A working group consisting of food, drug and device importers, customs brokers, express carriers and government representatives presented a lengthy list of recommendations to the Food and Drug Administration on how to improve its import process, during a Oct. 7 meeting of the CBP Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations (COAC). Trade members of COAC urged FDA to improve messaging and add new data elements and functionality to the Automated Commercial Environment, as well as allow for advance data submissions and improve outreach to the trade community.
Automated Commercial Environment (ACE)
The Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) is the CBP's electronic system through which the international trade community reports imports and exports to and from the U.S. and the government determines admissibility.
CBP will take up an Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of Customs and Border Protection (COAC) recommendation hoped to simplify and improve intellectual property rights (IPR) enforcement for the express consignment industry, the agency said in a document posted for the Oct. 7 meeting (here). CBP will provide a "proof of concept" to the UPS Louisville Port on Oct. 6, it said. "Through this process, CBP will offer the importer and U.S. ultimate consignee an abandonment option on detention notices for shipments detained by CBP on suspicion of trademark or copyright violations," said CBP's report on the IPR working group. "This change is expected to have a significant, yet positive impact on resources, as the express environment now accounts for more than half of all intellectual property rights seizures."
The Consumer Product Safety Commission should stick to its current system of requiring importers to provide certificates of compliance on an “on-demand” basis, industry representatives told CPSC staff at a workshop on Sept. 18. But should CPSC move forward with requiring importers to file certificates of compliance at time of entry, as proposed in May 2013 (see 13051018), the agency must ensure the program is fully integrated into existing supply chain processes and the Automated Commercial Environment, said several industry groups. CPSC must also revise its definition of importer of record to exclude customs brokers, others said. The commission should also work closely with CBP and the trade community to ensure it comes up with a rule that’s workable for both CPSC and industry, said industry representatives.
CBP posted the transcript (here) and presentation (here) from a Sept. 17 webinar on Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) air import manifest.
CBP Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske promoted Brenda Smith, who previously headed up the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) business office at the agency, as assistant commissioner in the Office of International Trade, CBP said in a Sept. 11 press release. Smith takes over for Rich DiNucci, who led the Office of International Trade in an acting capacity since Al Gina retired last year (see 13080802). DiNucci was moved to the Office of Field Operations, where he will be executive director of Cargo Conveyance and Security, said the agency.
CBP posted the transcript (here) and presentation (here) from a Aug. 26 webinar on Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) reports and exports.
CBP posted the transcript from a Aug. 13 webinar on advanced Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) reports.
CBP recently issued a Partner Government Agency (PGA) Message Set manual for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The manual includes CATAIR codes to be used by importers of motor vehicles and parts for submitting the required HS-7 declaration in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) Automated Broker Interface (ABI).
A technical issue in the Automated Commercial Environment affected entry summary processing on Aug. 12 from about 12:50 a.m. until 1:50 a.m., said CBP. Filers who submitted an ACE entry summary (AE) to ACE production during this time and did not receive an AX response should resubmit the AE to ACE, it said.
CBP posted a draft version of some frequently asked questions regarding ocean export manifests in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE). "The document represents a series of questions received from Ocean Export stakeholders," said CBP. "Where possible, CBP has provided a preliminary response to the various questions." The FAQs largely focus on technical issues. The agency stressed that the FAQs are a draft document and not an official regulatory document. "This document is a working vehicle for exchange of information between CBP and ocean industry stake holders during the development phases of the [Automated Export System] Export Manifest," it said. "At a future time, CBP may incorporate all or part of this document into an official Export Manifest FAQ document. Trade groups will be notified via CSMS of any such official publication; meantime this document is an evolving work in progress."