TRG Trade Spotlight l February l Top 5 To Do List for Trade Professionals

The International Trade Professional’s Top 5 To Do List for 2010 Have you ever noticed that things just don’t get done unless you have a proper plan of attack? Keeping a hard copy of your to-do list handy will keep you on track. Just like at home, your professional to-do list should contain obtainable goals and coincide with a feasible timetable for you to check the items off the list. In order to help you get started, TRG has created this list of to-dos for the International Trade Professional.

Print this out, keep it in sight and let the check off begin…

□ Take Initiative: Apply for or review your C-TPAT membership. Not only will your company receive numerous benefits from a C-TPAT membership, but it will increase the value of your relationship with U.S. Customs. If you are interested in learning more about applying, visit CBP’s website.

□ Connect with Experts: Set up educational alerts for yourself via social networking sites and online resources where information is continually updated.

o LinkedIn has various groups dedicated to International Trade. When you join a group, you have the ability to ask questions to the other experts in your field and will receive excellent advice for free! Try it out. A few groups you might find worth joining are Customs Specialists or Global Trade Compliance Professionals.
o Blogs are another free wealth of information. If you sign up for Google Readerb you can subscribe to multiple blogs and all of the posts will filter into one easy-to-read website. Our blog on ISF: Jamie’s ISF Blog

□ Gain Exposure: Become a member of an established trade association. There is a small handful of worthy associations for importers to consider as a valuable resource. The International Compliance Professionals Association (ICPA) and the Association of Exporters and Importers (AAEI) are two groups TRG does recommend as invaluable resources for International Trade Professionals. Groups such as these include members with the greatest of experience and understanding in trade compliance.

□ Investigate: Complete a thorough review of your import costs. To get started, find out what you are really paying for your brokerage services. TRG Direct has created this form called Deciphering Your Broker’s Bill to help you determine where your fees are stemming from.


□ Explore: The past 10 years have brought technology to trade. Remote Location Filing has brought Direct Filing capabilities, Automated Commercial Environment has created Electronic payment opportunities, and Global Trade Management systems have expanded abilities. Explore each of these technologies and see which could affect your business practices in the most positive way. You may need to present your case for Customs compliance to senior management. Exploring venues will help you do so.

Is there something you think we should add to the list? Let us know: jleary@trgdirect.com

Presidents Plunge In Bozeman - Will John Jump?

The Presidents Plunged is among us once again. This plunge is an icy dip into the Bozeman Pond just West of the Gallatin Valley Mall. The proceeds from this benefit are donated to Special Olympics Montana. The event takes place on February 15th, Presidents Day!
Schedule

10:00am - 11:45am
Plunge Registration @ Bozeman Ponds
11:30am
Enjoy refreshments, meet the athletes and change into your plunge attire
12:00 Noon
PLUNGE BEGINS
2:00pm
Awards Party at Fuddruckers - 2905 West Main
Plungers eat free up to $5 - not including beverage

Here are TRG we are hoping to get our President, John Michel, to take the plunge. We have raised $100 from employees but haven't broke the news to him yet. We'll make sure to post photos! If you would like to pledge visit www.somt.org. It's a great cause and we are happy to help out!

TRG Trade Spotlight l January l NAFTA Do Your Goods Qualify?

NAFTA – Do my goods qualify and how do I claim a refund?North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) established a free-trade zone in North America, taking effect in 1994 by Canada, Mexico, and the United States. NAFTA eliminates tariffs on the majority of goods produced by these participating nations. It is an investment to the movement of goods and services among the three countries. Merely purchasing a product in a NAFTA country does NOT automatically make it NAFTA-eligible. Here are a few general “rules of thumb” for determining if you should claim NAFTA or not to receive a refund.not claim NAFTA if… You do not know the background of the product. Such as: who produced it, where it was grown or was taken from the ground, where the components or ingredients were manufactured or grown. The good was produced overseas and simply passed through North America. Your good qualified for NAFTA but was sent overseas temporarily and left Customs control or something was done to the product other than unloading, reloading or preservation. These are general rules; if you are unsure of your NAFTA eligibility, ask!NAFTA CertificatesIn order to present a claim for reimbursement on goods within the scope of NAFTA, the importer must submit a NAFTA Certificate of Origin. CBP’s website states, “The Certificate of Origin must be completed by the exporter. A producer or manufacturer may also complete a certificate of origin in a NAFTA territory to be used as a basis for an Exporter’s Certificate of Origin. To make a claim for NAFTA preference, the importer must possess a certificate of origin at the time the claim is made.” If the NAFTA Certificate of Origin is not ready at time of export, you have one year from the date of importation to claim a refund.For Further Information visit this trilateral web site (Canada/Mexico/U.S.): www.customs.gov/nafta/nafta_new.htm

