(Reprinted with permission from IOMA'S
Report on Managing Exports, June 2003)
ME’s
latest survey of export software products that readers are using
contains valuable information for export managers who are planning
on automating aspects of their export operations. Among our
respondents, 27.9% report using standalone export software in
their operations. We also asked which software program is currently
being used (see below).
It might initially seem surprising that just
one-third of responding export pros are using such software,
until one takes into account the answer to our third survey
question: Are you using the Internet? To this question, fully
78.4% of respondents answered in the affirmative. Since the
greatest recent proliferation of export software products has
been Webbased, it’s clear that the great majority of our
respondents are taking advantage of either standalone or Internet-based
technology to automate their export functions—lowering
costs and gaining efficiencies.
Four Top Providers
in ME Survey
When asked which program they are
now using, 30% of survey respondents cited InterMart's Shipping
Solutions software (1-888-890-SHIP; www.shipsolutions.com),
making this the runaway favorite among ME readers
responding to the survey. These results also give
some added heft to Shipping Solutions’
claim to being “America’s Number One Export Documentation
Software.” In second place—at 10% of respondents—was
Vastera, which markets modules that automate everything from
documentation and compliance to logistics and collections.
At 7% of respondents, and in third place,
is Exits Inc.’s Global Wizard for Export Documentation.
In fourth place, cited by 3% of respondents, is Export Prowriter
5.0 software from Export Forms Co. Smaller numbers of respondents
are using a range of other products.
Four Solutions: Low-Cost
to High-End
Since the four most popular products in ME’s
survey cover a wide range of export automation products—from
the very economical to the very high-end—we describe their
features in some detail below. The features offered by these
four give export pros a good idea of what is available within
various price ranges.
1) Shipping Solutions (a
division of InterMart: email: info@intermart-inc.com)
offers two basic export documentation products. Shipping
Solutions Classic is designed for smaller or
new-to-export firms and costs only $295 ($795 for the network
version). The software runs on a desktop computer using Microsoft
Windows.
Shipping Solutions
2000 is aimed at midsize and more frequent exporters
and is an AES-certified filer. The software includes an Integration
Utility that allows you to link Shipping Solutions 2000
with your company’s
accounting, order-entry, or ERP system. The standard version
costs $995 and runs on a 133 MHz or higher Pentium. If your
firm utilizes more than one person to complete export documents,
the network version allows you to install the program on up
to four workstations for $2,495 (additional licenses are available
at $250 per workstation).
The Shipping Solutions’
Website
allows easy comparison between the two products, and export
pros can download demo versions to try them out.
2) Vastera’s products are on the high
end in terms of cost, at $65,000 to $130,000, but for that kind
of investment you get full global trade management of export
operations, from order to fulfillment. Vastera’s TradeSphere
Solutions is a scalable, Web-native, integrated solution. TradeSphere
Exporter, one of its modules, automates and integrates all features
of export management, including export requirements and controls,
trade regulations, shipping documentation, language barriers,
preferential trade programs, and statistical reporting.
The Web site features an elaborate online demo, and Vastera
also offers a wide range of other trade products, from consulting
to training to global trade content. Exporters can choose to
license Vastera technology from the provider, access it in a
hosted environment, or allow Vastera to manage the complete
process.
3) Exits Inc.’s Global Wizard for Export
Documentation, now out in Version 8.1, lets export pros prepare
30 standard export documents, e-mail documents, consolidate
invoices, file SEDs electronically (the provider is a licensed
AES filer), invoice in foreign currency, duplicate previous
transactions, generate reports by country, place your product
corporate logo on documents, and access a Help Desk. The single-user
cost is just $700. For up to 12 users, the LAN version’s
cost is $2,200. A free demo can be downloaded from the site.
5) Export Forms Co.’s Export Prowriter
5.0 Software automates export documentation, using only the
forms supplied by the provider. The software allows export pros
to copy a previously completed form and make the necessary changes
when preparing shipments, saves completed forms for later review,
calculates extensions and invoice totals, and has a field-specific
Help Program. The database allows you to save pertinent customer
and product information and transfer your keyed data from one
form to another.
Questions to Ask
When shopping for a product, export pros should ask the following
questions. Is the software userfriendly? Can you get online
help? Does the product audit and identify discrepancies in transactions?
Does it have the capacity to send to Customs? What are the software’s
compliance features? Is the product compatible with your company’s
existing computer systems?
© Copyright IOMA INC.
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By Catherine
J. Petersen email
| bio
A customer service representative recently approached me at a
seminar and told me about a phone conversation she had with one
of her U.S. customers who was looking to export a product they
sell. Her customer asked if she had an ECCN for her product since
it seemed to be a “dual use” item that might need
an export license.
She needed help understanding what her customer meant.
According to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), part
730.3, dual use is used to distinguish those products covered
by the EAR from those that are covered by the regulations of other
U.S. government departments and agencies with export licensing
responsibilities.
The Bureau of Industry & Security (BIS) is the agency responsible
for administering export control laws and safeguarding U.S. national
interests, including dual-use technologies.
The BIS maintains controls on exports from the United States
and re-exports of U.S.-origin items from foreign destinations.
The controls are on strategic commodities and technical data to
prevent their diversion to hostile countries.
The United States participates in four multilateral control regimes
that enhance the effectiveness of its export controls:
BIS implements U.S. foreign policy controls such as crime control,
antiterrorism and regional stability and is responsible for export
controls on terrorist countries. BIS also administers export controls
to protect the United States from the adverse impact of the unrestricted
export of commodities in short supply (e.g. some crude oil, other
petroleum products, and unprocessed western red cedar).
Gumbo Rubber Company, 65531 Gumbo Road, Fremont,
California, regularly exports a variety of rubber insulators and
connectors for electric fencing, power lines and facilities. Some
of their customers request specific modifications. These customers
operate nuclear power plants.
If the item is to be used in a nuclear power
plant, then the exporter must investigate the regulations that
cover dual use items. These would include, but may not be limited
to, the Export Administration Regulations, regulations under the
control of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the Department
of Energy regulations.
It is important for each firm to develop an export compliance
procedure and policy that all employees will follow to avoid violation
of the regulations.
