China Negotiations Take Center Stage Two issues consumed the headlines in Washington last month – funding for a wall at the border with Mexico and the continuing negotiations with China on trade. Other trade issues such as free trade agreements with Canada, Mexico, Japan, the European Union, and even Brexit were swept off the stage here in the Nation’s Capital. […]

Now Can We Talk About Trade? The Cherry Blossoms are out, and so is the Mueller Report. Spring has finally come to your Nation’s Capital. There were hopes in the international commerce community that release of the Report on possible collusion with Russia would allow a return to focus on broader issues facing Congress and the Administration. Unfortunately, both branches […]

Down To The Wire Although the 2020 Presidential election may seem far off at the moment, it is already having an impact on the Congressional schedule for legislation, including trade agreements. Just one month ago, President Trump told lawmakers that he is intent on trying to get a new trade agreement between the United States, Mexico, and Canada implemented before […]

FTZs:  Avoiding The Crossfire  The events of the past month were an unprecedented one for trade. It seems like we’ve reported those words a lot recently, but last month also confirmed many of the reasons that companies that rely on a steady stream of imports should rely on the foreign-trade zone program. Like the stock market, the staff here at […]

CFS Is The New FTZ: Container Freight Stations (CFS) are replacing FTZs as the must-have supply chain tool for e-commerce fulfillment. Because a CFS can be little more than a cross-dock operation, communities with e-commerce distribution facilities stand to lose jobs overseas unless action is taken soon to allow FTZs to process shipments that qualify for the de minimus (Section […]

ISCM Welcomes Melissa Irmen! Decades of trade technology experience. Leading industry expert on FTZ PGA filing. Officer of the National Association of Foreign-Trade Zones. Process and change management consultant. Integration Point employee #3. Noted author and speaker on issues regarding ACE implementation. Trainer sought after on a broad range of issues related to trade compliance and the use of technology […]

At the beginning of last month, trade was on the tip of everyone’s tongue in your Nations’ Capital. Fresh negotiations were getting traction with Japan and India, and the world was looking forward to the possibility of reduced tensions coming out of the meeting of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. That all changed with […]

Maybe We Should Talk Baseball Instead  The Washington Nationals Baseball Team surprised everyone this week with a stunning 6-2 victory over the Houston Astros in Game 7 to win the World Series.  For at least 48 hours, the team changed the DC news feed to something positive.  During the playoffs the Nationals went 5-0 in elimination games and were eight […]