Global Knowledge®

A recent report released by FreightWatch International, a global logistics security firm, identifies Brazil, Mexico and South Africa as the three countries exhibiting the highest risk for cargo theft. The “2013 Global Cargo Theft Assessment” places Brazil at the top of the list, with more than 10,000 cargo thefts reported in the past decade – 6,800 of which occurred in Sau Paulo in 2012. Mexico reported 6,000 incidents last year, 83% of which could be attributed to truck hijackings.

The report showed a sharp rise in European cargo thefts (up 24% from 2011), due notably to the targeting of pharmaceutical shipments in Italy. Asia also saw a rise in the number of thefts reported last year, largely due to the increase in demand for high-value consumables. While food and beverage products comprised the majority of reported theft incidents, high-value commodities (such as electronics) are quickly becoming prime targets.

In response to the report, Ron Greene, Vice President of FreightWatch International, advises that, “Understanding these trends can help shippers implement loss-reduction programs to minimize cargo theft, increase supply chain efficiency and deliver products intact and on-time.”

Follow this link to read the entire article.

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!

Please join Amber Road and Sandler & Travis Trade Advisory Services, Inc. for a free seminar specifically addressing retailers and Financial Returns in Global Trade. 

Learn how your peers have improved the efficiency of their import operations to respond to rapid shifts in consumer behavior and grow their business outside the U.S. Speakers will address strategies for delivering financial returns on your global retail supply chain.

Don’t miss out on this FREE seminar for retailers in NYC!

What: Retail Seminar: Financial Returns in Global Trade - Lunch is included, Networking Reception to Follow.

When: April 17, 2013, 10am – 7pm

Where: Gansevoort Park Avenue NYC
420 Park Avenue South, Between 28th and 29th Streets (Conveniently located between Penn Station and Grand Central)
New York, NY 10016

After a full day of sessions, attendees will enjoy a networking reception at this luxury urban resort in midtown Manhattan. Register to reserve your spot today!

American Shipper’s newest report, Global Trade Management Landscape: Strategies Beyond Compliance, provides an in-depth analysis of the trends, challenges and complexities that are reshaping global trade.

This report explores and provides remedies to challenges that are universal to GTM professionals, including:

• Gaining visibility beyond basic track-and-trace functionality
• Leveraging financial tools to create bottom-line benefits from GTM
• Recruiting, educating and retaining expert GTM practitioners
• Balancing the process management and technology sides of GTM
• Ensuring global compliance requirements are met

Click here to download the analyst report.

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.

London-based Notbox has expanded its eco-friendly cardboard alternative to the U.S. and Canada, hoping to increase its market share in the $424 billion global packaging industry, 25% of which resides in North America.

Notboxes are recyclable – they can be used up to 20 times – and every shape and size can be folded flat for storage. The company claims that removing cardboard from the supply chain could save over $10 million, and their alternative uses lower costs and produces less waste.

“Currently, cardboard is used to ship 90 percent of all products in the U.S., but the growing focus toward sustainability by businesses and consumers makes this the perfect time to bring a product like Notbox to the market,” Thomas Hellmann, chairman and president of Notbox North America, said in a statement. “Reducing corrugated cardboard excess is one of the fastest and most effective steps a company can take to reduce waste and is high on the corporate agenda.”

Read more here.

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has recently proposed a new rule regarding the control of military electronic equipment and related items. The rule mandates that the President will no longer determine warrant control under the United States Munitions List (USML), but rather on the Commerce Control List (CCL). This rule is being proposed along with another from the Department of State‘s Directorate of Defense Controls, which would amend the list of articles controlled by USML Category XI.

BIS said its intent is that the new Export Control Classification Numbers “not increase the number of destinations to which a license is required, alter the policy under which license application are reviewed or create any apparent instances of an item that is subject to the EAR being covered by more than one ECCN.”

BIS has issued a deadline of January 28, 2013 for comments to the proposed rule. Click here to view the full notice from the Federal Register. Check out this article for more information.

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.

AlwaysOn named Amber Road amongst its Top 100 Private Companies at its Mid-Atlantic Venture Summit on Tuesday, aiming to identify emerging companies in the region that are making a huge impact on what it calls the “Global Silicon Valley.”

The Top 100 list this year included companies in a multitude of technology industries, and noted that Amber Road, among others, stands out for a surging trend of enterprise and consumer service providers in a region known mainly for its government and security sectors. These venture-based leaders, they concluded, prove that innovation and creativity can come from anywhere as they challenge the legacy institutions and take advantage of an increasingly fast-paced, connected world.

Don’t forget to join Amber Road for the first segment of our deemed export compliance series, taking place tomorrow, October 23, 2012 at 2pm EST. Deemed Export Compliance 101 will cover topics ranging from restricted party screening to export control management… from a university perspective!

Join export compliance officers from NYU and the University of Miami to learn what your institution should be doing to remain compliant, and remember to mark your calendars for the second webinar of the series, Deemed Export Compliance 201, on November 13 at 2pm.

Click here to learn more and register for the first part of the series!