As apparel supply chains have grown increasingly complex and global, supporting them requires information technology that handles multiple aspects of international trade and can do so in a streamlined fashion that allows business to move from manual and siloed systems to sophisticated technology processes that are not only more automated but provide a more holistic approach to manage their trade programs.

With apparel organizations increasingly under pressure to grow product differentiation and channel offerings while reducing product costs, global trade management (GTM) technologies, including software and comprehensive trade content, are increasingly important to automate global operations and manage complex government regulations. A GTM platform can successfully streamline the procure-to-pay to process, track and automate dynamic preferential trade agreements and boost regulatory compliance.  GTM software can optimize the procedures involved in international transactions between trading parties, logistics providers and government agencies.

And, as apparel companies set about to move a greater variety of products to market faster, any challenge to that progress along the supply chain can stymie the entire operation, with the result that, says, Kevin Shoemaker, vice president of global solutions for Integration Point Inc., “Compliance departments are becoming more involved in sourcing and logistics, classifying products, and duty rates so there is no delay at the border.” Rather than regarding compliance as a cost center, he says, “consider it a strategic sourcing tool.” 

Read the full article on Global Trade Management

Han sido menos de diez años desde el desarrollo e implementación del Programa de Certificación Aduanal-Comercial Contra Terrorismo (C-TPAT) del Departamento de Aduanas y de Protección de Fronteras de los Estados Unidos (CBP). Lo que  comenzó con siete miembros fundadores se ha expandido ahora a un programa de más de 10,000 participantes, cubriendo todas las entidades involucradas en la cadena de suministros. Aunque el crecimiento del programa durante los años ha sido impresionante, con más de 810,000 importadores de EE.UU. y más de 11,000 agentes aduanales activos, todavía hay una gran oportunidad de crecimiento en el programa.

El programa de C-TPAT está definido por CBP como una “iniciativa gubernamental–empresarial para crear un relación más cooperativa que fortalezca y en general mejore la cadena de suministros internacional y la seguridad de la frontera de EE.UU.” Al participar en el programa, las empresas proveen una cadena de suministros más segura y expedita.

Read the full article on Inbound Logistics Mexico or download a version here

In a world gone flat, global expansion is necessary if one is to remain competitive. For most companies, such a shift in operations also adds complexity to the trade functions that support those operations. For the most part, companies have come to the conclusion they are ill equipped to deal with an ever changing landscape consisting of new sets of regulatory requirements needing to be understood and to which they company must adhere. With increased complexity comes more trade-related risks. To minimize these regulatory risks, it is imperative that accurate and timely trade compliance data be available across the entire global supply chain.

As companies struggle with the issues surrounding sourcing and selling in a global marketplace, managing a global supply chain and improving efficiency has become a top priority. For any compliance manager involved in importing or exporting goods across an extended supply chain, there is a true understanding and appreciation of the effort required to have the "right products at the right place at the right time."

Read the full article on managing global trade efficiently here

U.S. Customs and industry representatives on Monday outlined how a simplified process for filing import declarations would look and said a trial program will start soon to demonstrate how fewer documentation requirements could benefit the government and importers alike. The goal is to give trusted traders a more streamlined process to get goods released by linking security and admissibility data requirements. A simplified customs entry would resemble the Importer Security Filing (ISF) with a few extra data elements such as a 10-digit Harmonized Tariff System code, the estimated value and an entry number, reporters were told during a telephone briefing about last week’s Trade Support Network plenary session.

The “ISF-lite plus value” doesn’t have to be submitted 24 hours prior to vessel loading, but the earlier the form is filed the sooner CBP will be able to provide a release decision, Melissa Irmen, senior vice president product and strategy for trade management software firm Integration Point, said in a telephone interview.

The simplified entry can take the place of the ISF as long as it meets the filing deadline, she added. The reduction in the number of ISF data elements is a function of CBP taking a hard look at what information it truly needs to make an informed decision about release and the security risk of the shipment, said Irmen, a TSN member who has been involved with CBP’s simplified entry working group.

