TUCSON, Ariz. -- Big changes are on the way for protest filing and reconciliation as part of the deployment of ACE post-summary capabilities currently set for October, said Celeste Catano of software developer Kewill during the annual conference of the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America on April 19. Alongside new ACE systems for liquidation and drawback, changes to how protests are filed will allow lawyers to submit and keep track of protests, while increased automation of the reconciliation process will make life easier for brokers in several ways, said Catano.
TUCSON, Ariz. -- The head of the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee broker regulations working group previewed more than 30 recommendations that are set to be considered at the April 27 COAC meeting. Cindy Allen, the leader of the working group and CEO of Trade Force Multiplier, discussed the recommendations during a panel at the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America conference on April 20. Already OK'd by the Trade Modernization subcommittee, the recommendations must still be approved by the full COAC before they are finalized and given to CBP, she said. As a result, there's a chance that some of the language could still change, Allen said.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
TUCSON, Ariz. -- Import filers could be in for an eventful summer, with ACE system slowdowns and CBP communication problems compounding problems related to an already crowded slate of ACE deadlines, said several software developers and a customs broker during the annual conference of the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America on April 19. After a slow implementation process over nearly a decade and a relatively successful transition for entry summary on March 31 (see 1604050034), the pace is set to increase markedly as 19 PGAs join the two already online at as yet undetermined dates.
TUCSON, Ariz. -- Filing of Food and Drug Administration entries in the ACE continues its rapid rise, with the latest data from the agency showing a “high percentage” of filers using ACE and the number of entries filed in the system “drastically” increasing since January, said Dominic Veneziano, director of FDA’s Division of Import Operations, at the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America annual conference on April 19.
CBP released an updated Food and Drug Administration supplemental guide for filing in ACE (here). The update includes number of tweaks, bug fixes and clarifications based on feedback it has received from the trade community, said an FDA official recently (see 1603150047). The updates are mostly minor changes, FDA has said (see 1602040022).
DHL Global Forwarding began using an internal customs brokerage management system designed to work with ACE, said DHL in a news release (here). "The IT system has been ACE-certified and is fully integrated with the company’s current Document Management System and Inland Transportation Management System, and it will also feed information to DHL’s future Unified Reporting System, as well as new Client Portal, to be launched in the fourth quarter of 2016," the company said. DHL worked with Kewill to create the system. “With all the Customs changes taking place in the U.S., we think this new system will be a big benefit to our customers, working flawlessly with ACE to provide them a more expedited service for all their Customs filings,” said Jim Miller, senior director for Customs Brokerage at DHL Global Forwarding. The system is also "equipped with the required Lacey Act programming, as well as functionality to interface with Participating Government Agencies," said DHL.
The Departments of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services celebrated recent progress in the effort toward ACE and the International Trade Data System in a joint April 19 letter to the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America. "Business users are currently filing approximately 92% of entry summary requirements in the Single Window and Cargo Release volumes have soared from low 40% figures to a record high of 70% in just the last several weeks," said Deputy Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas at DHS and Acting Deputy Secretary Mary Wakefield, Department of HHS. "The numbers reflect a significant uptick in adoption by many of the largest filers and active testing and engagement from thousands of smaller businesses," they said. The officials pointed to the process as proof of successful collaboration with industry and trade groups. "NCBFAA and other industry users have not only identified problems, but worked collaboratively with government agencies to develop and rapidly implement effective solutions," they said. Modifications to mandatory deadlines and added flexibilities for certain data elements are two recent examples of this partnership. It is clear that the engagement and expertise from the filers who will ultimately rely on the system remain one of the most critical elements of success. Deploying an effective ITDS remains a top priority for DHS and HHS "and for many other U.S. agencies and the Administration on a whole," they said.
TUCSON, Ariz. -- Implementation of new trade enforcement provisions of recently passed customs reauthorization legislation will not result in an overall increase in cargo exams, said CBP officials speaking April 19 at the annual conference of the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America. Though CBP is focused on creating its new Trade Law Enforcement Division tasked with issuing trade alerts (see 1602230080), as well as implementing new programs to apply risk assessments (see 1602170074), the agency’s overall goal is better targeted exams, not more of them, they said.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters: