Management Dynamics will be exhibiting at the 2009 WESCCON Conference in Rancho Mirage, CA, on October 8 - 11. It's not too late to register, so come join us at the premiere gathering of freight forwarders, customs brokers, and NVOCCs. Hope to see you there!

I just created this brief powerpoint to post onto my LinkedIn profile. Check it out for some good Global Trade Management and customs compliance facts! If you can't view the presentation below, visit:

According to PC World, BTG International has filed a complaint to the International Trade Commission against flash storage chips makers, such as Samsung and other vendors, like Apple, Inc.,Sony and Dell -- just name a few-- claiming five patent violations on flash technology and requesting to ban importation of these chips and other devices.

According to the World Trade Organization, China has overtaken Germany as the world's largest exporter during the first half of 2009. China has been experiencing fast-paced growth the last several years but has previously not reached Germany's levels. From January through June 2009, China's total export volume amounted to $521.7 billion, slightly exceeding Germany's exports, which totaled $521.6 billion.

American Shipper has released the 2009 results of their annual Top 20 Container Lines study. Below are a few highlights from the report:

With all of the buzz about the growing importance of supply chain operations, and how having visibility into a well-managed supply chain can save a company tons, you'd think that the people heading up these operations - the logistics and supply chain professionals - would have a seat on the board of directors. Well apparently that is not exactly the case, at least in Europe. According to a new survey, 40% of European retailers and manufacturers still fail to include any supply chain professionals on their managerial boards. That is not to say that companies are overlooking the cost-saving opportunities in the supply chains - many have actually increased their overall headcount in the department. It seems to me though, that if a company fully recognizes the value of having a well-managed supply chain, then the department should have a voice in the company's governing body.

A recent report released by the US Government Accountability Office shows that since 2001, Free Trade Agreements have successfully increased trade, improving access to these markets and strengthening rules for government fairness and transparency.

Bunzl Distribution announced recently that it has implemented a Global Trade Management platform from Management Dynamics to improves in-transit visibility and import compliance.

Yesterday, HillCrest, a small technology company in Rockville, MD, filed a compliant with the International Trade Commission (ITC) citing patent infringement against Nintendo, the makers of Wii. HillCrest asked the ITC to ban all imports of the Wii into the United States, and filed a seperate lawsuit for unspecified damages.

The Journal of Commerce has reported that China and the 10-nation ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) signed a bilateral investment agreement this week completing the earlier signed trade agreement to cover goods and services and making it official. Implementation of this trade agreement is scheduled for January 2010.

Soon you can own that commercial truck you've always dreamed of. Penske Truck Leasing has announced that they will be placing some of their used commercial trucks on eBay Motors for consumers to purchase directly. Tired of getting cut off by other drivers? This just may be your solution to gain some respect on the road. As long as you don't need to parallel park anywhere.

Although posted in April 2008, Supply Chain Digest has a good article for anyone planning a Trade Compliance implementation: Five Surprises from a Trade Compliance Application. Most trade compliance experts know what they want to achieve with a new solution – but this article does a good job identifying some critical applications to efficiently maintain a system:

• Data Archiving Tools
• Data Processing Reports
• Automated Compliance Updates
• Product Classification Tools

The Wall Street Journal reports, in 2007, InterDigital filed a complaint with the International Trade Commission (ITC) over lost royalities from Nokia and alleging Nokia in unfair trade practice by selling certain 3G componants that infringe on 4 of InterDigital's patents.

According to a press release today, Bunzl Distribution, USA, a supplier of disposable paper and plastic packaging supplies, has employed a Supply Chain Visibility solution from Management Dynamics, in order to streamline it's inbound supply chain.

According to the Journal of Commerce, U.S. exporters are pleased with the White House's decision to launch a review on export controls to help establish a new streamlined system and update to modern technology.

According to the Journal of Commerce, a bill was sent to the Senate that could restructure how customs is handled in the U.S. The leaders in the Senate Finance Committee would like to change the focus to stress trade enforcement and facilitation.

A free trade agreement between Canada and Panama was signed last week. This agreement will eliminate tariffs of more than 90 percent on Canadian imports into Panama, and Panama will have 100 percent access to the Canadian market.

According to the Associated Press, India has proposed a clause to bar any country refusing to accept goods based on its climate policy. This is in response to the U.S. imposing penalities to countries who do not participate in the commitment to limit greenhouse emissions or to a climate policy.

Despite the fact that their net income went down 19% in Q1, clothing manufacturer Ralph Lauren still managed to improve their profit margin, partly due to savings in their supply chain, logistics and sourcing departments, according to a posting in International Freighting Weekly.

The results are in for Logistics Management's 2009 Quest for Quality awards, an annual survey of shippers that ranks the customer service of logistics providers, based on several different criteria. This year, LM reached out to 6,485 logistics and supply chain decision makers to determine their satisfaction of various LSPs. Key results of the survey include:

DHL has signed a joint settlement agreement with BIS and OFAC to the tune of a cool $9.44 million. BIS charged that DHL was aiding and abetting exports to sanctioned countries including Syria, Iran, and Sudan.

According to the World Trade Organization (WTO), China will become the leading exporter by value this year, pushing Germany out of it's number 1 spot.

For anyone starting the process of automating your export compliance; or those of you wondering if there's a 'better way' to manage your exports, watch this brief (and free) video:

If you don't already, I highly recommend keeping an eye on the CBP News Releases page. About 90% of their news releases are about drug busts, but every once in a while there's some good wacky Wednesday news.

Listen up, North Dakota! The CBP is coming - and not to inspect for trade agreement violations!

Traditional ISO tanks, used to transport bulk quantities of liquid, have recently faced some competition from what's known as a "flexitank." Essentially, a flexitank is a large plastic bag that goes inside a standard 20-foot dry box, similar to the design of a box of wine. After the liquid is transported, there is no clean-up required because the plastic bag is disposable. Though there are some challenges with the flexitanks, such as rupture/leak concerns on railroads, and their inability to transport hazardous liquid commodities (like spirits with high alcohol content), wine shippers have gravitated to flexitanks as their top choice for shipping wine to overseas markets. So that $300 bottle of wine you're drinking just might technically be "boxed wine." You can read more about flexitanks in this article from American Shipper: Boxed Wine.

Are you curious about the most sought-after qualities of logistics professionals? According to the salary survey conducted earlier this year by Logistics Today:

Mr. Benedetto Della Vedova , a member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies and former member of the European Parliament wrote an opinion piece that appeared in the Wall Street Journal discussing the challenge the European Union must make in producing bio-fuel energy.

For companies looking to cut costs and get the most out of what they do spend, procurement strategies should be a key area of focus. One important best practice should obviously be to build a good relationship with your suppliers, in order to limit supplier bidding and price negotiation. This article from Supply Chain Management Review gives a good run-down of other procurement best practices: Procurement Best Practices—A Smart Way to Save Money.

A few highlights include: