Tackling 3PL Cross Border Customs Compliance - The Story of How Optimization Became My Superpower

My first role as in-house trade compliance for an Importer/Exporter was with Green Mountain Coffee Roasters.  Import/Export, eCommerce, 3PL Logistics, all over a mix of commodities and regulatory requirements (Food/Beverage, Hard goods, Consumer electronics etc).  

Navigating workflows when the majority of logistics and distribution was handled by 3rd Party Logistics partners was a challenge, especially in a high volume cross border eCommerce environment.  This is where my love affair with data and optimization was formed.  

The Problem:  Ensuring that every product offered on the web was properly classified, contained country of origin, and customs value.  New product SKUs entered the mix weekly, with 6000+ unique parts in total.  Speed to market especially in North America was nearly instantaneous, trade data integrity and workflows were the make or break point.

The Process:  I quickly learned that most, if not all, of the supply chain automation tools and systems were not in our house. The data of course came from our ERP, but the next steps were all handled by the 3PL’s warehouse management system (WMS).  Discovering how the process worked first hand was where the magic happened.  Onsite visits with the 3PL management team, IT, and directly on the floor with the teams picking and packing our international orders was where I experienced breakthrough.  Watching the process and documenting the challenges provided insights into how our systems needed to operate in order to optimize the mass consolidations and proper documentation for international customs clearance. 

The Outcome:  Embedding trade data into existing order feeds brought visibility and a tactical approach to remedying inevitable holes in the data.  As we worked through the hiccups, we refined the process through lessons learned.  We created auditing tools that allowed us to stay ahead of new product SKUs, making sure that HTS, COO, and Value were present in the master data and that 100% of international orders had the data required for smooth entry processing and ZERO holds at the border.  We created workflows to handle promotions, communicating with marketing and our subsidiaries to ensure that sales of “Free” products were properly valued for Customs. Data made the difference, people and process made it a success.

Over the past two decades, I’ve had the privilege of transforming trade compliance and supply chain strategies into tangible results for clients across manufacturing, consumer products and defense. Today, as the founder of Evolution Trade Solutions LLC, I apply these lessons to help businesses discover efficiencies and mitigate risks in global trade. 

I’m Michelle, I find adventure and joy in creating and collaborating with all levels of the business, pushing what’s possible through boots-on-the-ground evaluation of processes and desired outcomes. Let’s connect!  Happy to schedule a 30 min call to discuss your specific challenges and how I can help.