Managing Imports and Exports

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What are you worth—and are you being compensated fairly given your skills, experience, and contribution to the company’s bottom line? Every import and export pro has asked her- or himself that question more than once. Locating reliable surveys to find out the answer isn’t easy, however, and that’s why MEI’s just-tabulated 2005 International Trade Pro Salary Survey lands on your desk at just the right moment. The survey data— broken down by crucial factors like company size, title, experience, and gender—can help you to benchmark accurately your own pay and also to calculate what to pay new department employees.

To join or not to join the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) is a question much on import professionals’ minds these days. Not only are C-TPAT supply-chain security standards fast becoming the “good housekeeping seal of approval” in global trade best practices, but companies in the program may well be gaining a competitive advantage over rivals that aren’t members. The central question since the inception of C-TPAT has always been: Is there an actual payoff for all the hard work of qualifying for membership, in the form of faster clearance, fewer cargo exams, and more efficient and transparent global supply chains?

Knowing whether a global market you plan to enter has a high degree of toleration for infringement of intellectual property (IP) rights is critical intelligence. This knowledge might lead you to avoid a market altogether or—more likely—to take proactive steps to lessen the possibility of theft of valuable IP. Given the global scope of the problem, you will need help, and that’s where the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR)’s Special 301 Annual Report for 2005 comes in.

Export pros looking for a resource to help them refocus or update their company’s export strategy should put the just-published 2005 National Export Strategy: A World of Opportunity high on their list. The annual report is produced by the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee (TPCC), an interagency group chaired by the Secretary of Commerce that includes the Departments of Commerce, State, and Defense; U.S. Export-Import (Ex-Im) Bank; Overseas Private Investment Corporation; U.S. Trade and Development Agency; U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA); Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR); and other government agencies (full text available at: ita.doc.gov/media/Publications/blurbs/nes2005blurb.html).

It’s a great time to invest in automating international trade operations to take full advantage of your global sales potential and ensure you meet stepped-up post-9/11 compliance requirements. A recent example of the bang you can get for your automation buck is the experience of Fairchild Semiconductor, leading global provider of high-performance semiconductors. Fairchild ships over 17 billion units annually from six countries to over 45 nations—and imports materials from numerous countries to its manufacturing facilities in the United States and five Asian nations. “As the company continued to innovate and expand globally, the need for effective global trade management strategies was crucial to ensuring efficient cross-border transactions,” says Bob Scribner, senior manager, global logistics for Fairchild.

DHS review highlights supply-chain security initiative As part of a major overhaul, Homeland Security Department (DHS) Secretary Michael Chertoff has announced the Secure Freight program, designed to gather more information about inbound freight shipments to strengthen security. Details have yet to be announced, but Chertoff stated: "I believe that we can gather, fuse, and assess more complete data from the global supply chain to develop a more accurate profile of the history of cargo in…

C-TPAT CERTIFICATION WORKSHOP. Orlando, Nov. 30. IMPORT/EXPORT COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATION: WORKSHOP & EXAM (PACMAN). Washington, DC, September 29-30; New York, December 12-13*. ADVANCED IMPORT/EXPORT OPERATIONS. San Francisco, November 2-4. Contact IOMA: 212-244-0360; www.ioma.com *Seminar location: IOMA/World Academy Training Center, 3 Park Avenue, 30th floor, NY, NY. EXPORT OPERATIONS. Charlotte, NC, Oct. 3-4; New York, Oct. 17-18; Chicago, Oct. 24-25; Philadelphia, Oct. 31-Nov. 1. Contact: Unz & Co., www.unzco.com. …

MEI’s ‘Ask the Experts’ team—Alan Gaudio, Robert Imbriani, and Joseph Zodl—answer readers’ export- or import-related questions. This issue’s column is by Joe Zodl, consultant for Unz & Co. We attempt to answer all inquiries submitted but cannot guarantee a response to all questions. Readers may submit questions to: cdhorner@ioma.com.