Archive for Trade Compliance

UPCOMING WEBINAR: Financial Returns in Global Trade: ROI of Compliance

webinar_25459276-250px (2)Company executives may often perceive the compliance team as a cost center, but the opposite is actually true – compliance can yield a significant return on investment (ROI) and a competitive advantage.

Join Amber Road and Sandler & Travis Trade Advisory Services, Inc. for a complimentary webinar broadcasting live on Wednesday, June 5 at 2pm EDT on Financial Returns in Global Trade: ROI of Compliance. Presenters will discuss the following topics:

  • The duty refund mechanism of duty drawback
  • Automating trade compliance for financial returns
  • Qualifying and quantifying projected business savings

Presenters will include:

  • Dawn Olesky, Director, Drawback Operations, Sandler & Travis Trade Advisory Services
  • Hung Lee, Senior Product Manager, Amber Road

Join us to learn how to identify ROI drivers in your trade compliance program. Register today!

GTM Industry Leaders Discuss Using First Sale and Duty Drawbacks to Increase Financial Returns

At a recent retail seminar held in New York on Financial Returns in Global Trade, speakers reported that retailers engaging in global trade best practices can expect to see substantial financial benefits, improved operations and lower compliance risks. This event, hosted by Amber Road and Sandler & Travis Trade Advisory Services, Inc., focused on how retailers can automate trade compliance for increased financial returns.

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Hung Lee, Senior Product Manager and Vin Ramundo, Solutions Consultant, both of Amber Road, spoke extensively on this subject and discussed methods for increasing financial returns such as utilizing First Sale and duty drawbacks. Ramundo noted that typical reductions include a five to eight percent reduction in transportation costs, ten to fifteen percent reduction in cycle stock inventory, and four to seven days’ compression in order cycle times.

“Typically, First Sale savings within the first five years are ten to twenty percent on duty,” commented Laura Siegel Rabinowitz, Of Counsel, Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg. First Sale bases the duty rate on what the manufacturer paid for the goods, rather than after a middleman’s markup, which is what Customs duties are typically assessed on.

Dawn Olesky, Director, Drawback Operations, Sandler & Travis Trade Advisory Services, Inc., noted that, “Duty drawback can offer as much as a 99 percent refund of import duties, taxes or fees.”

“With duty drawback, you have the ability to lower costs to customers and, therefore, should increase sales,” Olesky added.

Interested in learning more about how you can leverage compliance to increase financial returns? Join Amber Road and Sandler & Travis Trade Advisory Services, Inc. for a free webinar, Financial Returns in Global Trade: ROI of Compliance, on Wednesday, June 5th, at 2:00 pm.

UPCOMING WEBINAR: Minimizing Exposure, Liability, and Risk in Trade Compliance

webinar_image_250x250 (2)Join Amber Road on Tuesday, May 21 at 2pm EDT for a complimentary webinar focusing on how trade compliance professionals can minimize personal risk. During Minimizing Exposure, Liability, and Risk in Trade Compliance, presenters will discuss the following topics:

  • Common challenges Empowered Officials, senior management, and compliance professionals face on a daily basis
  • What criteria should be considered when selecting a compliance manager
  • Real world strategies for minimizing exposure, liability, and risk in trade compliance

Presenters will include:

  • Brianna Woodsby, International Trade Manager, AFL
  • Phil Rhoads, Trade Attorney, Rhoads & Reed PLLC
  • John Priecko, President and Managing Partner, Trade Compliance Solutions

Join us to learn how to be better prepared to deal with the challenges that accompany such a demanding and dynamic career field. Register today!

New eBook: Meeting the Global Trade Challenges of the Oil and Gas Industry

With rising global energy demand, the oil and gas industry faces a wide range of logistics challenges. Energy companies also have significant risks related to compliance from both an increasing volume of regulations and the complexity of product classification.

Amber Road’s latest eBook, Meeting the Global Trade Challenges of the Oil and Gas Industry, examines the distinct challenges faced by today’s oil and gas companies, and takes a look at ways a global trade management solution can help them succeed.

Click here to download the eBook.

Crocs Inc. Facing $36 Million in Fines from U.S. and Mexico

Crocs Inc., a worldwide shoe manufacturer, disclosed in its 10-K filing last week that the company may owe up to $36.2 million in fines to U.S. and Mexico Customs and taxing authorities. This estimate is based on two separate audits by the U.S. Customs crocs& Border Protection agency and Mexico’s Federal Tax Authority.

On January 9th, Crocs received notice from Mexico’s Federal Tax Authority that they could be facing a fine of $22 million, based on the value of raw materials imported into the country. These fines were discovered during an audit of the company from January 2006 to July 2011. Crocs officials have claimed that the Mexican Federal Tax Authority found no major discrepancies during the audit’s first phase, which covered capital equipment and finished goods. The second phase, which covered raw materials, revealed the potential fines.

“We believe that the proposed penalty amount is unfounded and without merit,” Crocs noted in its 10-K. “We have retained local counsel to handle the matter and who will argue that the amount due in connection with the matter, if any, is substantially less than that proposed.”

In addition, a draft audit report by the U.S. Customs & Border Protection for the period of 2006 to 2010 cited unpaid duties of $14.3 million. The company, who is disputing this initial report, does not expect a final report and notice of formal claim from Customs until the middle of this year.

For more information, please read this article from the Denver Business Journal.

