Global Trade Seminar Highlights Financial Returns for Retailers

JOC Staff |

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ, May 29, 2013 – Presenters at a recent retail seminar focused on global trade management best practices highlighted significant cost savings opportunities in the areas of First Sale and duty drawback.

“First Sale savings within the first five years is typically 10 to 20 percent on duties,” said Laura Siegel Rabinowitz, of counsel, Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg. “First Sale bases the duty rate on what the manufacturer paid for the goods rather than on a middleman’s markup price, which is what Customs duties are typically assessed on.”

“Duty drawback can offer as much as a 99 percent refund of import duties, taxes or fees,” said Dawn Olesky, director, drawback operations, Sandler & Travis Trade Advisory Services. “With duty drawback, you have the ability to lower costs to customers and therefore should increase sales,” she noted.

The seminar, hosted by Amber Road, a leading provider of global trade management (GTM) solutions, and Sandler & Travis Trade Advisory Services, a leading provider of customs and international trade consulting services, took place in New York City on April 17th and was attended by representatives from many of the world’s best known retail brands.

Speakers from both the public and private sector included:

- Robert E. Perez, director, field operations, New York Field Office, U.S. Customs and Border Protection

- Marianne Rowden, president and CEO, American Association of Exporters and Importers (AAEI)

- Luiz Felipe de Seixas Corres, consul general, Brazil

- Ty Bordner, vice president, product management and solutions consulting, Amber Road

- and Anu Gavini, senior vice president, consulting services, Sandler & Travis Trade Advisory Services

“The benefits of using a GTM solution include reducing inventory, decreasing cycle times and reducing safety stock and expedited freight,” said Bordner, who noted some typical reductions included a five to eight percent reduction in transportation costs; 10 to 15 percent reduction in cycle stock inventory; and four to seven days’ compression in order cycle times.

Bordner and Gavini spoke on effectively managing global trade by uniting technology with services. “Software doesn’t replace the user,” said Bordner, who noted that a big retail trend he has seen in recent years around Customs compliance is centralizing operations and bringing back shared services.

Other topics covered were U.S. legislative and regulatory updates (Rowden); doing business in Brazil (de Seixas Corres); and the underlying principles of key initiatives from Customs & Border Patrol (Perez).

In June, Amber Road and Sandler & Travis will be hosting a joint webinar revisiting “Financial Returns in Global Trade,” discussing cost savings strategies including duty drawback, First Sale rule, etc. More information on the webinar can be found at: http://bit.ly/ROIofCompliance.

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About Sandler & Travis Trade Advisory Group

Sandler & Travis Trade Advisory Services (STTAS) is a leading provider of customs and international trade consulting and managed services provider to the public and private sectors. STTAS manages global trade operations for many of its Fortune 500 customers today. For more informaiton, please visit www.strtrade.com or call (248) 474-7200.

About Amber Road

Amber Road provides a single, on-demand platform that automates and streamlines global trade. By helping organizations to comply with country-specific trade regulations, as well as plan, execute and track global shipments, Amber Road enables goods to flow unimpeded across international borders in the most efficient, compliant and profitable way.

For more information, please visit www.AmberRoad.com or call (201) 935-8588.

Media Contact

Kathleen Hickey

202 607 7553

KathleenHickey@AmberRoad.com

Amber Road Contacts

Annika Helmrich (US & Canada)

201 623 9471

AnnikaHelmrich@AmberRoad.com

Martijn van Gils (Europe & Asia)

31 (0) 207997790

MartijnvanGils@AmberRoad.com

Sandler & Travis Trade Advisory Services Contact

Rachel Pisani

(703) 203-4961

rpisani@strtrade.com