Livingston International will be one of the nine customs brokerages to test CBP's broker importer security assessment (ISA) pre-certification program, the company said in a press release. UPS and A.N. Deringer also recently said they would test the program (see 13081415 and 13081610). CBP declined to provide the names of the other participants, but said it would release them soon.
According to poll results released Aug. 20 by the American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce U.S., senior executives are optimistic about future U.S. investment in Southeast Asia, with 91 percent of 475 respondents expecting investment and trade to increase in the coming five years. But the respondents expressed concern over regional corruption, burdensome laws and regulations, infrastructure inferiority and customs procedures. Respondents said they expect the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) to provide significant potential for business growth.
The global importation of wood chips has increased over the past 10 years, reaching the “second highest import levels on record in 2012” at just over 31 million tons, according to the Wood Resources Quarterly market report. The report indicated that the 2012 global chip trade was valued at over $5 billion, “slightly below the all-time high in 2011.”
A.N. Deringer will be one of the nine customs brokerages to test CBP's broker importer security assessment (ISA) pre-certification program, the company said in a press release. UPS also recently said it would be a participant in the program (see 13081415). CBP declined to provide the names of the other seven participants, but said it would release them soon.
UPS will be one of nine customs brokerages testing CBP's broker importer security assessment (ISA) pre-certification program, the company said. The program, announced in April (see 13041623), is hoped to make use of customs broker relationships to increase importer participation within ISA. CBP didn't return a request for comment on whether other participants have been announced.
The Justice Department filed a civil antitrust lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to stop the planned merger between US Airways Group and AMR Corp., the parent company of American Airlines, the DOJ said in a press release. The merger, "which would result in the creation of the world’s largest airline, would substantially lessen competition for commercial air travel in local markets throughout" the U.S., said the DOJ. The suit was joined by attorneys general from Washington, D.C., Texas, Arizona, Florida, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia. Both airlines offer some cargo transport.
Kewill, provider of multimodal transportation software, announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire assets of Four Soft, an Indian software company with over 400 customers. The acquisition is expected to close in 90 days, according to an Aug. 10 Kewill press release. Bob Farrell, Kewill’s President and CEO, said the acquisition was part of the company’s “strategic plan to significantly grow the Kewill business over the next five years.” The completed acquisition will give Kewill “enhanced products, technology and domain skills” to enhance its “market leading position,” Farrell said.
The U.S. goods and services trade deficit registered at $34.2 billion in June, representing a decrease of nearly $10 billion from the $44.1 billion figure recorded in May. The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, through the Department of Commerce, released the June data on Aug. 6. Exports in June totaled $191.2 billion, while imports totaled $225.4, according to the 50-page report. The overall U.S. trade deficit decrease in June follows a nearly $5 billion increase in the deficit from April to May (see 13070324).
DHL Freight chose Marc Bernitt, previously a manager of KPMG Switzerland's Trade and Customs practice, as head of Customs Management, the company said in a press release.
Logistics solutions provider A.N. Deringer introduced new air freight forwarding services, the company announced on Aug. 1. The additional air services include services from Europe, throughout the Pacific Rim, and from Brazil to all points within the U.S. and Canada. Deringer said the added services are a natural extension to the provider’s growing LCL and FCL ocean services, which have allowed Deringer to “more closely partner with its overseas agents.” Matt Parrott, Deringer’s Director of Transportation, said the expansion was in response to customer demand. “Nationwide, there’s more demand for ocean transportation and that trend is certainly true within Deringer’s client base,” he said. “However, we’ve responded to customer demand, ensuring our air import services are more available, equally competitive, and offered with the same focus on customer service.”