Supply Chain Managers Brace for Automated Commercial Environment

Trade Tech, a global supplier of Cloud-based services for the logistics industry, announced that it is one of the first technology providers to receive certification for U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Automated Commercial Environment (ACE).

This certification allows Trade Tech’s clients – including NVOs, shippers and freight forwarders – to directly transmit and receive trade and security information with CBP via a single platform well in advance of the September 29, 2012 deadline.

As noted in Logistics Management—SCMR’s sister publication—the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America is encouraging all its members to begin integrating the ACE into their business processes. The association said that this is especially important given that CBP will roll out new modules this year.

ACE is the commercial trade processing system being phased in by CBP to facilitate legitimate trade and strengthen border security. ACE will completely replace the Automated Commercial System (ACS) in
September and it will be the only CBP-approved EDI portal for transmitting required advance information for ocean and rail cargo to CBP. Streamlined trade and security filings under ACE will enable goods to pass more quickly through border crossings, give users better control and visibility of their assets, and allow CBP to spend less time on paperwork and more time on security initiatives.

Trade Tech’s ACE certified solution allows importers to submit required security information to CBP in a single, harmonized filing, using an X12 data set. This gives CBP a consolidated view of rail and sea shipment manifests and entry data, at either the bill-of-lading or container level to help identify shipments that may pose a risk.

This information also enables the pre-arrival processing of legitimate cargo, which expedites Customs clearance for Trade tech customers.

“Our ACE solution was implemented seamlessly earlier this month and we designed it so our customers do not need to do anything differently – they simply work in the same cloud-based Trade Tech portal that they always have. They still enter the exact same shipment data elements,” said Bryn Heimbeck, Trade Tech’s CEO.

ACE is a backend system change for Customs which will bring visibility to different commercial environments, including truck, ocean and rail, and 48 participating government agencies. Heimbeck said his company is well in advance of meeting the September 2012 deadline.

He noted that ACE was created to provide a higher visibility between participating government agencies as to what cargo was coming into the U.S. and from whom.

“This allows the different agencies to further collaborate with one another to make better, more efficient decisions about security, targeting cargo for exams etc. and for the release of containers to expedite the flow of cargo,” added Heimbeck.

SC
MR