Why Comply?

The US Government is taking unprecedented steps to protect national security, and nowhere is the impact of that effort felt more than at the country's entry points. For global shippers, this heightened security consciousness presents myriad challenges when it comes to clearing goods through US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which requires more and allows for less than ever before.

Failing to understand and comply with the latest CBP requirements can cost shippers and importers serious time and money. A spot inspection can delay the movement of material for several hours; a hold can delay it for several days.

The good news is that CBP offers new tools and programs to help shippers and importers meet its new, stringent requirements. If shippers had to choose one action that would help expedite the movement of goods through Customs, it's to become certified under the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program.

CBP launched the C-TPAT initiative in an effort to help it work more closely with businesses to improve border security. To qualify for C-TPAT certification, shippers and importers must meet a variety of requirements in several categories, ranging from business practices and record-keeping to facility security and developing working relationships with supply chain partners on security issues.

To understand more about the latest CBP programs and requirements, view the full article on page 36 in the February 2009 edition of the Journal of Commerce.

Out-of-this-World Visibility

Those of you who really, really need to know exactly where your shipments are at all times might want to check this out. IHS, a company that provides data for such industries as aerospace, defense, and energy and parent of the economic research firm Global Insight, can track oceangoing ships by satellite. The satellites ping ships every six minutes to determine their location and track their exact path.

"It's like Google Earth for ships," said IHS Global Insight economist Scot Sigman during his presentation on global trade trends at the fall conference of the Coalition of New England Companies for Trade. Sigman showed a screen shot of the Western Hemisphere, with dozens of small yellow boxes representing ships, their paths up to that point depicted in one-day increments. He predicted that shippers would one day use the service to see in near-real time which ports are congested and whether or not ships are on schedule. Currently available only in the Western Hemisphere, the satellite tracking service is expected to be up and running worldwide in about 12 months.

To view the full article, visit DCVelocity at http://www.dcvelocity.com/news/article_id=2166&channel=4&source=fromVelocityTechWatch&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Email+marketing+software&utm_content=377074804&utm_campaign=TechWatch+2009+Jan+27+_+dtuuz&utm_term=out-of-this+world+visibility