FTZ’ine May 2020

We Could All Use Some Angels Right Now

The Blue Angels (and Thunderbirds) were in town this past weekend to salute the heroic work of first responders and health care workers around the country. The hospital flyover by the Navy and Air Force precision air teams provided a much-needed distraction in your Nation’s Capital.

Then it was back to reality. Employment losses not seen in 100 years. Negative prices for American crude oil. Death and infection rates that stubbornly refuse to subside. US – China relations degrade anew on trade and military fronts.

Despite a lack a clear improvement against the spread of the virus, various parts of the country are now working through the painful process of trying to restart their economies. This month’s issue chronicles several of the factors making this a difficult challenge. The FTZine staff hopes all will be well, and all will be vigilant.

Top Story: Deferral of Customs Duties Hard For FTZs To Access

On April 19th President Trump signed an Executive Order including a 90-day extension of the time to make certain payments to U.S. Customs. Most FTZs will have a difficult time accessing this deferral provision. Requirements under the Executive Order and the ensuing Temporary Final Rule issued by Customs and Border Protection include:

There will be no refunds of duties already paid;

The 90-day deferral just announced only applies to withdrawals for consumption for merchandise entered in March or April 2020;

An entry summary whose payment is deferred may not include any ADD/CVD or Section 201/232/301 merchandise;

To qualify, the gross receipts of the importer for March 13-31, 2020 or April 2020 must be less than 60 percent of the gross receipts for the comparable period in 2019;

The importer need not file additional documentation with CBP to confirm eligibility, but must maintain such documentation for possible CBP review

Tech Tip

Are you new to self-filing and want to make your own payments under CBP’s Periodic Monthly Statement (PMS) program? Even if your broker previously filed PMS payments, you still have some set-up work with CBP to make those same payments via PMS yourself.

Periodic Monthly Statement is a feature of the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) that simplifies the payment and collection of duties and fees. PMS allows users to consolidate duties and fees into a single payment the following month. That 15 – 45 day deferral can make your Finance department very happy. So, what do you need to do to get set up?

If you are switching to self-filing, you will need your own filer code from your local CBP office, and set up your Automated Clearinghouse (ACH) Debit or Credit account to permit payment directly to the U.S. Treasury. Then you must ask the ACE Help Desk to link your ACE Top Account to your new filer code if that has not been done already. Finally, you can then request that the filer code be activated for PMS. Have questions? We’re here to help. Contact us at Info@iscm.co.

Are Foreign-Trade Zones A Key To Reopening The Economy?

Relations Between US and China Show No Signs of Improving For FTZs

US Trading Partners Also Suffer In The Pandemic

US Land Borders Remain Closed to Non-Essential Traffic

The U.S. and Canada agreed to keep the northern border closed to nonessential travel for another 30 days.

FTZ Board Activity

Warehouse Specialists, LLC received approval for subzone status for its new facility as subzone 107D in Council Bluffs, Iowa. MORE
Mitsubishi Electric Automotive America, Inc. submitted an application for subzone status for its facility within FTZ 47 in Maysville, Kentucky. MORE
Ball Metal Beverage Container Corporation received the authorization of production activity for aluminum cans and briquettes within FTZ 277 in Goodyear, Arizona. MORE
BLU Products, Inc. submitted a notification of proposed production activity for cellular phones, accessories, and components within FTZ 32 in Doral, Florida. MORE
Northern Mississippi FTZ, Inc. received approval to reorganize Foreign-Trade Zone 266 under the alternative site framework with a service area of DeSoto County, Mississippi. MORE
Oldach Associates, LLC submitted an application for subzone status for its facility within FTZ 61 in Catano, Puerto Rico. MORE
Pacific Industrial Development Corporation submitted a notification of proposed production activity for zeolites, specialty alumina products, rare earth powders and aqueous solutions within FTZ 70 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. MORE
Waters Technologies Corporation received approval for subzone status for its new facility as subzone 27P in Milford, Massachusetts. MORE
Waters Technologies Corporation received authorization of production activity for chromatography tubing assemblies within FTZ 27P in Milford, Massachusetts. MORE
Oceaneering International, Inc. received authorization of production activity for sub-sea distribution parts and systems within FTZ 65 in Panama City, Florida. MORE
Winnebago Industries, Inc. received approval for subzone expansion for its facility in subzone 107A in Forest City and Charles City, Iowa. MORE
Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America, Inc. received authorization of production activity for forklift/work trucks and related subassemblies/kits within FTZ 84 in Houston, Texas. MORE
The Arizona Regional Economic Development Foundation submitted an application for the expansion of the alternative site framework service area of FTZ 139 in Sierra Vista, Nevada. MORE
Lilly del Caribe, Inc. submitted a notification of proposed production activity for pharmaceutical products within FTZ 7 in Carolina, Puerto Rico. MORE

We Could All Use Some Angels Right Now – The Blue Angels (and Thunderbirds) were in town this past weekend to salute the heroic work of first responders and health care workers around the country. The hospital flyover by the Navy and Air Force precision air teams provided a much-needed distraction in your Nation’s Capital.
Then it was back to reality. Employment losses not seen in 100 years. Negative prices for American crude oil. Death and infection rates that stubbornly refuse to subside. US – China relations degrade anew on trade and military fronts.
Despite a lack a clear improvement against the spread of the virus, various parts of the country are now working through the painful process of trying to restart their economies. This month’s issue chronicles several of the factors making this a difficult challenge. The FTZine staff hopes all will be well, and all will be vigilant.