Subscribers to American Shipper can access the full article here

Integration Point acquired the Global Trade Division of TAKE Solutions effective May 1, 2011.  This includes the PSI Software assets acquired by TAKE in 2009 which encompass, but are not limited to, the following applications well recognized and with a large install base in North America, CAM (Maquiladora / IMMEX software), and NAFTAssistant.

Read the full announcement here

Integration Point, Inc. has selected Karen Lobdell as Director of Global Solutions for the trade management software firm. Lobdell will be repsonsible for managing the supply chain compliance products and customers incorporate other visibility and management tools. A licensed customs broker, she recently completed her first term on the Commercial Operations Advisory Committee to the Department of Homeland Security.

Read the full article here

Considering the effort it took to comply with the Jan. 26, 2010, Importer Security Filing (ISF) mandate, it would be understandable if we adopted a “set it and forget it” mindset and assumed there was nothing left to do now that we’re all filing our ISFs. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy.

Any time you are required to submit data to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) pertaining to importing goods, there is an inherent understanding that it must be accurate. If it is not, then CBP will hold you — the importer — responsible.

The same expectation holds true for ISF — with one major exception. Successfully submitting the ISF filing does not end your responsibility as an importer. You must also ensure that the data elements common to both the ISF and the entry documents are the same on both documents.

Although ISF’s intent is security targeting and it is not to be used for compliance purposes, the CBP can compare ISF data against entry data to look for inconsistencies. Today, the ISF is filed via the Automated Broker Interface (ABI) or the Automated Manifest System, and the data is then sent to the Automated Targeting System (ATS) for analysis and review. The entry is sent via ABI to CBP, then to the Automated Commercial System (ACS) for review by Customs. ACS is not the end point for entry data, however — it is also pushed to ATS for additional targeting purposes.

What does all this mean? CBP now has the ability to view a shipment “holistically” and to compare shipment data filed on an ISF against data filed in an entry. In fact, as of late 2010, CBP is now validating ISF data against information contained in the entry.

Read the entire article on comparing import data

Supply & Demand Chain Exeuctive magazine, the executive's user manual for successful supply and demand chain transformation, this week announced the 11th annual listing of Pros to Know and Provider Pros to Know in the Supply Chain industry.

The Provider Pros to Know is a listing of individuals from a software firm or service provider, consultancy or academia who have helped their Supply Chain clients or the Supply Chain community at large prepare to meet the significant challenges in The year ahead. This year's list included more than 140 Provider Pros to Know.

There are three Provider Pros to Know from Integration Point: Ned Chamberlain, Vice President of Solutions Delivery, Jill Natusch, Vice President of Client Services, and Elizabeth Connell, Director of Product Development.

Read the entire Pros to Know article here

Product sourcing has evolved from simply finding the best value or shortest lead time. Today, the procurement and manufacturing of components and assemblies in different regions of the world is based not only on price and lead time but also supply-chain security, trade agreements, taxes and other duty preference programs.

Subscribers to Journal of Commerce can access the full article here

The 100 Great Supply Chain Partners issue results from a six-month poll of readers in which logistics and supply chain professionals were urged to nominate providers whose technology, logistics, transportation or consulting solutions have made a significant impact on their company's efficiency, customer service and overall supply chain performance. The list's purpose is to recognize vendors that have so impressed our readers that they deserve to be singled out and to be held up as an example for others in the industry.

Find the full article and list of the 100 Great Supply Chain Partners here

it has been said before that a typical international transaction requires 35 documents across 25 parties complying with more than 600 regulations and more than 500 trade agreements. (SC Digest, June 2008) If you stop and think about it, that is a lot of places for errors to occur, steps to overlook and savings opportunities to miss.

Realizing you need to move your company past the manual processes of classifying products, qualifying for free trade agreements, completing customs forms, and screening for denied parties is a great first step. However, before you implement any type of automation tool, you need to make sure it has everything you need to not only automate these processes but also provide a single platform for compliance, content and connectivity.

