Customs Filing

Issues and Challenges

Across the world, filing information with customs is not an optional activity for importers. There are many different types of information required by customs agencies such as security information, manifest data, and the customs entry declaration. Over the years, due to a proliferation of both security and government agency regulations, the information needed to meet these requirements has created challenges in the market. Global security concerns have resulted in the need for customs to receive cargo data earlier in the supply chain process; while the proliferation of government agency regulations have required customs to collect more detailed data electronically.

Traditionally, importers have used customs brokers or other third parties to help fulfill these requirements. However, collecting the information and communicating it to a customs broker in a timely manner can be a daunting challenge. Keeping Global Trade Management (GTM) product master data, like harmonized classification numbers, “trade agreement” qualification statuses, and correct valuation data in sync with one or more customs brokers is difficult. Mistakes in this process can cause supply chain delays and or regulatory violations. Regulatory violations can result in financial penalties as well as customs audits. Customs audits often result in additional penalties and reduced customs ratings for the importer. Reduced ratings serve to slow the supply chain by forcing customs to perform additional physical inspections. A poorly managed process becomes the proverbial “vicious cycle”. Multiply these types of issues by the number of countries and number of customs brokers across the globe, and the problem becomes practically unmanageable.

How Amber Road Can Help

Amber Road's GTM Import solution manages all the information required by customs for a given country. The key to the solution is the ability to manage and maintain both the supply chain information and the country specific import data. Utilizing Amber Road's Global Knowledge database, the solution examines the import transaction, determines which import regulations are applicable, and then automatically combines product and partner master data with the supply chain transaction, to create an electronic version of the customs transaction. The importer has the option to send this electronic data to their customs broker or communicate it directly to the government system.

Amber Road currently supports direct import customs filing in over 10 countries in North America, Europe and Asia and has a product roadmap to add more as demanded by our customers.

The Amber Road solution digitizes the importer’s global supply chain and creates value by reducing third party fees, reducing labor costs, eliminating penalties and fines, and increasing the speed of the import supply chain.