Vishay Intertechnology Reduces Trade Compliance Risks with Amber Road’s RPS On-Demand Solution

Amber Road, a leading provider of global trade management solutions, announced yesterday that Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. (NYSE:VSH), one of the world’s largest manufacturers of discrete semiconductors and passive electronic components, reduced corporate risk and improved compliance with trade regulations using Amber Road’s Restricted Party Screening (RPS) On-Demand solution.

Integrated into three separate instances of SAP, the RPS On-Demand solution enables Vishay to screen tens of thousands of its customers and vendors across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, against over 200 restricted party lists from government institutions worldwide.

Click here to read the entire press release.

Iranian Crude Oil Export Levels See Substantial Rise

Iranian crude oil exports in December rose to their highest levels since EU sanctions went into effect last July. According to multiple sources, exports rose to around 1.4 million barrels per day (bpd) in December, up from a low point of less than 900,000 bpd in September. This export surge is not expected to last however, as a new round of Western sanctions aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear program will take effect in February.

The December rise in Iranian oil exports can be attributed to a strong demand from countries such as China, India, and Japan. As a result of recently purchasing multiple tankers from China, Iran has been able to increase their number of oil deliveries. Iran’s customers have also found new ways of securing shipping insurance after EU sanctions prevented European-based insurers from covering tankers carrying Iranian oil.

Many analysts predict that Iran’s oil export levels will fall due to new U.S. sanctions scheduled to go into effect February 6th. These new sanctions will prevent Iran from repatriating earnings from oil exports. Western sanctions already halved Iran’s oil exports in 2012, causing a plunge in the Iranian currency. In addition, Iran’s largest Middle East oil customer, Emirates National Oil Co (ENOC), has been looking to cut ties with the sanctioned country. They have started importing from Qatar and are finalizing deals with other producers.

For more information, please read this article from Reuters.

Going Global Involves Heaps of Regulations, Other Hurdles

Small businesses have increasingly found opportunities to expand globally over the past few years and have only more reason to continue to do so in the future. But as a recent article in Inc. Magazine points out, importing and exporting isn’t as simple as booking a spot on the nearest cargo ship.

In fact, companies face a staggering number of regulatory hurdles when looking to import or export. “Know you customer” laws prevent US companies from sending potentially dangerous items to US enemies overseas, and they can be difficult to navigate, especially for smaller companies with limited compliance staff.

Take Cincinnati Thermal Spray, for instance. The 200-person company manufactures high-performance coatings for the aerospace, steel, and energy industries, and exports to Great Britain, France, Italy, Singapore, and Turkey. To do so, they must decipher multiple, separate lists of over 100,000 restricted trade entities issued by various governments. They must also obtain licenses for many of their products that are contingent on where these products end up, and they must monitor for fake companies trying to mask the identity of the final owner. The stakes for compliance are high – fines can reach $250,000 per transaction.

Inc. offers some tips to deal with the overwhelming amounts of data: create a formal export compliance program.  Educate your employees on the types of regulations they’re responsible for. Trust your gut. And if the field becomes too complicated, find a software provider to take care of it for you.

Read more on Inc.’s analysis and advice here.

US Oil Imports Predicted to Fall to Lowest Level in 25 Years

The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) has predicted that US oil imports will fall to their lowest level in over 25 years by 2014. By then the US is projected to only import 32% of its oil, down from 60% in 2005. This will decrease crude oil and other petroleum product imports to 6 million barrels per day, half as many barrels as in 2005.

The decline in imports is a result of the US producing more crude oil domestically using new drilling techniques to access “tight oil.” Tight oil, which is produced from reservoirs with relatively low porosity and permeability, requires techniques such as hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling to extract the oil. In addition, Americans are using less oil and buying more fuel-efficient vehicles, leading to a decrease in demand for foreign oil.

The US has much to gain from a decreased reliance on oil imports. A growing domestic oil industry will help to shrink the US trade deficit and strengthen the US economy. The oil and natural gas industries alone contributed $481 billion to the US economy in 2011. The EIA also expects that increased US production will put downward pressure on oil prices.

For more information, please read these articles from The Washington Post and CNN.

FCPA Guidance Released by Justice Department and SEC

This month the Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released a guide on maintaining compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). The FCPA, which makes it illegal for certain individuals to make payments to foreign officials to assist in obtaining or retaining business, has been largely criticized for being vague and overly punitive. This new guide is to serve as a reference for businesses seeking to comply with the law and the prosecutors charged with enforcement.

The FCPA was passed by Congress in 1977 with the goal of prohibiting US businesses from corrupting foreign officials. With a new focus on combatting international corruption, enforcement of the FCPA has recently become a priority. US companies, who are exposed to both civil and criminal penalties for violations, have complained that the statute’s tremendous breadth allows many law enforcement authorities to be overly aggressive and creative in their prosecution methods.

As a result of US companies requesting a clearer structure on compliance and prosecution processes, a 130-page FCPA compliance guide was released. The guide covers topics such as:

  • Who and what is covered by the FCPA’s anti-bribery and accounting provisions
  • The definition of a ‘foreign official’
  • What constitutes proper and improper gifts, travel and entertainment expenses
  • Facilitating payments
  • The hallmarks of an effective corporate compliance program
  • The different types of civil and criminal resolutions available in the FCPA context

With the increase in enforcement, companies need to implement an effective FCPA compliance plan. Businesses must ensure that their plan stays current with changing regulations and is regularly audited. Employees must participate in regular training sessions and learn how to spot potential FCPA violations. With combatting corruption cited as the Justice Department’s highest priority, companies cannot afford to ignore FCPA compliance.

For more information, check out this article.