The chemical industry would be one of the biggest beneficiaries of completed free trade agreements currently being negotiated and work on the FTAs will be among the top goals for the Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates in 2014, said SOCMA Vice President of Government Relations Bill Allmond in a press release. "It's important for members of our organization to work collaboratively with the government to seek new global markets and remove any regulatory barriers that would hinder industry expansion," Allmond said. "Major growth areas in the specialty chemicals industry are in the emerging regions such as Asia due to an increase in manufacturing in those regions. So our [SOCMA and the government] collaboration has got to continue into next year."

APL Logistics opened the first Carmichael International Service customs brokerage office in Laredo, Texas, APL said in a press release. APL bought Carmichael last year (see 12112323). The new office "is well-positioned to handle all commodities, with a strong focus on automotive, apparel, textiles and electronics," said APL. "It also supports import and export management services through the ports of Hidalgo/Pharr, Progreso, Brownsville, Eagle Pass and Del Rio, along with other assigned ports within the customs district." Rosalinda Saenz will run the operation in Laredo, the company said. The new office will further integrate the company within the NAFTA free trade zone, said Tony Zasimovich, APL Logistics’ Senior Vice President of International Logistics Services. “With an enhanced customs clearance and trade capability on the important U.S.-Mexico trade lane, we can provide significant opportunities for our customers with U.S. import business from Mexico,” he said.

Pilot Freight Services opened a U.S. customs brokerage, named Pilot Customs Brokerage, the transportation and logistics company said in a press release. The brokerage will allow Pilot "customers to rely on Pilot for every step in an international move—from pickup, air/ocean haul, and customs clearance to delivery—eliminating the need for third party involvement," the company said. "Pilot also offers customs brokerage as a stand-alone service for companies who are not current customers." Ilyse Dawicki, managing director of customer brokerage will run the operation, said Pilot. “Today’s importer wants timely clearances and 100 percent compliance,” said Dawicki. “Knowing that there is a licensed customs broker on site to audit for accuracy and that Pilot can clear freight arriving at any airport, seaport or container freight station, gives us even more credibility in the international freight arena.”

Taggart International acquired Customs and Trade Services, a customs brokerage, for an undisclosed price, the companies said. The purchase is expected to "be a positive event" for both companies, said Taggart President Elizabeth Scarbrough by email. Taggart, a freight forwarder, adds a new office in Miami as a result of the acquisition, it said.

ABB will use Amber Road's global trade management system to enhance automation and support worldwide supply chain operations, Amber Road said in a press release. The contract includes "a worldwide license for Amber Road's Global Product Master (GPM), which will provide ABB a centralized repository for harmonized schedule (HS) classifications and other import and export data," said Amber Road. ABB, a utility and industrial technology company, plans to roll out the Amber Road solution during the first quarter of 2014, the press release said.

Kone Inc. said it joined CBP's Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, after evaluation of its international supply chain security measures. The result will be reduced inspection time for imports, and a customs account manager for supply chain security, training and information sharing, it said.

ACE Group said it launched its ACE Global Export Protection enhanced risk management proposition for companies in Continental Europe. It said midsized businesses in Europe are expanding their export footprint, but that increases risks. The Global Export Protection provides tailored and flexible export liability coverage for companies that supply products from their manufacturing locations in Continental Europe, including Central and Eastern Europe, it said. It said benefits include worldwide jurisdiction protection, vendors indemnity cover, catastrophe management cover, and limits of up to €100 million.

The Intellectual Property (IP) chapter in a final Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal must ensure trade secret protection and violation enforcement, along with extended regulatory data protection for biologic medicines and traditional pharmaceutical products, said National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) Senior Director, Christopher Moore, in a Nov. 19 post (here). Improvement of trade secret domestic laws and international agreement provisions are critical, due to the ever-increasing value of trade secret protection, said Moore.

Members of the Footwear Distributors and Retailers Association (FDRA) continued to push Congress to seek a reduction in footwear import duties within the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations during recent meetings on Capitol Hill, FDRA said in a press release. The group "asked for a reduction in duties on footwear from the current Smoot Hawley Act tariffs and for sensible rules of origin that will allow the footwear industry to take advantage of Vietnam as a potential manufacturing hub," it said. FDRA member company representatives from Nike, Rack Room Shoes, Foot Locker and others met with officials from the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means Committees Oct. 29-30, the association said.

NEW YORK - The U.S. Association of Importers of Textiles & Apparel changed its name to the U.S. Fashion Industry Association (USFIA), the group announced at its annual conference in New York on Nov. 6. The name and logo change is meant to reflect an evolving industry, said Julie Hughes, president of USFIA. The group's work for the industry will not change, but it will have a "better outfit," she said. The group "was instrumental in eliminating the global apparel quota system and the "industry has increasingly globalized since then, and new challenges arise every day," the association said on its website. While "the association has evolved with our members to address these new challenges," until now, the brand has not been updated, it said. The rebranding has been the association's major project for 2013 and will "more clearly communicate our purpose and direction for the future," it said.