If you’re looking for a New Year’s resolution that will impact your company’s bottom line, resolve to take control of your imports.
With a little effort and advanced planning, you can establish and follow a checklist to ensure that you avoid delays, keep import costs down and increase the visibility of your goods and services during shipment from overseas markets.
To begin, communicate your basic expectations with your importer and your shipping partner. You’ll want them to know you understand the importance of a clear process, that you will actively participate in that process for each shipment and that you are generally familiar with the applicable laws and regulations.
Your checklist may include the following:
- Clear and Accurate Labeling: The U.S. and foreign Customs and Border Protection agencies offer online documentation that describes import labeling requirements. Visit the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website to learn more about U.S. import guidelines.
- Proper Documentation: Every year more than 11 million containers are delivered to U.S. seaports, 11 million more by truck and nearly 3 million by rail. U.S. Customs is responsible for knowing what is inside those containers and collects revenue based on the content. Knowing the rules and following them is essential for our national security and as a safeguard to world trade. Without proper documentation your freight may be held, warehoused, or confiscated.
- Careful Packing: Simply relying on an importer to properly pack your freight can be costly and invite damage. Avoid water damage, breakage and theft by insisting that your freight be properly crated, shrink-wrapped and containerized by your standards, not the importer’s.
- Accurate Billing: If you want your shipment to arrive without delay, be sure to complete the invoice accurately and thoroughly. An incomplete or inaccurate invoice can cause delays and higher shipping costs.
- Visibility during Shipment: You’ll feel more secure and be able to determine schedules better if you know in real time the location of your shipment as it is transported to its final destination.
At ICAT Logistics Detroit, we share your concern about controlling imports and act as a partner to our clients to ensure that each step of the import process is successfully completed. While our “home team” stays in touch with our clients, we are in regular contact with our representatives all over the world who ensure that each step of your checklist is completed to your satisfaction.
We rely on clear communication with importers, our representatives and our clients and we help create detailed procedures for every shipment. We believe you should expect that level of service from a shipping partner.
We’re your custom shipping resource. Solutions to our customers’ most challenging issues are derived from decades of success in global logistics. https://www.icatlogisticsdtw.com/