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.

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.

Don’t forget to register for tomorrow’s webinar, Understanding the Key Elements of Exporting: How to Get Started. Broadcasting live at 2pm EDT, Katrina Rosen of the U.S. Census Bureau and Scott Byrnes of Amber Road will provide insight on what resources are available to help new exporters get started, and how technology can plan a big role in an export program.

Don’t miss out on this webinar! Click here to register.

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Getting started as an exporter can be overwhelming – we’re here to help! Join Amber Road and the U.S. Census Bureau on Tuesday, August 21 at 2pm EDT for a complimentary webinar targeted at new exporters. During Understanding the Key Elements of Exporting: How to Get Started, we will show you what resources are available to help you:

• Identify top and emerging markets
• Monitor foreign competition
• Analyze time series data
• Obtain values and growth rates
• Utilize technology to automate the export process

Speakers will include:

• Katrina Rosen, Foreign Trade Division, U.S. Census Bureau
• Scott Byrnes, VP of Marketing, Amber Road

Learn how technology can help create a competitive advantage for your company. Register today!

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With the May 14^th presidential proclamation putting the US-Colombia free trade agreement into force, it has never been more critical for GTM software users to understand the importance of the trade content that powers their solutions. Because FTAs specify changes in rules of origin and HS codes, it is important that organizations using global trade management software ensure that their vendor made the appropriate updates to the underlying trade content and put them in place immediately.

By having access to these trade content updates, organizations are able to find potential reductions in landed costs due to preferential treatment as of the effective date. Supply chain managers should be able to run scenarios that reflect preferential rates as they make sourcing decisions.

To learn more, click here to read the Supply Chain Digest article written by Anthony Hardenburgh, Vice President of Global Trade Content at Amber Road.

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Join Amber Road and American Shipper on Wednesday, June 20 at 2pm EDT for a webinar that will discuss findings from the second annual Import Operations & Compliance Benchmark Study, published by American Shipper and BPE Global. Key topics will include:

• Regulatory compliance policies and practices
• Import operations management and outsourcing
• Supporting technologies solutions and functionality
• Organizational structures and policies
• Training and education

Panelists for The Secrets to Import Success: Best Practices in Managing Import Operations & Compliance include:

• Nathan Pieri, SVP, Marketing and Product Development, Amber Road
• Andrea Appell, Director, BPE Global

Click here to register.

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Amber Road, a leading provider of Global Trade Management (GTM) solutions, announced today that seven of the top ten companies listed in the Gartner 2012 Supply Chain Top 25 use its solutions. This is an increase from 2011, when six of the top ten were Amber Road customers.

This is the eighth year that Gartner has compiled the list of supply chain innovators. According to the research firm, “Every year, Gartner identifies the companies that push the envelope of supply chain innovation.” They noted in the report that “many of this year’s Supply Chain Top 25 companies were impacted by natural disasters, such as the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, and the massive flooding in Thailand…Overall, leaders have remained focused throughout the past year on building resiliency into their global supply chains, and we see it continuing to be a highly valued supply chain characteristic.”

For more information on how the survey and research was conducted, visit The Gartner Supply Chain Top 25 for 2012.  Click here to read the full press release.

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The US-South Korea Free Trade Agreement will go into full effect tomorrow, March 15, 2012.  With this FTA, roughly 80% of US exports of industrial products to South Korea will be duty free, while two-thirds of US exports of agricultural products will also become duty-free.

The International Trade Commission estimates that the reduction of South Korean tariff and non-tariff quotas on goods alone will add between $10 and $12 billion to the annual US GDP, and around $10 billion to annual merchandise exports to South Korea.  According to Ron Kirk, Ambassador of the U.S. Trade Representative, once the agreement goes into effect, it will open up South Korea’s $1 trillion economy and strengthen our economy’s partnership with a key Asia Pacific Ally.  To read more about the new free trade agreement, click here.

Is your company prepared to take advantage of this duty-saving opportunity?

The most common reason companies do not take advantage of FTAs is the administrative burden of identifying applicable FTAs and qualifying products. With over 100 FTAs in place around the world, manually administering trade agreements is understandably difficult. Global Trade Management solutions, however, can help you manage the solicitation and qualification process with your suppliers.

To find out how your company can automate this complex process and take advantage of the US-South Korea Free Trade Agreement, check out Amber Road’s Trade Agreement Management solution.

President Obama recently signed an executive order, establishing the Interagency Trade Enforcement Center (ITEC) within the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR).  The Obama administration is aimed at doubling exports by the year 2015, and this new agency will help facilitate that goal.
 
According to Ron Kirk, Ambassador of USTR, the ITEC is among the most significant commitment of resources and expertise since the establishment of the USTR. The purpose of the Interagency Trade Enforcement Center will be to coordinate U.S. trade rights under international agreements, monitor unfair trade practices, as well as identify and eliminate foreign trade barriers. These tasks will hopefully curb the production of counterfeit and unsafe goods and improve market access for U.S. exporters. The ITEC will also strengthen trade enforcement of intellectual property laws.
 
Chairman of the House Trade Working Group, Rep. Mike Michaud (D-Maine), said, “Signing this order brings us one more important step closer to the level of trade enforcement we need to counter the predatory practices of countries like China.”
 
Based on the signed executive order, the mission and function of The Interagency Trade Enforcement Center will be to:
 
(a) serve as the primary forum within the Federal Government for USTR and other agencies to coordinate enforcement of U.S. trade rights under international trade agreements and enforcement of domestic trade laws;
 
(b) coordinate among USTR, other agencies with trade related responsibilities, and the U.S. Intelligence Community the exchange of information related to potential violations of international trade agreements by our foreign trade partners; and
 
(c) conduct outreach to U.S. workers, businesses, and other interested persons to foster greater participation in the identification and reduction or elimination of foreign trade barriers and unfair foreign trade practices.
 

Join World Trade 100 and Amber Road (formerly Management Dynamics, Inc.) on Thursday December 15th at 2 PM EST for a complimentary webinar, Global Trade Compliance in the Oil & Gas Industry: A Case Study with Weatherford.

Global trade experts will explain the importance of automating trade compliance processes and the difficulties oil and gas companies face, as well as present recent developments in the industry. By attending this webinar, you will walk away with:

• A better understanding of the export compliance challenges oil and gas companies are facing
• Various strategic considerations to think about when implementing an automated trade compliance solution
• Best practices you can use to improve your company’s export compliance processes

Speakers will include:
Scott Byrnes, Vice President of Marketing, Amber Road (formerly Management Dynamics, Inc.)
Natalia Shehadeh, Director of Trade Compliance, Weatherford
Scott Johnston, Attorney, Specializing in U.S. Import/Export Law, Givens & Johnston, PLLC

Join us and find out how you can automate your trade compliance process!