Read the rest of the article and see the GTM Automation Checklist

For an idea on how 10+2 compliance has been going, you only have to look at the requests importers are making of their trade management software vendors.

To collect as much of the required information as early as possible - and see what's missing - filers say they must be able to gather data from multiple sources here and abroad. That led one software developer, Charlotte, N.C.-based Integration Point, to develop a program that allows "any commercially available electronic data [to] be mapped directly into filings, in any combination," says Melissa Irmen, the company's senior vice president-products and strategy. Irmen says that capability makes it wasy for "customers [to] focus on the highlighted gaps in the data."

But it's not enough to pull in data from multiple sources; importers are finding they also need a means of sharing it with supply chain partners. "[Using software to develop] a centralized repository for product classification that allows for data, including updates, to be shared automatically with the entire supply chain ensures that everyone is using the same database for item classifications," says Irmen. With tight deadlines to meet, having standardized information readily available helps support supply chain partners process information quickly and accurately and makes for more timely ISF filings, she adds.

Read the entire article on the 10+2 compliance software

Discussions of U.S. foreign-trade zones usually highlight the benefits they offer importers. After all, the ability to defer payment of duties, or reduce tariffs by taking components that have relatively high duty rates and making them into products subject to lower duties before they enter the commerce of the United States, are lucrative reasons to take advantage of FTZs.

Another major benefit for companies using FTZ is speed within the supply chain, said Melissa Irmen, senior vice president of products and strategy for Integration Point, Inc., whose products include software aimed at FTZ users. "If you are the owner of goods and can show the repetitive nature of your business, you can get a benefit called 'direct delivery,' which means you can be authorized to move your goods directly from the port to the zone and then report after the fact so you don't have to wait at the port for approval for entry. Some distribution facilities take advantage of that just for time-to-market purposes."

Read the entire article on the benefits of foreign-trade zones

During the past two years, many supply chain organizations have gone to extraordinary lengths to help their enterprises weather the economic storm. Now, however, the economy has tilted - at least tentatively, into positive territory, and supply chain executives must orient themselves to supporting growth in the post-recessionary environment.

This year's "Supply & Demand Chain Executive 100" feature focuses on how supply chain solution and service providers are assisting their customers and client achieve supply chain excellence and prepare their supply chains for the post-recessionary return to growth. In this year's article, we turn to the Supply & Demand Chain Executive 100 for not only "lessons from the Great Recession" but also for insights into the range of tools, tactics and strategies that supply chain executives can leverage today to achieve supply chain excellence now and ensure growth and profitability tomorrow.

Read the entire article and see the full list of the Executive 100

Importers and exporters are turning to a new generation of Web-based compliance platforms to help them navigate the complex world of global trade regulation as compliance matures into a core logistics function. Much of the action in recent months has come as the Importer Security Filing, or 10+2, mandate went into effect. Under the U.S. Customs and Border Protection program, importers and carriers must file 12 data elements before a U.S.-bound container is loaded aboard a ship at a foreign port. Enforcement began on Jan. 26.

"Visibility is not just about watching stuff happen," said Melissa Irmen, vice president of products and strategy for Integration Point, a Charlotte, N.C.-based provider of global trade and compliance solutions. "Things are changing so fast, and to have connectivity to all partners is just critical."

South Korea is a case in point. The United States' seventh-largest trading partner, the country has at least 14 free trade agreements signed or in process and is looking to expand FTAs to 60 different countries.

To help clients comply, Integration Point recently announced a strategic relationship with Samjong KPMG Advisory, a consulting firm and business unit of KPMG Sejong Customs Corp. "More and more companies are looking for assistance in understanding all the compliance rules of FTAs as well as how to benefit," said Young Hyo Kim, managing director of Samjong KPMG Advisory.

Read the entire article on trade visibility and compliance

Even manufacturers that rely on brokers will need to streamline and automate their internal processes in order to take cost and complexity out of 10+2 compliance. But, though automation is the end goal, most manufacturers start off with a manual, spreadsheet-driven process.

