ACE Group said it launched its ACE Global Export Protection enhanced risk management proposition for companies in Continental Europe. It said midsized businesses in Europe are expanding their export footprint, but that increases risks. The Global Export Protection provides tailored and flexible export liability coverage for companies that supply products from their manufacturing locations in Continental Europe, including Central and Eastern Europe, it said. It said benefits include worldwide jurisdiction protection, vendors indemnity cover, catastrophe management cover, and limits of up to €100 million.
Kone Inc. said it joined CBP's Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, after evaluation of its international supply chain security measures. The result will be reduced inspection time for imports, and a customs account manager for supply chain security, training and information sharing, it said.
The Intellectual Property (IP) chapter in a final Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal must ensure trade secret protection and violation enforcement, along with extended regulatory data protection for biologic medicines and traditional pharmaceutical products, said National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) Senior Director, Christopher Moore, in a Nov. 19 post (here). Improvement of trade secret domestic laws and international agreement provisions are critical, due to the ever-increasing value of trade secret protection, said Moore.
Members of the Footwear Distributors and Retailers Association (FDRA) continued to push Congress to seek a reduction in footwear import duties within the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations during recent meetings on Capitol Hill, FDRA said in a press release. The group "asked for a reduction in duties on footwear from the current Smoot Hawley Act tariffs and for sensible rules of origin that will allow the footwear industry to take advantage of Vietnam as a potential manufacturing hub," it said. FDRA member company representatives from Nike, Rack Room Shoes, Foot Locker and others met with officials from the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means Committees Oct. 29-30, the association said.
NEW YORK - The U.S. Association of Importers of Textiles & Apparel changed its name to the U.S. Fashion Industry Association (USFIA), the group announced at its annual conference in New York on Nov. 6. The name and logo change is meant to reflect an evolving industry, said Julie Hughes, president of USFIA. The group's work for the industry will not change, but it will have a "better outfit," she said. The group "was instrumental in eliminating the global apparel quota system and the "industry has increasingly globalized since then, and new challenges arise every day," the association said on its website. While "the association has evolved with our members to address these new challenges," until now, the brand has not been updated, it said. The rebranding has been the association's major project for 2013 and will "more clearly communicate our purpose and direction for the future," it said.
Rogers & Brown will increase its customs brokerage fees as of Dec. 1 as a result of added security filing requirements, the company said. The company will up its Importer Security Fee "from our standard $25 to $35 per filing" and "Security/Compliance Fee from $10 to $15," it said. "As the import trade community should well be aware, security filing requirements have increased steadily since our last fee review in 2010. Rogers & Brown has constantly made the necessary adjustments within our staff and systems to complete the steps required. However, our service fees have remained unchanged."
The National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America will soon be rolling out a new logo and brand mark, said Position:Global, the company that developed the new looks. More information on the logo is (here).
Congress should renew the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) by the end of 2014 for at least 15 years, a number of retail and apparel groups said in an Oct. 17 press release. The release comes a group made up of African Cotton and Textile Industries Federation, American Apparel and Footwear Association, National Retail Federation, Outdoor Industry Association, the Retail Industry Leaders Association and the U.S. Association of Importers of Textiles and Apparel.
Faruqi & Faruqi is investigating "potential claims" against the Lumber Liquidators' board of directors by company shareholders over possible Lacey Act violations, the firm said in a press release. "The investigation concerns actions by Lumber Liquidators' Board of Directors that have caused the Company to allegedly violate the federal Lacey Act relating to the allegedly illegal importation of lumber from China and Russia," the press release said. ICE and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service executed a sealed search warrant on Sept. 26 at the company's Toana and Richmond, Va., corporate offices (see 13092716).
Livingston International completed its purchase of Canada-based Advantex Express, Livingston said Oct. 16. The purchase includes assets from the transportation services and customs brokerage firm’s U.S. entities, Advantex Express and Andina Group International, collectively known as Advantex. The two companies announced an agreement in July (see 13072611). The purchase price wasn't disclosed.