U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, hosted a meeting for North America’s Industry Ministers. Tony Clement, Canada’s Minister of Industry, and Bruno Ferrari, Mexico’s Secretary of Economy, were in attendance. They discussed the importance of trilateral cooperation on issues such as the National Export Initiative. The leaders agreed to identify ways to encourage small and medium-sized firms to export their goods and services. Secretary Locked added:

For those of you looking to further your supply chain career, Georgia Tech has a brand new one-year graduate program: 21st Century Graduate Education for Supply Chain Professionals.

This September, American Shipper hosted a webinar covering a topic that many are interested in - but there are few resources are available to address the problem. I'm not saying it was groundbreaking, but for once we were able to openly discuss what c-level executives need to hear to make trade compliance a priority.

Here's something to think about this Black Friday while you're waiting in line in the cold at 4am, outside of Walmart, Best Buy, or Target: thank goodness for automated supply chain management systems! It wasn't too many years ago that employees were doing inventory counts by hand and sending them to suppliers, leaving plenty of room for error, which could lead to either a shortage or overstock of a certain product. (I'd be pretty annoyed if I had gotten up at 3am to go get that flatscreen tv, only to discover someone had written down a wrong number, and not enough flatscreens were shipped to the store to satisfy the estimated Black Friday demand!)

Webinar: Global Trade Initiatives & Capabilities
December 2, 2010 at 4 – 5PM, EST

Following the AberdeenGroup’s research with 136 enterprises from September and “regarding growth and complexity in global trade operations, we can see that changes in trade lanes, shifts in trade volume and increases in overall supply chain complexity have combined to place a renewed focus on the concept of global trade management and compliance,” said Bob Heaney, senior research analyst of supply chain management at Aberdeen.

Please join AberdeenGroup and distinguished industry executives (topic areas are considered sensitive and company names are not disclosed) as they discuss global trade management initiatives and practices within their enterprises around FTZ, Restricted Party Screening, 10+2 and other initiatives. Key topic areas covered in the recent report will also be highlighted.

U.S. Commerce Secretary, Gary Locke, hosted a meeting for North America's Industry Ministers. Tony Clement, Canada’s Minister of Industry, and Bruno Ferrari, Mexico’s Secretary of Economy, were in attendance. They discussed the importance of trilateral cooperation on issues such as the National Export Initiative. The leaders agreed to identify ways to encourage small and medium-sized firms to export their goods and services. Secretary Locked added:

Inbound Logistics recently published 10 tips from Nathan Pieri, SVP of Marketing and Product Management at Management Dynamics, on how to cut costs from your logistics budget. By reviewing your processes, and applying these tips below, you'll be on the road to a slimmed-down budget in no time.

Since President Obama unveiled The National Export Initiative there has been a renewed focus on global trade management and compliance. AberdeenGroup has invited distinguished industry executives to discuss global trade management initiatives and practices within their enterprises around Foreign Trade Zones, Restricted Party Screening, 10+2, and other initiatives. They will also highlight the following key topic areas:

China's Ministry of Commerce has announced that it has decided to extend antidumping and antisubsidy investigations into US-made off-road vehicles and sedans with an engine displacement of 2.0 liters and above. The extension is for six months, until May 6, 2011. China launched the probes on November 6, 2009, after the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers complained that US car makers had unfairly benefited from 31 government subsidy programs.

This video from SupplyChainBrain features interviews with industry analysts and experts, and discusses ways in which GTM can reduce costs and bring ROI to a company's supply chain processes. Topics include procurement, transportation, costs containment, and managing free trade agreements.

In the Manufacturing & Logistics IT article, On time, on target, the authors spoke with a variety of key players within the transportation management systems and services market about the scope of solutions currently available and how they can enhance operational efficiencies for today’s increasingly demanding logistics professionals.

The market is now so competitive, that companies have no room for error in their logistics operations. Manufacturers and logistics providers alike need to ensure that they are delivering the correct goods, in good condition, to the proper customers in a timely fashion. There is also a push to be as "green" as possible, and all the while keeping costs down. This is a nearly impossible feat to achieve without some type of automated solution.

In this recent Consumer Goods Technology article, The State of Supply Chain Execution, industry thought leaders, including Management Dynamics CEO Jim Preuninger, give their opinions on today's challenges and trends affecting supply chain execution.

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), implemented in 1994, created the world’s largest free trade area, stimulating exports between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico by eliminating tariffs and creating international rights for business investors. NAFTA ultimately produced sales of $17 trillion, establishing a model that was adopted globally. For new members, however, managing the red tape can be daunting and potentially risky.

For those of you who have the Trade Compliance Blues, here's a song and a video.

Given the advantages of NAFTA and other free trade agreements, exporters and importers seek to widen the advantages of reduced duty impact by participating in trade agreements.

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