IE Canada to Host Western Conference in Feb

Do you deal with import/export regulations in Canada? If so, IE Canada may be a great association for your company to become a member of. This February, the group is hosting a trade conference in Calgary.
Direct from their brochure...
"Participants will have the opportunity to share knowledge and network with leaders in international trade and customs. Participants will hear the latest policy developments in customs and trade programs, such as NAFTA and ACI eManifest, take part in a hands-on workshop on tariff classification and NAFTA rules of origin, and hear from industry experts who are setting the benchmarks for trade compliance standards. Participants will also hear the latest trends in product sourcing and practical tips for establishing customs policies and preparing for a customs audit."

TRG Will be Attending MSU Spring Career Fair

Montana State University, Bozeman hosts multiple career fairs for undergraduate students throughout the course of the academic year. This February, the 5th Annual “Almost” Spring Job and Internship Fair will be held in the Strand Union Building (SUB) Ballrooms on MSU’s campus. TRG, local business offering solutions to importers, will attend the event and meet with prospective interns to fulfill open part time sales positions. www.montana.edu

Local companies attending the career fair include, but are not limited to; Kraft Foods, Bresnan Communications, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Halliburton, Sherwin-Williams. MSU’s esteemed Engineering program has historically drawn a large number of firms from outside of Montana. TRG just recently moved its company headquarters to Bozeman, Montana after 18 years in Illinois. Operating out of the headquarters include the departments of TRG Bond, TRG Marine and TRG Direct. www.trgdirect.com

Along with the MSU Career fair, TRG has participated in other MSU events including the College of Business’ Management 475 class. TRG was able to work with business students throughout the course of a semester in development of a marketing plan. “Many of TRG’s employees are graduates of or currently enrolled at MSU. We are committed to giving back to the University by providing students with opportunities to develop a business acumen, ” stated Laura Michel, VP Operations. “We enjoy this youthful community and our ability to invest in its growth.

TRG’s website includes information on positions available within the firm. The company is looking to educate/train those with professional communication, influence/persuasion, attention to detail and computer experience. The job description in which the company is looking to fill at the MSU Career Fair will assist the Sales department with all aspects of Customs bond processing and customer service, and understanding of a sales position with the possibility of moving to a sales representative. www.trgbond.com

What is a "multi-year" continuous Customs bond?

"My broker told me there are no multiple year continuous Customs bonds".
US Customs bonds are continuous, meaning once they are on file with Customs, they remain active until terminated in writing. TRG offers a 1,2 or 3 year term for the bonds, we are referring to billing terms. TRG has negotiated discounted premium rates for importers that pay for 2 or 3 years at one time. At the end of the chosen term, TRG contacts your company to see if you wish to continue the previous term or select a different payment term.

Multi-year pricing on the Customs bond offers companies our best pricing with our best rates for 3 years. Also note, that TRG has not increased pricing on the $50,000 Customs import bond since 1991!

Airport Security Bonds

TRG offers all types of Customs bonds. The most common type of Customs bond is the import bond and is the bond most companies are familiar with. Over the past few months, TRG has begun to see a rise in the applications of Airport Security Bons (ASB). These are also a type of Customs bond, however US Customs is only now just regulating the requirement with more force.

An Airport Security Bond (ASB) is a US Customs bond needed for out sourced service companies to enter secured areas of airports (like cleaning services not employed by the airlines to clean planes or maintenance individuals not employed by the airlines to fix something).

Bond Amount Calculation for Airport Security Bonds: The Customs bond amount is determined by the Airport the company is operating in.

To apply for the ASB visit www.trgbond.com and click apply now!

The ISF Honeymoon Come to an End in 1 Month!

The ISF Honeymoon Comes to an End January 26th
The honeymoon phase of Importer Security Filing (ISF) will be over in less than one month. On January 26th, 2010, U.S. importers of ocean cargo will be faced with a harsh reality. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will begin issuing fines and penalties for importers who fail to file their ISFs, file late, fail to update, or fail to delete their ISFs. Penalty amounts will be $5,000 per Importer Security Filing transmission and can be as much as $10,000 per ISF.

Was your honeymoon successful? Are you ISF ready?

At this time, importers need to be very familiar with their progress reports. Customs issues these monthly progress reports to whoever is filing the ISFs in order to let them know how they are doing. The reports inform the filer about how often their ISFs are accepted or rejected as well as how timely they are filing. If you haven’t seen your progress report, you need to ask whoever is filing immediately. Remember: it is not the filer that has to pay the fine; the importer is liable for their ISFs.In order to avoid paying these stiff fines, many importers have brought their policies and procedures in house to ensure they know that they are filing timely and accurately.

