Maersk Customs Services USA and Altana Technologies have launched an AI enabled traceability system to assist customers with compliance on new legislation that increases the burden of proof on importers, requiring specific details on the inputs of the goods they import.
Under the new law, U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) will presume goods with inputs from certain listed regions under conditions not deemed acceptable as inadmissible into the United States and the importer will be forced to rebut that presumption with evidence.
“Importers have been stymied by the inability to obtain all the documents required by CBP in their rebuttal process,” said Mark Zeitlin, president of Maersk Customs Services USA. “This results in customs holds and extended delays in the supply chain that have material time and cost implications. Keep in mind, the U.S. has worldwide regulatory scope, so every supplier and their sourcing pattern is under review.”
To help deal with the situation, Maersk Customs has partnered with Altana, a New York-based technology company building infrastructure for trusted global commerce. Altana leverages its data and machine learning platform to help businesses illuminate their multi-tier value chain networks down to the facility level, situate their networks within a dynamic map of the global supply chain, engage across their networks with suppliers and regulators, and build trusted networks.
Altana recently released a study indicating that under the new U.S. law, almost 1 million companies have value chains that could trigger an import ban. CBP has already begun implementing the new legislation, targeting areas such as apparel, cotton, hair products, solar panels, coffee, silica-based products, tomatoes, computer parts, peeled garlic, stevia, soda ash, calcium chloride and caustic soda, malleable pipe fittings, tea, artificial flowers, rubber vulcanization accelerators, rubber gloves and electric fans.
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“Altana enables organizations to situate themselves within trusted trading networks by providing a clear line of sight across the global supply chain, from raw materials through manufacturing and delivery,” said Evan Smith, CEO of Altana. “Through our partnership with Maersk, we help businesses to source and import with confidence in a rapidly evolving regulatory landscape.”
Maersk Customs Services USA works with companies to ensure their international business is customs compliant and can manage the financial risk and opportunities associated with global shipments. In addition to customs, areas include trade consulting, duty drawback, digital and project services with a team of 40 licensed U.S. Customs Brokers and the expertise of former CBP leaders and staff. For European-based companies, customs services are offered through sister company KGH Customs.
The Altana platform renders billions of data points on companies, facilities and shipments in a shared source on the global supply chain, helping governments and businesses solve the most pressing challenges of globalization.