March 2^nd, 2016 marked the one-year anniversary of Amber Road’s acquisition of ecVision. In the last year, we have made significant strides integrating our new Supply Chain Collaboration (SCC) solutions, into Amber Road’s Global Trade Management (GTM) suite and are excited about all of advancements to come.  

Lured by the promise of bigger sales, better access to consumers, and even their ultimate survival, wholesale brands are seeking new strategies to circumvent retailers and reach their customers directly. Over the past few months, some prominent apparel and footwear brands have announced plans to expand their own retail stores in the United States and other major global markets. 

Africa is considered uncharted territory for many companies seeking to diversify their supplier base. The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) legislation significantly enhances market access to the U.S. for qualifying Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. To take advantage of these new sourcing opportunities, you’ll need to come prepared.

Join me and a group of industry leaders as we discuss sourcing opportunities, challenges, and logistics in Africa at the AAFA Sourcing Conference on April 13-15 in New Orleans.  I’ll be joined by Maristella Iacobello, Vice President Customs Compliance and Government Relations at PVH Corp, and Brian Moore, Director of Apparel Sales at Maersk.

Last month, Amber Road set up shop in the bustling exhibit hall and attended some great retail presentations at the RILA Retail Supply Chain Conference in Dallas, TX. At this year’s conference, retail supply chain professionals from all over the country came together to exchange ideas and discuss what the future holds for this industry.

For the last three years, sourcing and supply chain executives have met for a full-day seminar in Hong Kong, listening to panels of experts discuss the most current trends in apparel and footwear sourcing. This year the event, originally facilitated by ecVision, the supply chain software provider acquired by Amber Road in 2015, was held on March 1^st with support from the US Fashion Industry Association along with other sponsors. 

Next month, Amber Road will be a sponsor at the IQPC Chief Supply Chain Officer Exchange in Rockwall, Texas on March 9-11. This event provides supply chain officers and senior supply chain leaders with valuable insights into optimizing emerging technologies to maximize omni-channel distribution, navigate global regulations and fine-tune best practices for collaboration.

As of early February, the Office of the United States Trade Representative and the other 11 countries involved with the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) have signed the agreement and are working to submit it over to Congress for approval within the year. Reaching across 40% of the world’s economy, the TPP stands to set high standards for trade and provide new and substantial market access for U.S. retail companies.

Today, securing the global supply chain is integral to preserving both the lives of people around the world, and maintaining the stability of the global economy. For that reason, solutions and processes need to become part of the supply chain organization in order to protect against disruption.

Amber Road is excited to announce the extension of the United States Fashion Industry Association’s (USFIA) Innovation Partnership into 2017. The USFIA and Amber Road partnership will help members understand the 21^st century’s challenges to global trade management, as well as develop innovative ways to educate and train the industry and grow future global leaders.

In today’s competitive sourcing environment, collaborative and strong supplier relationships deliver substantial benefits for manufacturers and suppliers alike. Supplier relationship management (SRM) initiatives are on the rise, and companies who successfully implement these programs can realize a significant return on their technology investments.