Import Solutions

In today's importing world, not only are timelines shorter and cost margins tighter than ever before, the burden of responsibility for compliance rests with the importer, not with the customs broker. Trade agreements such as NAFTA present opportunities but also stringent origin requirements and documentation standards.

Companies just can't afford the cost of compliance errors (such as tariff classification mistakes or missing certificates), redundant data entry or ill-informed sourcing decisions, yet the re-engineering and learning curve needed to get a handle on all this may seem formidable.

Because the responsibility for import compliance now rests with the importer, it is essential that potential compliance contraventions be recognized and rectified as quickly as possible. Visual Compliance Import Solutions provide increased awareness and visibility over your import processes — from pre-notification (ISF/10+2) through release, entry (ABI) and liquidation. It also delivers Alerts and Notifications when compliance violations are discovered — notifying the right people to help you rectify problems at their source in purchasing, manufacturing, distribution, or at your customs brokers. Empowering you to protect your business from the huge costs of non-compliance.

eCustoms has over 30 years experience helping companies like yours gain greater control and visibility over their import processes. We have the technology and expertise to make the journey as easy and cost-effective as possible. We'll help you analyze your current importing processes, then provide the solutions you need to move towards a higher level of cost-effective import control and compliance.

Visual Compliance Import Solutions — Robust, ABI Certified and Easy-to-Use

Visual Compliance ABI certified Import Solutions are robust, fully scalable and packed with unique features and design innovations carefully selected to provide real bottom-line benefits. You'll get everything you need to cost-effectively manage your import processes:

• Monitor and improve your compliance level more +

  Rules-based compliance standards

  Rules and Triggers provide the ability to monitor and enforce compliance standards (and your own importing best practices) in a way that balances the efficiency of automation with the decision-making power that only people can provide. Rules are used to restrict or enforce thresholds. Triggers are set up to flag events that require attention. Notifications are sent via internal or Internet e-mail to parties that you specify for each trigger. Using Rules and Triggers, you can monitor and enforce compliance standards for duty, units of measure, certificates of origin (used and unused), item master comparison (HS classification, SPI, unit cost), valuation (charges / pro-rating and threshold), late filing, entry type exceptions, and similar pertinent articles.

  Once notified by the system, you can correct your data records, and remedy any associated fees or refunds. And make procedure changes and take other remedial action before you become non-compliant.

  In-built compliance infrastructure

  The support tables in your Import Solution are loaded with your product and supplier information including appropriate tariff classification and treatment, and commodity valuation information (much of this can be automatically download from your existing systems). You can also preload correct Customs information such as Units of Measure, Country, Currency and Port Codes. The import database acts as an intelligent data warehouse where you can collect all information relevant to the customs process on a timely and efficient basis.

  With these foundations in place, you can establish a streamlined, efficient, auditable import transaction flow that leverages the information already stored in your other systems and facilitates communication with your trade chain partners. If you wish, you can elect to transmit your import data directly to the government via ABI. Extensive reports and automated alerts notify you of any exceptions such as compliance problems or processing delays.

• Increase operational capabilities and decrease landed costs more +

  Functional scalability

  For the past three decades, Visual Compliance solutions have always been "ahead of the pack" in anticipating changes in trading practices and compliance requirements. Both the database and business rules architecture have been designed to take foreseeable developments in trade and compliance into account.

  The functional scalability inherent in the architecture is leveraged by a modular architecture consisting of core functionality and optional Expert modules. These modules enhance the operational capabilities of the system, adding value to the solution. New modules can be added without interfering with the functioning of those already in place. Individual modules can also evolve to take new rules and practices into account.

  Advanced decision-making infrastructure

  Starting with the structure of the underlying database and continuing through screen interfaces and flexible reports, the Import Solution is designed for maximum accuracy and visibility. Putting your costs under your control.

  View a single shipment, history over a period of time or summary statistics. Multiple selection, sorting and viewing options let you see the data any way you wish, at any time.

• Leverage and share information with other locations, plants, divisions at home or abroad more +

  Leverage and grow corporate knowledge

  Import Solutions help you leverage what you know better than anyone: your products, vendors, supply chain and business priorities. Store valuable compliance and landed-cost related information specific to your business and importing strategy. In a surprisingly short period of time your Import Solution becomes your repository of "importing best practices." And these "best practices" are enforced via the rules and triggers built into the system. Your classifications, along with rulings or special provisions are saved to your pre-rated item master which is easy to work with — including the much anticipated 2012 HTS changes. You can even cross-reference your certificates of origin for products sourced from NAFTA countries.

  Deploy Internally or over the Internet

  Import Solutions can be deployed across your internal network or over the Internet to best suit your unique requirements.

• Send import information for customs clearance to your broker, or directly to the government via ABI more +

  Simplified ABI Management

  With the Visual Compliance Import Solution you get all the business logic necessary to comply with ABI submission requirements, including data extraction, formatting and submission functionality in a simple 'plug-in' format.

  File directly or manage your broker transactions

  You can process all your import clearance transactions accurately and efficiently, and improve visibility across all facets of your import operation. It features processing of 7501, 7501 line release, 3461 Long and 3461 ALT transactions, remote location filing, reconciliation, a configurable ABI interface and Automated Clearinghouse functionality, and much more.

  Or you can exchange import information with your brokers. Ensuring that they have the most current information and you have a full set of electronic records.

• Integrate with your existing ERP system, or directly with your broker for total operational transparency. more +

  Simple, efficient workflows with integration capabilities

  User-centric and highly intuitive screens retrieve most of the required information based on your product, vendor and other corporate information. And perform the calculations and extensions automatically based on current Customs content stored in supplied Customs support tables.

  For even more efficiencies, there's an Integration module to load in shipment information from your ERP systems or from your broker.

• Enhanced Compliance Intelligence for Importer Self Assessment (ISA) more +

  With the implementation of programs such as Focused Assessment and Importer Self Assessment (ISA), Customs compliance auditing is now based on the premise that companies with good internal controls are much more likely to be compliant. These controls span the elements of your procurement data flows that affect import compliance. Because you are "on the hook" to comply, you need to be able to assess and monitor both those parts of procurement that you control and those carried out by your broker.

  Visual Compliance Import Solutions have everything you need to set up, enforce and monitor compliant importing practices, and to make your compliance initiatives easy to realize. It's designed to integrate with your ERP and Accounting Systems, and to use data maintained by your suppliers and by Customs.

• You'll be up and running in no time with a simplified learning curve more +

  Designed in conjunction with our in-house Licensed Customs Brokers, Import Solutions have an innovative database design that encompasses the entire import/export dataflow and the compliance information required to support it in the most accurate and efficient way possible.

  At eCustoms, we have traveled the in-house clearance journey with hundreds of clients. Our training and support can get you up to speed in no time, ensuring that no essential knowledge is missed, current operational data is in place, and workflow processes fit your environment.

How we can Help

Visual Compliance provides robust, cost-effective automation solutions and regulatory content to manage all of these aspects of foreign trade compliance. With over 30 years of experience helping companies easily gain control and visibility over their compliance issues and processes, our solutions are relied on by more than 4,000 companies at home, and abroad.

For more information, call toll-free 1-877-328-7866 and talk to one of our foreign trade compliance consultants. They'll help you analyze your requirements, evaluate your options, and provide focused demonstrations. Or send an email.