"Many of our customers started early on feeling their way through their supply chains to understand where the data was," Melissa Irmen, vice president of product & strategy at Integration Point, Inc. says. "They would start with a manual process of collecting e-mails, invoices, faxes - wherever they could find the data - then key it into the system."

Many manufacturers then begin to automate gradually, finding trade lanes that have advance shipment notices (ASN) and other commercially available data in electronic form and combining that with data in their classification database, Irmen says. Eventually, they include those elements in their electronic data feeds, modifying programs that communicate with suppliers or brokers to incorporate those additional data elements so that they can be fully automated.

Read the entire article on 10+2 compliance and automation

Importers and exporters have spent a lot of time trying to figure out 10+2 lately -- and they are not practicing basic math skills. They are working toward complying with a new U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) cargo security regulation. The Importer Security Filing (ISF) regulation, enacted in 2008, but put into full effect on Jan. 26, 2010, is commonly referred to as the 10+2 initiative because it requires importers/exporters and ocean carriers to provide trade data -- 10 elements and two elements each, respectively -- for all non-bulk ocean cargo shipments arriving into the United States.

"Many importers must deal with a black hole -- from the point in the supply chain when merchandise leaves a manufacturer's factory until a freight forwarder takes possession of the goods," says Virginia Thompson, director of import/export operations and international trade compliance for furniture and home furnishing chain Crate & Barrel.

To help wrestle this large import/export business into ISF compliance, Crate & Barrel selected an ISF system from Charlotte, N.C.-based global trade management software provider Integration Point in early 2009.

Read the entire article on ISF Compliance and Crate & Barrel's use of Integration Point ISF

Many companies have been diligent about obtaining missing data such as the intermediate warehouse location, setting up information technology systems to automate data collection and transmission, and filing regularly. But few are yet able to fill all their ISFs on time and with complete accuracy.

So far there have been no consequences for those errors, Virginia Thompson, manager of import/export operations for Crate & Barrel, confirmed in a webinar last week hosted by trade software provider Integration Point.

Subscribers to American Shipper can click here to view the entire article

Among all of the president's plans to boost jobs, some economists say his goal to double exports in five years could do the trick. To steer your shipments through bureaucratic red tape and complex tax laws, make sure to follow these six tips:

1. Commit a manager to the project
2. Examine market opportunities
3. Consider product adaptations
4. Pick a form of distribution
5. Keep taxes in mind
6. Secure financing

For the complete article and details behind each of these 6 steps, use the link below to read the entire article.

Full article on Easing Exports

There has been a continued shift across the world toward increased importer responsibility as the U.S. experienced with the introduction of informed compliance in the Customs Modernization and Informed Compliance Act of 1993. It is more imperative now than ever for companies to have a solid understanding of all trade regulations for each country in which they operate and each country with which they trade.

Deferring responsibility to your vendor, broker or service provider is no longer an option. Companies now realize the standard set in the U.S. applies globally, and they need to manage compliance in an efficient, informed manner across the world. This requires control and visibility of what you are filing as well as what others are filing on your behalf.

More on the 2010 Outlook of Global Trade Compliance

The two biggest steps for successfully complying with the Importer Security Filing requirements:

• Fully understand one's supply chain and the parties who have the various pieces of required data
• Intense internal and external communication

That's according to Virginia Thompson, manager of import/export operations and compliance at Crate & Barrel. She and other industry representatives spoke on a panel at U.S. Customs and Border Protection's annual Trade Symposium in Washington to describe some of the best practices and pitfalls companies are encountering as they ramp up for the Jan. 26 enforcement deadline.

More takeaways on implementing ISF (10+2)

Compliance enforcement for the Importer Security Filing (or 10+2) begins on January 26, 2010. As importers struggle to compile the necessary information and submit documentation with the stated 24-hour timeframe, U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) has made it clear - if you don't have a process in place to meet 10+2 requirements, you will be fined.

For companies still working on their compliance strategy, global trade management specialist Integration Point says it has a solution that can prevent non-compliance while efficiently managing the compilation and filing of all necessary data.

More on meeting the requirements of Importer Security Filing

Supply & Demand Chain Executive magazine, the executive's user manual for successful supply and demand chain transformation, this week announced the recipients of its 2009 Green Supply Chain Awards, highlighting companies that stand out for their projects to incorporate sustainability objectives into their own supply chains or to enable sustainability in their customers' supply chain

The 2009 Green Supply Chain Awards recognizes companies that are taking steps to realize green or sustainable supply chain objectives within their own operations and/or supply chains, in the areas of Sourcing/Procurement, Fulfillment/Logistics, Operations, Product Lifecycle Management, and other areas of the supply chain. The awards also recognize providers of supply chain solutions and services that are assisting their customers in meeting green or sustainable supply chain goals.

Read the full list of the 2009 Green Supply Chain Award winners

Exploring the ramifications of the new Importer Security Filing (ISF) for marine cargo, the latest program in a stream of U.S. Customs security initiatives, Melissa Irmen, vice-president of products and strategy for Charlotte, N.C.-based software developer Integration Point, Inc., specializing in assisting global logistics and transportation operations through the automation of export and import processes, told conference attendees that if they are importing goods to the U.S. they will soon be required to do an ISF (commonly known as “10+2”). It requires importers to provide significant advance information about the parties involved in import transactions to enable security screening before cargo is loaded to a vessel. Penalties for non-compliant importers begin when U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) starts enforcing the rule in late January.

More on IE Canada Recap featuring border issues, security, etc.

It's more than just an item master. It's definitely more than just a spreadsheet. A Global Classification platform includes various and multiple forms of classification data, stores required documents, provides up-to-date trade content, and provides a centralized, web-based solution that all trade partners can access.

Having trouble selling the need for a Global Classification platform internally?

Read the seven reasons why any organization needs, and can benefit from, a Global Classification platform

Gaining insight into entries is one way to improve visibility. Entry visibility allows a company to manage trade compliance data of goods from the time they leave a foreign supplier until those goods reach their destination while automating pre-entry documentation and post-entry reconciliation processes. Entry visibility solutions provide the automation tools that allow companies to manage this process and correct errors in an efficient and cost-saving manner.

Find the full list of 10 ways entry visibility helps companies improve their global trade practices

International trade has never been easy. Importers and exporters have long confronted challenges created by differing national regulations, languages, and business cultures; long journeys by air, sea, and land; and mountains of documents needed to satisfy government requirements at both origin and destination.

To simplify matters, many companies have turned to global trade management (GTM) software. This software may be best known as a tool for automating time-consuming, error-prone tasks like document creation and denied-party screening. But that's just the tip of the trade management iceberg, so to speak. The software can also help users mitigate or avoid all sorts of supply chain risks.

Shipment delays are just inconvenient; they can be costly as well. A holdup in customs, for instance, can lead to product spoilage and cut into profits, says Melissa Irmen, Vice President of Products & Strategies for Integration Point, a GTM software provider. GTM software can help companies avoid holdups associated with regulatory compliance.

Spring this year brought a faint thaw in the global economic deepfreeze, as little by little slightly less negative data began to trickle out of disparate sectors.

The winners in the next lap of the economic race are likely to be those enterprises that have spent the recession putting in place the people, processes, technologies and partnerships necessary to meet the requirement not just of the current downturn but also of the next upswing in the business cycle.

In this year's article, we turn to the Supply & Demand Chain Executive 100 to give you their best advice, and even some real-life examples, to not only help your company in the short-term, but also position your company for the inevitable growth to come.

Integration Point Named to Top 100 - read full article here

Technology buyers today are explicit in the type of solutions they need. Consequently, IT companies are making their best efforts to capture this demand with targeted applications and services.

With so much logistics technology variability, and so many solution partners to pick from, shippers need to be calculating in finding a deployment that best meets functionality and cost requirements. Inbound Logistics' annual Top 100 Logistics IT Companies is a good place to begin this process.

