Passages

Exporting is something that should be taken seriously, no matter the size of your company. To do that, you may need to hire a professional to manage the process and ensure it’s being done correctly. In many situations, hiring an export coordinator for that role can be an important part of that process.

We spoke with Niall Lynchehaun, managing director at Midland Stone, and Richard Clews, founder of pantsandsocks.com and a former export coordinator, to learn more about the role of an export coordinator and how to identify when you need to hire one for your business.

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When it comes to export compliance, creating export documents, or, really, anything in the exporting realm, it’s definitely possible to do the work manually.

If you’re conscientious, thorough and pay attention to the universe surrounding what you’re trying to do—including changes in export regulations and general news—you certainly can do it all manually.

But...

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In the wake of the Russian military’s invasion of Ukraine beginning February 2022, the United States, the European Union and countries around the world are enacting retaliatory sanctions on Russia. This includes new restrictions imposed by the U.S. on exports of items to Russia that could be used in Russian energy and industrial activities.

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When exporting goods valued at more than $2,500 per Schedule B number to anywhere other than Canada, companies usually must file their export information electronically to the Automated Export System (AES) through the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) prior to the goods leaving the country.

But what if AES or ACE is not working? That's when the AES Downtime Policy may be activated, and you can still ship if you meet certain conditions and if you follow the specific procedures.

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Unless you handle all parts of the export process by yourself, being an exporter means coordinating the efforts of a team of people within and outside your company to ensure your goods reach their final destination on time, on budget, undamaged and without surprise.

That’s hard enough when everyone is working in the same office. But when you are working with a remote team, you face new challenges.

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Passages. We use them to move from one place to the next. We highlight them when we read to further our understanding of the world. We note them in our journals to remember where we've been and where we are headed.

Passages are an opportunity to move forward, improve our knowledge and prepare for what's next. That's why we've renamed our blog, Passages: The International Trade Blog. We want the name to reflect our goal to provide information that people involved in international trade can use to help solve a particular problem, get a better understanding of the import-export landscape, and move their careers forward.

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I recently got a call from someone trying to gain a better understanding of the differences between standard and routed export shipments (also called routed export transactions) and how responsibilities change when dealing with routed export shipments. 

Then, I got another call, and then an email or two, and so on—so perhaps you have these questions as well. Let me explain.

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Companies large and small must be attentive to their export processes to ensure compliance with any relevant regulations that govern their business. This keeps you out of trouble with customs authorities at home and abroad, and it makes financial sense for your business to run as smoothly as possible by minimizing any risks that could affect your bottom line.

Today’s article outlines nine key activities that demonstrate you are a trade compliance professional who takes export compliance seriously.

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Have you ever stopped and really paid close attention to something in your environment, thinking it’s new or novel, only to realize it’s something you see every day? For me, once I’ve seen it, I feel like I see it everywhere.

If we look at exporting specifically, this happens all the time with the term n.e.s., or “not elsewhere specified.” You probably don’t recognize how prevalent the term is until you see it—or are called out because of it. From then on, you’ll see it everywhere.

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One of my favorite aspects of working with our customers is getting their feedback about the export processes and systems they use and love. However, there are some instances when I hear things that make me cringe.

This is especially true when I’m talking to people about export compliance. Too often I hear: “We don’t have to worry about compliance because our items are EAR99.”

Facepalm.

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