The ISF consists of 10 very easily attainable data elements. Once the importer begins receiving the information, the filing is easy.It's time to create a successful ISF program.TRG Direct, an ISF and customs entry self filing provider, allows importers to file online in seconds using templates and excel uploads. Also, since the ISF is not considered customs business, many importers allow their vendors to access the ISFs under their own user names and input information, which means the information never has to go through a third party.If you haven’t started filing, don’t stress: you still have a month to practice filing penalty-free. However, you need to start filing now.

CBP has stated that the most important thing importers can do before compliance begins is to create a history with CBP by filing their ISFs. By doing so, importers may be able to mitigate any fines and penalties assessed at the beginning of compliance. Importers who have not been filing will be the first ones paying these fines.If you have been filing, you need to make sure your policies and procedures are in place and that all filings are timely and accurate. Check your progress report to see how well you’re doing. And remember, by filing yourself, you have complete control over filing timely and accurately.

We have moved, officially!

After 18 years providing import solutions from Barrington, Illinois TRG has expanded to Bozeman, Montana. November 9th marked the official opening of the new office which will now serve as the company’s headquarters. All departments have been centralized to this location. In 2005 President and managing partner, John Michel, expanded to Montana in a smaller town South of Bozeman. After years of rapid growth the company found the need to increase staff and set its sites on Bozeman.

TRG’s business is focused on U.S. Customs bond, Marine Cargo Insurance and self-filing which some might say is an odd combination for sales out of Montana. However, the company’s direct marketing approach over the years has shown that sales, if done properly, can be accomplished from any remote location. TRG caters to importers of all sizes and all locations of the U.S. and Canada. Even though few customers are actually found in Montana, the company has been able to bring a wealth of education to the local U.S. importers. http://www.trgbond.com

TRG Bond, the division specializing in U.S. Customs bonds, has placed key staff members in Montana to help facilitate sales and customer service. “Having the ability to speak face to face with our Customs bond underwriters, Claims Department and sales executives has increased productivity and the effectiveness of internal communication.” Courtney Larson, Customs Bond Administrator comments about the move.

TRG Marine Insurance will soon follow suite as Sales, Marketing and Administration will be settled into the Montana office by the first of the year. “We are expecting TRG Marine Insurance to transition into a leading product role in 2010, as our ability to present a more cohesive sales approach improves.” Gregg Cummings, National Sales Manager said, “TRG Marine’s manager’s placement in the Bozeman office will play a vital role in the development of this product.”

The Illinois office will still play an important role for TRG Direct, the web-based system for entry filing and Importer Security Filing. Members of the accounting department and direct filing customer service remain in Barrington where they share an office with TRG’s sister company, Corporation for International Business. http://www.trgdirect.com

Why is my cargo being inspected?

Have you ever wondered why CBP has chosen to inspect your cargo?

After the 9/11 terrorist attacks against the United States, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have updated their cargo examination processes in order to better protect American borders from contraband. One of these changes is the introduction of inspectional technology, known as Vehicle and Cargo Inspection System (VACIS). This system utilizes low-energy x-ray and/or low-energy gamma radiation in order to effectively inspect cargo without slowing down the import process. It also increases the number of daily inspections and since VACIS provides a better picture, physical examinations are less frequent. VACIS allows Customs to identify contraband, such as illegal drugs, currency, or guns.

CBP will identify which containers will be inspected prior to the vessel’s arrival, and the terminal must make the cargo available for CBP inspection 48 hours after arrival. If you are a direct filer you will be notified of a hold by an ABI cargo release response. CBP typically opts to inspect cargo from suspected or actual law violators. VACIS can be used at all air, sea, and land ports and for even the most difficult commodities.

If Contraband is Detected…

During the examination, the cargo is placed in a shielded enclosure, and gamma rays are sent through the cargo. The amount of gamma radiation detected informs CBP of the density and thickness of cargo, allowing them to identify contraband. It takes only seconds to scan, but it takes 30-40 minutes per container to analyze the image. If any concern arises after a VACIS scan or the shipment is high risk, the container could then go to a Container Examination Station (CES) where individual boxes or pallets are unloaded and scanned with a smaller x-ray machine. It takes about a day to unload, scan, and reload 12 containers. CTPAT members go to the front of the line if their cargo is taken to a CES.

Since CBP is unable to determine what exactly is in each container, they are looking to the importer for help. Importer Security Filing is a new initiative that will allow CBP determine which shipments are at a higher risk for National Security threats. Now that the importer is required to relay the origin, contents, etc of the container, CBP has a head start in their inspection process.