Press Coverage

Even with its dominance as the world’s biggest sourcing base and second largest consumer market, it has never been easy to conduct trade in China. But in June 2016, the China General Administration of Customs (GAC) started a pilot program in Shanghai which introduced nationwide customs clearance reform with the goal of national implementation by 2020. Kae-Por Chang, General Manager of China Trade Management at Amber Road, explains how to navigate these changes.

Product traceability has become a critical aspect of supply chains and global trade, with definitions that run the gamut depending on the industry or phase in the product lifecycle. Thomas Ng, General Manager of Supply Chain Business, discusses the most important aspects of a product traceability program.

With process automation, global companies can redice their foreign trade risks while ensuring legal compliance. Arne Mielken, Senior Trade Specialist at Amber Road, details the steps companies can take to ensure the free cross-border movement of goods.

In a sourcing environment where supplier diversification is paramount, it becomes more important for organizations to meet the stringent import and safety regulations across a range of countries. Leaders are taking advantage of government programs such as C-TPAT, AEO and J-AEO to ensure a secure supply chain and expedite shipment processing through border points. It isn't that easy to earn the coveted "golden ticket" from Customs, but Suzanne Richer’s advice can help you build out a supply chain network that meets the standards.

Many Canadian companies don’t see trade with United States as being “international.” But cross-border commerce adds several layers of complexity. To expedite shipments, Suzanne Richer, Director of Amber Road’s Global Trade Academy, recommends that companies become familiar with pre-clearance programs and other regulations.

Even though the rollout of the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) has had a bevy of delays, quicker and easier data access will benefit government agencies and the trading industry. Suzanne Richer, Director of Amber Road’s Global Trade Academy, reviews the updates that shippers will need to know to take advantage of the ACE Single Window program.

Sourcing professionals must be keyed into the constantly changing global regulatory requirements in order to ensure products are compliant in every region where they are sold. Gary Barraco, Director of Product Marketing at Ambr Road, explores how automation tools and solutions can help business’ successfully meet compliance requirements and avoid the associated sourcing risks.

Shippers now understand the value of automating shipment automation. Nathan Pieri, Chief Product Officer at Amber Road, explains how one visibility system can cut across many forwarders, suppliers and customers.

With the new EU Customs Code comes a new concept for German legal system: self-monitoring and self-assessment. Arne Mielken explores the advantages and disadvantages of this new Customs paradigm for the German economy.

Lured by the promise of bigger sales, better access to consumers, and even their ultimate survival, wholesale brands are increasingly looking to circumvent traditional retailers and reach their customers directly—with "direct-to-consumer selling" or DTC. Gary Barraco, Director of Product Marketing at Amber Road, details the steps that DTC retailers will need to take control of their supply chains and seize the opportunity to connect with customers.

As the annual freight rate contract negotiation process is underway, it is key that shippers fully evaluate options across carriers utilizing knowledge of historical changes and past performance in their trade lanes. Andrew Wigdahl, senior product manager at Amber Road, lays out three imperatives for managing carrier freight rates.

In a perfect world, your SCM or other application would fit the needs of your business perfectly in a so called “out-of-the-box” fashion. But, because the goal of these applications is to help diverse companies manage their businesses across the world, the volume and complexity of the requirements is high. It really is not possible to design an enterprise application that solves all possible needs for all companies in a given market.

The technology giant Siemens AG has selected specialist Amber Road’s global trade management solutions to optimize its trade in China.

Shippers grab hold of GTM solutions to streamline imports/exports, ensure trade law compliance, and keep shipments moving across borders everywhere on the planet. Gary Barraco details how collaboration with suppliers is key, too.

Part of doing business successfully is making sure you know exactly who your business partners are. Most world governments publish lists of parties that their citizens or residents are prohibited or restricted from doing business with. The United States alone publishes about 50 different lists containing such information, and keeping track of those lists is vital to global trade, according to Ty Bordner, vice president solutions consulting for Amber Road.

On May 1, 2016 the 2013 European Union (EU) Union Customs Code (UCC) Act will be in effect for importers and exporters trading in the EU. Suzanne Richer, Director of Amber Road’s Trade Advisory Practice discusses how important it is for companies to understand the new technology requirements and clearance processes.

Global supply chains are growing in complexity, yet remain vulnerable to a myriad of threats and hazards that damage businesses and threaten the global economy. Gary Baracco, Director of Global Product Marketing at Amber Road discuss how there needs to be a marked increase in proactive practices, starting with clear continuity plans in case of disruptions.

For food manufacturers and food trading companies with activities in the Asia-Pacific American region, it is worthwhile to study the treaty text of the TPP.

This feature appeared in a dual language Swiss publication. Click here for the German version and here for the French version.

The most important change in today’s global marketplace is the rapid increase in business-to-business e-commerce, which is expected to reach $6.7 trillion worldwide by 2020. As Amber Road CEO Jim Preuninger expresses, this opportunity represents a gold mine for companies that can capably meet the requirements of business buyers, a far more daunting task than selling to consumers.