Selecting the Top 100 Logistics IT Companies is a measure of identifying our readers' unique challenges and technology requirements and matching them with IT companies adeptly positioned in the market and equipped with the right experience and resources.

Integration Point named to Top 100 Logistics IT Companies - find full list here

The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency's Importer Security Filing (ISF) regulation has become commonly known as the 10+2 initiative because it requires importers and vessel-operating carriers to provide trade data (10 elements and two elements each, respectively) for non-bulk cargo shipments arriving into the United States via ocean. Melissa Irmen, Vice Presidents - Products & Strategy, at Charlotte, N.C.-based trade solutions provider Integration Point, offers these tips for complying with the new regulations.

Read the full article and get tips for 10+2 compliance

As the economic downturn shrinks budgets for supply chain IT investments, companies turn to smaller projects with fast implementations and on-demand delivery models.

This means that vendors have to be more flexible and creative in their go-to market strategies. Those that already have adopted a SaaS model appear to have an advantage, based on reports of corporate spending plans. In a recent survey by Gartner Group, Boston, nine out of 10 companies said they plan to increase their use of SaaS or on-demand solutions this year. More than a third plan to replace on-premises software with SaaS to bring down total cost of ownership.

Reduced cost of ownership is the big reason that SaaS is quickly gaining traction, says Clay Perry, Senior Vice President, Global Markets at Integration Point, an on-demand global trade management software provider based in Charlotte, N.C. "SaaS allows people to buy the drink, rather than buying or building the entire drink machine, " he says, adding that it also offers fast implementation and is less expensive to maintain and upgrade.

Click to Read Article

This year's Pros to Know is a tribute to those who have seen the importance of supply chain - both on the Practitioner side and the Solution Provider side - and have quietly been working over the years to strengthen the supply chain at their own companies or at their clients.

This year's Provider Pros to Know offer industry insights you can use when tough times call for you to wring ever last bit of savings out of your supply chain. Melissa Irmen, Vice President of Products & Strategies at Integration Point, Inc. offers this advice, "Be proactive in industry groups and initiatives aimed at ensuring trade regulations and requirements can be implemented costs effectively as well as in a timely manner. Understand critical current and forthcoming regulations and the importers'/exporters' roles and responsibilities in upholding them."

Click to Read Article

In today's uncertain times, one thing remains certain: There will always be changing global trade rules and technologies. The following are 10 of the top ways we believe companies can ensure they are being as efficient, safe and cost-conscious as possible in the short run while building a sound infrastructure for future needs.

With the goals to reduce cost and risk in the supply chain, automation and working closely with partners are the two most practical areas of opportunity.

Click to Read Article

Most importers and exporters are careful to manage inventory, tariffs and compliance. In a recent survey of trade consultants conducted by Integration Point, every respondent (100%) indicated that their client companies perform denied party screening and recognize foreign trade zones. However, most outsource this work to consultants, freight forwarders or other third party service providers. The cost of internal automation and process control has been too high for most importers and exporters to do on their own. Acquiring and maintaining a trade management system and data has been too much of a burden for smaller companies to adopt on top of their core business needs within manufacturing, sales and marketing and supplier relations.

Click to Read Article

Credit 10+2 for driving the Global Trade Management (GTM) growth that many analysts are predicting for 2009. And while many savvy global shippers are turning to it to manage import compliance, a surprising number still aren't sure how they're going to handle the new data demands.

Epson Portland, Inc., is a company that hopes to avoid those "huge problems" when 2009 wraps up and shippers are forced to comply with 10+2 or risk fines and penalties. Based in Portland, Ore., the company manufactures ink cartridges for Epson computer printers, imports from various international locations, and ships to sister companies worldwide. Already using a GTM from Integration Point, the company was beta testing the vendor's on-demand 10+2 solution at press time.

