The Trade Bridge Blog

2.0 Kudos to Global California

Wikis, podcasts, desktop sharing....what's a person to do? Global California had many of the answers at their annual conference in Sacramento recently. This conference was an abundance of useful and practical information for importers and exporters, not just in California, but all over the US. I went as an exhibitor for Trade Bridge and spent most my time listening to an A-list line up of experts and service providers assembled by Tony Livoti and his team at the Monterey Bay International Trade Association. Highlights of the topics covered include using Web 2.0 tools to collaborate on product development with overseas partners, practical suggestions for marketing on the web, translation/interpretation/localization, sourcing and researching online, new developments in online security that can be applied to international collaboration, and an eCommerce source for pre-shipment funding. Just listening to these folks talk about the internet resources available to importers and exporters had me want to start exporting something!

Compliance Professionals Unite!

This association is a boon not only to compliance professionals but to all US SME companies and employees engaged in international trade. Membership is cheap for individuals and their renowned bulletin board for members only is a treasure trove of information for managers and employees charged with overseeing and managing the company’s import and export compliance. I recently got back from their annual conference (in San Antonio this year) and having sampled their educational sessions found the quality of their professional education to be top notch. If you haven’t taken a look at what is available to your import/export operations from ICPA I strongly suggest you go to their web site and check it out.

Trade Bridge at the World Customs Organization

Next week Trade Bridge makes its debut at the WCO in Brussels. I'll be presenting an update on C-TPAT from the perspective of SMEs. Thanks to all of you who completed the survey. Your views will be made known at the WCO SAFE Framework of Standards conference on December 11th. Check www.TradeBridgeInternational.com for the results of the C-TPAT Survey.

My Love Hate Relationship with Custom House Brokers

As a member of the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America (NCBFAA) I get the monday morning bulletin in my inbox each week. Usually it barely keeps me awake but this past week it really got my blood boiling. In the NCBFAA bulletin they proudly proclaim that the International Federation of Customs Brokers Associations convinced the World Customs Organization to let them serve as an "information bridge between the WCO and small to medium international traders in the US, Canada, Mexico and South America." What??? It's true that SME traders need a single voice to speak for them in national and international affairs but did they ask the CHBs to be that voice? Not as far as I can tell. This is a prime example of an intermediary positioning itself as a neutral party only to ensure that its interests are protected. I'm not saying that customs brokers are not valuable and important to international trade. They are and most small importers would not get off the ground without them. But to assert that they represent the interests of SMEs...well that's just a lot of hooey. This is why we need TBI. I'm even more convinced of this than ever. Singing another verse of the same song, in the same week, we were taken to task by another to-be-named association that is also protecting the financial interests of the customs brokers at the expense of SMEs. This esteemed association is afraid that allowing us to be members will alienate their customers and disrupt the traditional methods of distribution. Wake up guys!!! Things are changing. The information age is here. And SMEs have more power than ever because of the internet and technology and globalization. I'll let you know if they let us continue our membership or if we get kicked out. Either way, change is coming.