survey and collect end-use statements from customers, suppliers and employees, establishing a standardized process for managing and ensuring compliance with international trade regulations.

“Companies that manufacture and export licensable goods must ensure that their customer and the intended end-use are approved and in compliance with export regulations. However, today this is largely a manual process that is difficult to administer, especially across a global enterprise,” said Adrienne Braumiller, Partner, Braumiller Schulz LLP.  “Management Dynamics’ End-Use Manager provides companies with the tools necessary to ensure that their shipments are delivered to the approved trade party and destined for friendly end-use.”

 End-Use Manager can be flexibly deployed as a Web-based portal across any global enterprise and configured to meet the specific requirements of different business units. Surveys can be developed by business unit, transaction type, origin country and destination country, and populated with a pre-configured list of questions.  In addition, all parties to the transaction are screened against the major sanctioned party lists. 

 Management Dynamics’ End-Use Manager offers the following key capabilities for companies to simplify trade compliance around product use and related professional services:

  • Enterprise Deployment – Implement an end-use process by geography, business unit, or product family with a flexible multi-organization deployment model and manage users with role-based security.
  • Survey Configuration – Develop a comprehensive repository of questions and manage assignment rules to dynamically assemble a complete survey for end-use statements by customers, vendors and employees. 
  • Restricted Party & Critical Country Screening – Automatically screen each party to the transaction against a comprehensive list of restricted parties and  embargoed countries.
  • Generate & Distribute End Use Statements – Dynamically generate end-use statements based on all associated questions as well as the results of Critical Country and Restricted Party Screening in a PDF format for easy distribution via email.
  • Review Audit Trail – Audit each transaction with complete visibility to the user and all survey questions and answers.

“Today many companies rely on an inconsistent and, often inaccurate, manual process to administer end-use surveys to determine if the intended use of their shipped goods is in compliance with export controls,” said Nathan Pieri, SVP Marketing & Product Management, Management Dynamics, Inc. “Our new End-Use Manager product makes it possible to manage the process centrally and distribute via a simple web-based solution for employees that must interact with customers, suppliers and contractors.”

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Fiesta Gas Grills Keeps on Cooking with Management Dynamics’ Supply Chain Visibility

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Leading Manufacturer Streamlines Inbound Supply Chain to Efficiently Manage Growth

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ, January 13, 2010 — Management Dynamics, a leading provider of global trade management solutions, today announced that Fiesta Gas Grills, one of the largest North American grill manufacturers, has implemented its Supply Chain Visibility solution to support its expanded global procurement operations.  Integrating its sourcing which is primarily from China to its operations in the United States and Canada, the global multi-mode solution has enabled Fiesta to improve customer service, reduce cycle times, better manage suppliers and proactively identify in-transit delivery issues.

“We needed a solution that provided visibility into our manufacturing and distribution process at the supplier level, the ability to generate commercial documents and a platform on which to coordinate all of our global operations. We found the ideal solution with Management Dynamics,” said Peter Perley, COO, Fiesta Gas Grills.  “The Supply Chain Visibility solution could help us to double our business this year without having to add additional staff to our procurement organization.” 

Management Dynamics’ Supply Chain Visibility (SCV) solution connects Fiesta Gas Grills with its multiple overseas suppliers, logistics providers, brokers and carriers on a single global platform to communicate critical purchase order, shipment and inventory information and to support collaborative logistics processes.  With real-time shipment visibility, Fiesta can offer its national retail customers, order tracking with visibility into nine stages of the manufacturing process for better inventory management with less frequency of stock-outs.  In addition, armed with essential information on each shipment from its suppliers, Fiesta’s procurement operations can make accurate decisions relating to diverting inventory or resolving bottlenecks.

“Global supply chain teams need real-time visibility to their supply network, yet the realities of today’s global supply chain – multiple trading partners with varying information systems and data definitions – can create major operational challenges for companies,” said Nathan Pieri, SVP Marketing and Product Management for Management Dynamics.  “By moving from a largely manual manufacturing and logistics process to one that is automated infrastructure with Supply Chain Visibility, Fiesta Gas Grills has the control and decision support tools they need to reduce lead times, enhance customer service and increase sales in this difficult economy.”

About Fiesta Gas Grills LLC
Through quality craftsmanship and innovative designs Fiesta has become one of the largest North American grill manufacturers. Fiesta grills are cooking great outdoor meals in over 30 countries around the world.. Whether its our award winning Blue Ember brand, our Fiesta brand or our Grillrite brand our dedication to quality permeates our company. From the design teams through the manufacturing team to the in-house customer service representatives, every member of the Fiesta family is committed to providing each owner of a Fiesta grill “the best grill under the sun” and the ultimate in outdoor cooking experience.

About Management Dynamics, Inc.
Management Dynamics is a leading provider of global trade management solutions that improve the performance of global supply chains for importers, exporters, logistics service providers, and carriers. The company’s solutions synchronize the flow of information among trading partners, optimize supply chain execution decisions, and streamline import and export processes to ensure regulatory compliance and minimize cost and risk involved in cross-border transactions. Management Dynamics’ time-proven solutions are used by more than 14,000 global users at some of the world’s most successful 3PLs, carriers, manufacturers, retailers, and high technology companies. For more information, please visit www.ManagementDynamics.com

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