Five Mistakes to Avoid When Screening Exports

Mistakes in exporting can be costly. To ensure your company is properly screening all exports, and avoiding the chance for penalties, avoid these top five common mistakes when screening your exports:

1. Believing that screening is not needed
2. Performing an incomplete search
3. Using only a few lists for screening
4. Focusing on false positives
5. Utilizing only one search method

To get more details on these 5 common mistakes, visit Integration Point Inc.'s Media Tip Sheet at http://www.integrationpoint.com/documents/IP_5MistakestoAvoidWhenScreeningExports.pdf

2 Main Concerns for Importers & Exporters

Integration Point Inc.'s CEO, Tom Barnes, explains: "In the current global economy and political environment, there are two main concerns facing importers, exporters and the vendors who support them. The first is managing cost. The second is remaining competititve. In global trade terms, savings can be accomplished by managing inventories more carefully, reducing the time of transport, ensuring proper customs paperwork and minimizing tariffs. These opportunities require planning by the importer or exporter. They need comprehensive, up-to-date information and easy-to-use tools to make quick, accurate decisions as well as to increase visibility into their supply chain. Information must come from numerous third party sources and be compiled in a comprehensive manner. The collaboration of the various trade participants and effective tools that support the multiple languages of global trade are critical areas in which I expect to see accelerated progress in 2009."

The full article can be found in The Journal of Commerce 2009 Annual Review and Outlook.

You Can’t Do Global Compliance and Security By Hand

“I can't see supply chain professionals effectively managing global trade processes in a manual environment any longer,” says Rennie Alston, president of American River International, a logistics services provider. Time was that moving cargo cost effectively, timely and safely was your only concern, but not any more. Security rules and regulations mandated by various government agencies make compliance management a requirement for any company today. That calls for senior management buy-in, education and training, assessing your internal policies, breaking down silos in your organization and ensuring that your providers are complementing your efforts, Alston says. Automation is the key.



To view the article and video interview, visit SupplyChainBrain at http://www.supplychainbrain.com/content/nc/logisticstransportation/global-trade-management/single-article-page/article/you-cant-do-global-compliance-and-security-by-hand/

When It Comes to GTM, the Accent's on Management

Quite a few enterprises are into global trade, but many of those are unable to step back and assess their performance. There are many issues to deal with, including governmental and regulatory compliance, containing costs, and improving one's competitiveness. With cross-border trade transactions amounting to more than $10tr in 2007, global trade management is nothing to take lightly, says Marisa Brown, APQC senior program manager. But there has to be a coordinated management approach to GTM that encompasses all company departments—logistics, tax, finance, legal and operations.

To view the article and video interview, visit SupplyChainBrain at http://www.supplychainbrain.com/content/nc/logisticstransportation/global-trade-management/single-article-page/article/when-it-comes-to-gtm-the-accents-on-management

Companies Debate the Merits of Software-as-a-Service

Can you trust your software vendor with critical data and applications that are sitting in a server at a remote location? The model offers numerous advantages—and some caveats as well. A dozen years ago, Gregory Bostick wouldn’t have considered buying business software that was installed and maintained off-site. “I would have said, if the internet gets up to the speed of a mainframe, it would be a great idea,” says the vice president of transportation with Pinnacle Foods Group. Six or seven years ago, when that goal was essentially reached, Bostick still had concerns about the level of vendor support for hosted software. Today, however, it’s a whole new ball game.

To view the full article, visit SupplyChainBrain at http://www.supplychainbrain.com/content/headline-news/single-article/article/going-outside-the-walls-companies-debate-the-merits-of-software-as-a-service/

High Priority: Trade Risk Management

Strong global competition and increasing regulatory requirements are leading companies to rethink their global trade management strategies. Increasingly more firms view trade management as a high-priority function.
"The trade business is evolving faster today than at any point in its history," Peter Tijou, vice president of product management with financial services firm J.P. Morgan's Global Trade Services group, wrote earlier this month.

Even before the recent recessionary circumstances in which companies everywhere have found themselves, organizations throughout the world have been feeling the effects of today's burgeoning global trade, a heightened regulatory climate and intense corporate interest in managing global risks and containing costs.

To view the full article, visit Thomasnet Industrial Newsroom at http://news.thomasnet.com/IMT/archives/2009/01/global-competition-regulations-making-trade-risk-management-high-priority.html

10 + 2 Importer Security Filing

10+2 is often viewed initially as "my broker will do it" or similar comment by Importers. The filing process may not be straightforward and may be challenging, especially for small-medium enterprises (SMEs) that are trading partners. This includes importers, forwarders, customs brokers and others.




To learn more on the key issues of security filing, view the full article in SupplyChainBrain at http://www.supplychainbrain.com/content/nc/general-scm/sc-security-risk-mgmt/single-article-page/article/10-2-importer-security-filing-its-about-more-than-filing-10-data-elements/