One technique to measure and improve upon supplier performance is the use of supplier scorecards. If used properly, scorecards can help companies to reduce vendor lead times, improve inventory management, maximize sell-through and reduce costs, and ultimately result in an improved bottom line and cash flow. Check out these tips from Supply Chain Management Review on designing and utilizing scorecards to improve performance: Unlocking Value through the Supplier Scorecard.

After one month the new Panamaian government has taken office, steps are already being taken to open its finanical records from decades of banking secrecy, according to USA Today. The governments' motiviation is said to be because it wants to help strengthen the world's economic recovery. Another reason is the impending U.S. trade deal and trying to maintain its image as the leading offshore finanical center. The proposed U.S. trade deal would eliminate tariffs on all U.S. exports to Panama.

Surface transportation between the U.S., Canada and Mexico has dropped by almost 35 percent over the last 5 months, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

Although the transportation industry is suffering right now from too much capacity and too little freight, things should begin to turn around by the end of 2009, according to a panel of analysts on Logistics Management's 2009 Mid-year Logistics Rate Outlook Webcast. Please follow this link to view the pre-recorded webcast: 2009 Mid-Year Logistics Rate Outlook: Are you ready for an upturn?

According to a recent supply chain study, visibility and environmental responsibility are the two areas that could use the most improvement. A write-up of the results in Supply & Demand in Executive reports that two-thirds of supply chain and operations professionals have marginal or no visibility across all tiers and levels of their value chain. Please read the full story here.

According to Logistics Management, M&A activity in the transportation industry remained strong in 2008 and we are still seeing a modest deal flow in the first half of 2009, as buyers look to expand their service offerings. Please read the full story here: Merger activity shows vital signs.

Come join Management Dynamics at SCOPE West August 19 - 21 in Las Vegas. SCOPE West is one of the industry's leading Supply Chain executive conferences. John Wainwright, VP Customs Compliance at Leggett & Platt, will be presenting on 'Automating the Import Supply Chain.' Please follow this link for details on conference registration.

How well is your logistics spend area organized? Recently, logistics spend management has been moving toward a more centralized approach than has been taken in the past. If spend management is handled under a global logistics purchasing organization, redundancies are less-likely, and cost-saving opportunities are more likely to be identified. This article from Purchasing Magazine dives deeper into the subject, with interviews from logistics purchasing teams at three different organizations: Purchasing drives deeper into logistics.

Here are some good pointers for organizations looking to determine the level of risk associated with certain suppliers: Supply chain risk management: Beware these storm warning flags. According to the article, some warning signs include: erratic delivery performance, uncertain product quality, volatile commodity prices, financial instability of suppliers, poor communications on cash flow, and unresolved, unexpected supply problems.

United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk emphasized enforcement as a key strategy to his trade policy in a recent speech outside a steel mill in Pittsburgh, PA.

South Africa and its regional partners are looking to fast-track their preferential trade agreement with India.

CBP has announced how it will calculate penalty amounts from the Importer Security Filing (aka 10+2).

From the BBC, Members of Parliament are arguing that HM Revenue and Customs and the UK Border Agency are faltering in their diligence to monitor imports into the United Kingdom.

Two reports were released stating new trade agreements were recently signed.

For the first time in 20 months Japan reported a surplus in trade this month, according to the Journal of Commerce.

Chile is on a trade agreement streak!

Via the Environmental News Service, a near-global effort in governments across Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Africa has resulted in 57 successful seizures, amounting to 30,000 tons of illegal hazardous waste.

Although not frequently updated, How to Save Customs Duty Revealed has some good resources on importing and exporting in the UK.

As brought to attention by the International Economic Law and Policy Blog, the 2009 WTO report states that dumping is good in most cases:

In this article from International Freighting Weekly, Nathan Pieri from Management Dynamics discusses some of the benefits shippers can realize by implementing a performance management software solution.

Two heads are better than one, and a network is more efficient than an individual. Wharton Business School published an article recently that explains how companies should build up their external network of people, institutions and other companies to help solve problems or come up with new ideas. This makes a lot of sense - in the business world, it's important to look at a situation from multiple perspectives in order to see the big picture.

Recently, many news outlets have reported on "protectionism" on the rise in many countries, particularly the United States. "Buy American" idealism has always sounded like a choir-like voice to many who work in the automobile industries and others manufacturer-related industries.

In a recent research report, Aberdeen Group found that few companies have examined and quantified the financial benefits that their trade compliance group brings to their company or assessed fully where the greatest opportunities are for driving further improvement. Click here to request a copy.

Fantastic reading to understand how your company can generate new savings in areas like:

• Optimizing sourcing decisions with accurate total landed cost
• Reducing brokerage costs by self-filing
• Expand the number of trade agreements managed and reduce duties
• Implement a free trade zone

Air Shunt Instruments Co, a San Fernando, CA aerospace company, has agreed to settle for $100,000 after being charged with illegal sales to the United Arab Emirates and Thailand. The company has already paid or agreed to pay much of this amount.

Frederic Bourke, namesake of handbag company Dooney & Bourke, was found guilty today by a US jury of violating the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (commonly called FCPA).

Management at Ford are calling foul at a new free trade agreement in the works between the EU and South Korea.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission has a good educational video about importers and exporters responsibilities when consumer products enter the US.

BIS will be presenting a webinar next week covering the Special Comprehensive License. This will be very useful for exporters who must repeatedly apply for individual export licenses and want to simplify this process by using one comprehensive license.

Here is an interesting video on SupplyChainBrain about 10+2: Strategic Opportunities That 10 Plus 2 Presents. In the video, Ty Bordner, VP of Solutions Consulting at Management Dynamics, discusses how importers can use 10+2 to their advantage. For instance, since the elements of 10+2 filings are the same for other import documentation, importers should leverage the former to reduce data inaccuracies.

Boskage Trade News has a great post about the NAFTA Tariff shifts.

Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa speaks with Amy Goodman of DemocracyNow in an interesting video/podcast.

According to the Toaster Project, yes, one man is capable of global sourcing raw materials to create his very own handmade toaster. But it's not easy!

President Obama expressed hope on Monday that the US will soon be able to approve the US-Colombia Free Trade Agreement.

Over a dozen rare rhinoceros beetles, seized by CBP last year from a post office, have found a new home at the Smithsonian in Washington DC.

Former University of Tennessee Professor John Reece Roth was sentenced today to 48 months in prison for violating the Arms Export Control Act.

The Global Trade Alert is a great tool to get updates on all the latest trade news - around the globe. Their tagline is "Independent monitoring of policies that affect world trade" and that pretty much sums it all up. They cover import regulations, export regulations, new tariffs and duties, free trade agreements, licenses, and much more.

The Census Bureau has issued a notice regarding the Automated Export System (AES). On October 1, the BIS will have new electronic edits on ECCNs, Special Comprehensive Licenses, and certain license exceptions.

According to a study released by UK supply chain consulting firm State of Flux earlier this month, many companies are failing to see a destinction between supplier performance and supplier relationships. Out of 223 procurement, supply chain, and supplier relationship managers surveyed, 62% said that they did not have an accepted definition of supplier relationship management at their company. To set the record straight, according to State of Flux supplier performance management (SPM) is about how well suppliers are doing what they initially said they would do in a contract. Supplier relationship management (SRM) refers to a collaborative, two-way relationship that can deliver value to both parties.

Recently I discovered the blog "Global Trade Compliance: International Trade compliance news and update for Japan, US ,and other countries." As a US-based trade compliance blogger I find it interesting to see the news from the Asia Pacific region. A lot of global trade news is focused on the US and EU, as well as India and China, so it's nice to see another perspective.