The solution takes electronic data from any supply chain partner able to send it, maps it to the requested data elements, and then provides the filer with a tool to fill in the blanks, if there are any. Using the solution, Epson Portland—which is ultimately responsible for the filing—can either handle the process itself or trust a third-party filer with the task.

The Denied Trade Screening solution from trade compliance software provider Integration Point provides export screening for all types of denied parties, including people, embargoed countries and restricted products. And a capability called recursive searching allows exporters to quickly build complex searches to identify specific screening results.

Companies can use the recursive searching feature to locate the exact company or person they are trying to locate within a list of search results. Similar to building blocks, users can create complex search strings to pinpoint exact results from a history of past searches.

Click to Read Article

If your job is selling consumer electronics components or finished goods, you are likely struggling to close deals amid the most difficult business environment in decades. But take heart. You could be managing your company's supply chain.

Consumer electronics exporters and importers—as well as those in other industries—face a year of compliance and security changes that the International Compliance Professionals Association calls the "most significant" since the 1993 passage of the Customs Modernization Act. At the same time, compliance professionals are being forced to manage with scarcer resources from their cash-strapped companies, knowing all the while that fines, penalties, shipment delays, or forfeitures that may have been routinely dealt with in good economic times will not be blithely ignored in a downturn.

Click to Read Article

Recently Integration Point offered 5 supply chain risk factors that every organization participating in global trade should watch for. Those suggestions were published in Industry Week. Below is a quick excerpt, for the complete list visit Industry Week, or download the full PDF by clicking here.

1. Country of origin: Knowing the location of your supplier's production facilities is important in recognizing their susceptibility to security threats. Countries that are more vulnerable to threats could affect the security of the supplier's plants and could cause delays in your supply chain or compromise the products you receive.

2. Shipment and delivery accuracy: Ensuring that a supplier can deliver supplies consistently and on time is key to assessing the risk they pose to your supply chain.

3. Physical Security: Assessing the physical security is very important, especially in countries where terrorism is on the rise. Inquiring about areas such as the materials used to construct the building, existence of a guard gate.....

4. Internal Processes: Soliciting information about a supplier's internal processes provides visibility into not only the security, but also the controls put in place during the manufacturing process.

5. Social and environmental responsibilities: Requesting information on the removal of chemicals used during the manufacturing process, or if the supplier abides by the no child labor law are only two of the important questions in this area.

Click to Read Article

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 competitive.

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 smart 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.

To read the rest of the article, you must be a subscriber to The Journal of Commerce. If you are already a subscriber, you can find the article in it's entirety on Pg. 132.

Integration Point, a provider of real time global trade management solutions, and CEVA Logistics, a supply chain management company, have formed a partnership to provide CEVA Logistic customers with an on-demand workflow solution for importer security filings (ISF), more commonly known as 10+2.


Click to Read Article

Regional and bilateral free-trade agreements offer big potential savings to companies that are able to manage them effectively. Having the right technology is a critical key to success.

Integration Point's specific solution for free-trade agreements "has both a rules engine that does the opportunity analysis as well as a content library, where we can load all the different trade agreement rules from around the world," says Clay Perry, Senior Vice President of Global Markets at Integration Point. "Essentially, if a new trade agreement comes up next week, it's just a matter of loading the rules content into the engine and it can analyze that trade agreement for you. The key thing our software gives clients is confidence."


Click to Read Article

The global trade portal GT Nexus has announced a strategic partnership with the Charlotte (NC)-based company Integration Point. The deal provides shippers with an IT solution automating and streamlining many logistics and shipping activities.

A joint company statement explained: 'Integration Point's global trade management system allows users to securely access up-to-date global trade compliance information, such as free trade agreement regulations, denied party lists, multiple country tax and compliance regulations, etc. By integrating information from otherwise separate systems, such as logistics, ERP, warehouse management and local country databases, Integration Point [in partnership with GT Nexus] creates a global trade network. The system utilises the organisation's own transactional trade information, so that users have up-to-date information to make proactive trade decisions.'