Change is a constant in international trade. Make sure your global trade management software includes these four capabilities, and you'll be ready to meet to the latest requirements. Anthony Hardenburgh, vice president of global trade content, explains that a GTM solution must take on a product management role, merging the competing demands of imports, exports, tariffs, and laws.

When introducing new products, why hasn't total landed cost played a more prominent role in the vetting process? Gary Baracco, director of global product marketing at Amber Road, and Dan Gilmore, president of Trade Facilitators, Inc., discuss the factors that make landed cost calculations so difficult, and how technology can make them more manageable.

As familiarity with PLM’s capabilities has grown, so has the complexity of the supply chain as companies source materials and production around the world. Gary Barraco, director of product marketing at Amber Road, has seen strong interest in product testing and social compliance—but product testing is becoming more important now with the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol’s (CBP) Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) becoming the Single Window in December.

Apparel and textile companies could greatly benefit from reduced costs, improved global market competitiveness, fewer bureaucratic regulations and speedier inventory turnaround if foreign-trade zones (FTZs) were a part of their sourcing strategies, but many of the zones remain underutilized. Matt Robeson, FTZ Product Manager at Amber Road, further discusses the benefits of FTZ programs and ways U.S. companies can utilize FTZs to boost their bottom line.

The global aviation company has more than 20,000 partners and decided it needed to upgrade its restricted party screening process to reflect a much more complex regulatory environment.

It’s 10 years after Hurricane Katrina, yet its calamitous legacy lives on. What lessons can companies take from major supply chain disruptions—manmade and natural alike—and apply to help mitigate current and future disasters?

The focus today of most companies for importing is cost reduction. However, strategically addressing imports can enable a company to proactively improve import operations, reduce bottlenecks, grow profits and further add to the bottom line. Anthony Hardenburgh, Vice President of Global Content at Amber Road, touches on seven key pieces necessary to create a strategic importing approach.

Are you on the same page, in real-time, with your trading partners? That’s the promise of today’s supply chain collaboration software. Gary Barraco, senior director of supply chain solutions with Amber Road in East Rutherford, N.J., says good supply chain collaboration is about building communication links and connections among the trading network’s various parties.

Long, complex global supply chains – stretching across geographies and involving many players – represent a unique and difficult risk management challenge. A strong cargo security program requires a holistic approach covering such areas as commercial risks, natural disasters and political upheavals.

Apparel companies must be proactive in managing the complexities of testing and compliance or risk losing far more time and money on the back end in reacting to problems. Gary Barraco, Senior Director of Supply Chain Solutions provides insight into the complexities of testing and compliance for the apparel industry.

There is no cookie-cutter GTM solution and companies must take the time to perform a careful planning and analysis of their needs and vendor solutions to see the best results. Check out this article to learn what Ty Bordner, Vice President of Solutions Consulting at Amber Road, believes are the keys to selecting a GTM vendor.

Air and ocean cargo shippers can also play a proactive role in the war against cybercrime and terrorism, says Suzanne Richer, Director, Trade Advisory Practice, Amber Road. At the same time, she says, logistics managers can protect themselves and their supply chains.

The United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) selects Amber Road (NYSE: AMBR) as its Innovation Partner for 2015, the first partner of this kind. Amber Road has been a member of the association since 2013 and will serve as a key subject matter expert on utilizing innovative sourcing technologies to ensure compliance across the global supply chain.

Many would be surprised to learn the extent to which slavery is still present in global supply chains. In this video interview, Gary Barraco, Senior Director of Supply Chain Solutions with Amber Road, discusses the problem, and offers guidance on how companies can eliminate all forms of forced labor from their global operations.

Fueled by NAFTA, trade between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico is booming. But not knowing the nuances and fine print can be costly for U.S.-based business wishing to take advantage of burgeoning, neighboring markets. Suzanne Richer, director of Amber Road's trade advisory practice, describes how to best play the NAFTA transportation game.

The longer the supply chain - with more levels of suppliers, disparate geographies and other middle men - the more complex and challenging compliance becomes. Gary Baracco, vice president of sales - supply chain solutions at Amber Road, describes how enabling a holistic, integrated approach to managing global supplier risks can protect brand integrity, improve customer service levels and reduce global supply chain costs.

Organizations need in-house professionals to understand trade regulations and implement global supply chain strategies. That's why Amber Road launched the Global Trade Academy to enhance supply-chain management and logistics professionals' skill sets.

Amber Road has completed the acquisition of ecVision, a Hong Kong-based company specializing in global sourcing software, for $24M. ecVision is used by enterprises as far-reaching as Li & Fung, one of the biggest international brand companies in the world, and by luxury and specialty brands such as Calvin Klein, Timberland, The north Face and Tommy Hilfiger.

A few years ago, rising energy prices were the main concern of the oil and gas market. Today, the price of oil has dropped to its lowest levels in years. New markets, extraction breakthroughs, and shifting geopolitical relationships are also affecting financial returns. The resulting market volatility is forcing the energy sector to rein in costs by maximizing their supply chain efficiencies. Ty Border, vice president of solutions consulting at Amber Road, shares a few ways companies are optimizing their supply chains and creating more predictable financial returns.