Pinary’s Licensed Customs Brokers Translate Regulations Into Compliant Procedures

Along with the economic benefits of globalization comes a critical need for multinational enterprises to ensure trade compliance. Today, corporations must contend with an ever-greater and often-changing set of rules and regulations that control import and export processes. Failure to comply with the regulations can lead to sanctions, fines and penalties, shipment delays, inquiry/audit by government agencies, and loss of employment—or even jail time for culpable employees.

ERP systems such as SAP have made global trade easier by utilizing existing product, process, financial, and customer master data in their Global Trade Services (GTS) module to reduce risk and improve import and export process efficiency. However, to obtain the full benefit from your ERP data you need consultants who understand the fundamentals of a successful implementation. The best global trade compliance consultants know that a successful GTS implementation requires both technical and business skills. Pinary takes that approach. Our employees have in-depth knowledge of GTS functionality and when, where, and how that functionality is best applied. Our consultants invest time to gain a comprehensive understanding of your business model so we can tailor GTS to you.

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Licensed Customs Brokers Bring Import/Export into Perspective

To achieve the greatest benefit you’ll need not only the technical skills and experience of an experienced GTS implementation team, but that team should also include a licensed customs broker (LCB). At Pinary, our licensed customs brokers understand SAP GTS and its functionalities, so we know where and how to apply it based upon a thorough understanding of your import and export business processes. Because our licensed customs brokers are experts in international trade, our understanding of the industry pinpoints the areas needed to ensure GTS implementation is successful and meets your needs.

Licensed customs brokers help established organizations reduce risk and improve efficiency of import and export procedures and operational processes. They can also provide guidance during mergers and acquisitions by evaluating past and current global trade practices of acquired companies and identifying potential post-merger risks. This will not only help the merger avoid snags, but also lessen down time as the acquisition is integrated.

You Need a Licensed Customs Broker on Your GTS Implementation Team

At Pinary, our licensed customs brokers have in-depth technical knowledge of SAP GTS and practical knowledge of international trade rules and regulations that affect your business. As part of an implementation team, our licensed customs brokers bridge the gap between the government regulations and the GTS functionality that allows you to achieve compliance in your daily operations.

As part of Pinary’s implementation teams, our LCBs take the following approach in applying the appropriate GTS functionalities to your import and export processes to ensure you achieve compliance:

Understand Your Business

  • Conduct an in-depth analysis of your import and export business.
  • Provide guidance on proper product classifications, license determination, financing, records retention, and trade agreements that may reduce import and export costs.
  • Understand valuation, from source to finished product, allowing you to accurately calculate duties.
  • Identify and provide guidance on potential risks and liability, even ones you may not be aware of, across all lines of business involved in your global trade processes.
  • Work with system architects to integrate and configure GTS features relevant to your business needs, ensuring you have the functionality you’ll need daily.

Identify Regulations and Resources

These specific benefits provided by our licensed customs brokers complement Pinary’s comprehensive SAP GTS implementation strategy. It’s based on an analytic, systematic approach to identifying variables and unknowns in your import/export processes well in advance, to mitigate them and ensure success.

Benefits of a Licensed Customs Broker

By employing the professional skills and experience of a licensed customs broker as part of your GTS implementation team, you can expect the following benefits:

Strengthened compliance policies across all lines of business involved in processing shipments.

Significantly reduced risk of fines, penalties, and sanctions.

Detailed documentation regarding compliance policies, procedures, and processes that have been implemented.

Complete knowledge transfer via detailed documentation and training of administrators and users.

Lower processing costs through matching the appropriate GTS capabilities and government resources to your import and export processes.

Pinary provides these and many other benefits that equate to reduced risk and improved import/export process efficiency, the result of our sustained focus on compliance and global trade consulting.

Choose an SAP Partner Who Knows the Value of Licensed Customs Brokers

When looking for the best global trade compliance services, choose an experienced SAP partner like Pinary who understands the value a licensed customs broker brings to a GTS implementation project. SAP GTS is powerful in its ability to streamline import and export processes and help organizations comply with trade regulations. To harness the full potential of GTS, you’ll need an experienced implementation partner with experienced LCBs on the team. Our licensed customs brokers bring practical guidance to new implementations and can also advise on the compliance requirements associated with integration or implementation resulting from mergers, acquisitions, or new partnerships.

Pinary, Inc. is an SAP Partner and strategic champion partner of the American Association of Exporters & Importers (AAEI). We have 20-plus years of implementation experience with a special focus on GTS. We recognize the value that licensed customs brokers bring to our team and consider this a true differentiator. If you plan to implement SAP GTS, currently struggle with a prior implementation, or seek guidance in expanding your global trade reach, contact us today to see how we can help. We’re focused on helping you realize the greatest benefit from SAP GTS while reducing risk and improving import and export efficiency.