What is the best department to oversee trade compliance? American Shipper’s recent report, “Import Operations and Compliance Benchmark Study: The Secrets of Import Success” suggests that best practice would be to have trade compliance reside in the compliance department. Their assertion makes sense at face value, but John Wainwright, Vice President of Customs Compliance at Leggett & Platt, made a compelling case for the procurement side of things in discussion with Steve Banker from ARC Advisory Group for Logistics Viewpoints earlier this week.
Leggett & Platt designs and produces engineered components used in industrial and consumer finished products. As a manufacturer, it makes the most sense for trade compliance to report up through procurement. And since Leggett & Platt has been using Amber Road’s Global Trade Management (GTM) solution for about ten years, the company has been able to remain compliant with changing regulations and a growing international supply chain. The solution has also made Leggett & Platt a much better partner to its suppliers, with increased visibility and easy filing through a secure online portal.
The Logistics Viewpoints article concludes:
“It is impossible to put an exact number on all this. But is it a better and cleaner procurement process, and there is big money in doing procurement better.”
Click here to read the entire feature at Logistics Viewpoints.
This post was published on August 6, 2013 and updated on February 11, 2015.