Click to Read Article

What is everyone worried about? The data elements are nothing unusual, and the process itself seems relatively straightforward: Importers will be required to collect the information, format it in whatever way CBP eventually specifies, and transmit it at least 24 hours before cargo is loaded on board a vessel. (Carriers have different deadlines.)

That may sound simple, but the commercial realities of international trade will make it difficult to achieve—and that's what has people worried. One problem is that different parties in a supply chain "own" the required information, and they're not always willing to share what they consider to be confidential, says Melissa Irmen, vice president of products and strategy for Integration Point, a company that provides global trade management (GTM) systems. For example, suppliers may not want to reveal the names of subcontracted manufacturers.


Click to Read Article

GT Nexus and Integration Point have announced a partnership to provide a range of global trade and logistics solutions that leverage the two companies' on-demand, hosted offerings. GT Nexus runs an industry-backed trade and logistics management portal and the Integration Point real-time GTM solution provides global trade compliance.


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GTM is a suite of fully integrated, web-based software products that provide consistent and secure access to information around the clock including: import/export management, global classification, C-TPAT, denied party screening, Free Trade Agreement qualification and duty deferral program participation.


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Integration Point®, a provider of real time global trade management solutions, has been recognized as one of the Top 100 logistics IT providers by Inbound Logistics. You can find the full article starting on page 57 of the April edition of Inbound Logistics.


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Frequently changing regulations can make global trade a tricky thing to manage. Of course, it helps to have the most current information on whatever duties, tariffs or compliance issues are affecting your products as they travel in and out of the country. Global trade management (GTM) software can relieve some of the pressure, but without proper execution, any new software has the potential to create more problems than it solves.

To help simplify the process, Melissa Irmen, vice president of products and strategy for Integration Point, a global trade software provider, offers 10 suggestions to help make the implementation as painless as possible.


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Integration Point, a provider of real-time global trade management solutions, announced that release 5.0 of its Global Trade Management (GTM) Solution is now available.

By providing consistent, secure, and real-time global trade capabilities over the Internet, Integration Point said customers can avoid compliance problems and reduce inventory that is often required by less-integrated GTM processes. With this new release Integration Point customers can also better access compliance content that has been more tightly integrated throughout the product suite.


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Integration Point is the first to provide Real Time GTM. Traditional GTM systems are designed to stop non-compliant goods upon reaching a border causing potential delays and even spoilage of goods. “Alternatively, Real Time GTM is architected to proactively provide the necessary compliance information ahead of time so that goods keep moving efficiently. Further, with traditional GTM systems, excessive taxes and unplanned expenses can be incurred because companies aren't able to forecast relevant compliance requirements.

This is a listing of individuals from a software firm or service provider, consultancy, or analyst or research firm who have a vision for the 21st century supply chain and have personally helped clients apply technology or processes to modernize their supply chains.  Melissa Irmen, VP of Products & Strategy for Integration Point, was one of these recognized individuals.

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Clay Perry is senior vice president, global markets, at Integration Point, a provider of Web-based software for global classification, C-TPAT, denied-party screening, qualification under free-trade agreements, and participation in duty deferral programs.

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With countries frequently increasing and revising border security protocols, participating in global trade has become more complex than ever.  Compliance and Supply Chain Managers can no longer solely rely on personal knowledge and paper-based processes to effectively plan and manage global trade. Global Corporations must have real time access to critical trade information and automation of GTM processes. Companies that can plan and act on their imports and exports proactively despite the dynamic landscape will deliver more on-time goods at a reduced cost.  Therefore, with an increasing reliance on the global economy, companies need a more efficient, proactive way to manage trade.

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Charlotte, N.C.-based Integration Point certainly does not want to take over the world. The global trade management software firm’s long-range plans don’t even involve taking over the industry. Still, they wouldn’t mind seeing the “powered-by-Integration Point” logo in the corner of every Web-based logistics portal.

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Three top supply chain software analysts help shippers assess the growing number of Global Trade Management solutions en route to turning trade compliance into a competitive advantage.