Shipping Solutions Newsletter

Editor's Note: As Catherine J. Petersen discussed in last month's article about the Automated Export System, FedEx has issued a notice to all its international customers that it will no longer accept paper copies of the Shipper's Export Declaration (SED) after the end of this month. That means all of their customers will need to start filing their SED information electronically through AES.

Since that announcement, we have been inundated with calls from exporters asking how to register with and start using AES. In response to those calls, we are reprinting the following article from the October 2003 issue of the Shipping Solutions News.

One of the most significant changes in U.S. export regulations is the move away from the paper version of the Shipper’s Export Declaration (SED) to electronic filing of the information through the Automated Export System. If your company exports products that require an export license, you are already required to file the SED information electronically through AES. All other exporters will be required to do so probably by the end of 2005, although some carriers like FedEx are requiring their customers to file through AES prior to the end of the year.

Before you can file through AES, your company must register for the service at the AES Direct website. Once you are registered, you can use Shipping Solutions to file electronically with just a click of a button.

Registering for AES Direct

The AES Direct web page includes a lot of information about how AES works. AES recommends that you read the How To Register information as well as the Terms & Conditions for using the service before you complete the registration form.

In order to register for AES, you must first complete and submit the Registration Form by clicking on the link found near the top of the AES Direct web page. Following this link will take you to the AES Direct Registration Page. Click on the Register Now link below the “USPPI” title located near the top of the page.

Once you’ve reached the registration form, simply enter the information requested:

Company Information—Enter the name, tax ID, tax ID type, address, city, state and zip code for your company. (Your company only has to register once no matter how many people will be filing through AES from this location.)
Account Administrator—Your company must identify a person to administer your AES account. Enter that person’s contact information here. They will be responsible for creating and maintaining a permanent administrator code, changing the AES Direct password, overseeing the maintenance of the account and providing authorized users the updated password information.
Corporate Office—Enter the contact information for your company’s corporate office.
Other Information:
- Forwarding Agent or USPPI—Unless you are filing export information for other exporters, you should select the USPPI radio button.
- How do you plan to use AES Direct?—Select whether you plan to use AES as the primary method of filing your export information or if you will be primarily relying on filing paper SEDs (until that option expires) or having others file for you.
EDI Upload—If you will be using Shipping Solutions to file your export information through AES, you do not need to worry about the EDI upload option. (EDI uploads is a propriety interface between your company and the AES Direct servers that requires special software and may involve getting special permission from U.S. Census including on-site visits for approval. Since Shipping Solutions is already certified for AES Direct Weblink, you can skip this option and all the associated headaches.)
Submit Form—Enter your name and email address and check the two boxes that indicate you are providing accurate information and are willing to abide by the terms of usage for AES Direct, and then click on the Submit button.

As soon as the AESDirect account has been set up, the Account Administrator will receive three emails: the first will provide the company's AESDirect User Name; the second, the temporary Administrator Code; and the third, the temporary Password.

Username: This is the user name that must be used to log in to AESDirect to file SEDs to AES. The user name for the company account never changes and is always in lower case letters. Everyone in a company using the account to file shipment information through AESDirect uses the same user name.
Password: This is the second data element that must be entered to log in to AESDirect. Everyone in a company using the account to file shipment information through AESDirect uses the same password. Note, however, that the password can be changed at any time and must be changed every 180 days for security reasons. Only the company's Account Administrator can change the password, and he or she is responsible for advising all company filers when the password has been changed.
Administrator Code: This is the code that allows the Account Administrator to change the company's password. Only the Account Administrator has this code, and only he or she has the option of changing it at any time.

The first time the Account Administrator logs in to AESDirect, he or she must select a permanent administrator code and change the password using the information sent in the three emails.

When the Account Administrator has selected the permanent administrator code and changed the password, then either he or she (or a designated representative) can begin the process of activating the AESDirect account.

The AES Direct Certification Quiz

Once the new administrator code and password have been selected, the company's AESDirect account will be validated to provide access to the online Certification Quizzes only. In order to become a fully authorized user of AES Direct (and begin to file shipment information into AES) someone with access to the company's account must pass the AES Direct certification quiz.

To prepare for the certification quiz, you can click on the AES Direct Tutorial link located on the AES Direct home page. Follow this link to the AES Tutorial page, which will instruct you on how to download, install and watch the AES Tutorial.

Once you have watched the tutorial, click on Certification Quizzes under Log In on the Home Page and then select the AES Direct Certification quiz. When prompted, enter the company's User Name and Password. A quiz may be taken at any time, and as many times as needed to pass. Each quiz consists of a series of multiple choice and true/false questions. At least 27 (of 30) questions must be answered correctly to pass the quiz, and you can take the quiz as many times as necessary to pass.

Helpful Hint: Before you submit your quiz to AES, print out your answers. If you are notified that you did not pass the quiz, AES will inform you which questions you have wrong. By printing out all your answers before submitting them, you will know the answers to the questions you already got correct.

When someone from the company having access to the company account has passed a quiz, the AESDirect support staff will be notified and they will activate the company's account within three days for filing in AESDirect. The Account Administrator will be notified by email when this process is complete. At that time, the Account Administrator can distribute the user name and password to the company's authorized filers.

As soon as you receive this notification, your company is now ready to file your export information electronically. You have also completed the hardest part of using AES. From this point forward, you can begin filing your information electronically right from Shipping Solutions with just a couple clicks of a button.

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How to File Through AES with Shipping Solutions Export Documentation Software

Shipping Solutions export documentation and compliance software makes it easy to file your Shipper's Export Declaration (SED) information electronically through the Automated Export System (AES) while also producing more than a dozen different export documents. In order to use the AES feature in the Shipping Solutions software, you must have a connection to the Internet and register with AES in order to obtain a user name and password (see article above).

Once you are registered with AES, simply enter your contact, product and carrier information into the appropriate fields in Shipping Solutions' EZ Start screens. You can either manually enter the information on the screens, select the contact and product information from Shipping Solutions' various databases, or import the information from your company's accounting, order-entry or ERP system. You will also need to assign a Shipper's Reference Number to your shipment that will remain unique to your company for at least five years.

From the SED/AES screen in Shipping Solutions, click on the AES button on the toolbar. Your default web browser will open and display an AES web page. If you are missing information from any of the required data fields, this page will include a notice of the missing data. You can then go back to your shipment record and enter the missing information before logging into AES.

From the AES web page that opens from Shipping Solutions, click on the "Submit SED to AES Weblink" button. The screen will change as you move to the AES website. Enter your user name and password in the pop-up box. (If the login box does not appear, it may be because you have installed a pop-up blocker in your web browser. You will need to turn this feature off for this web page.)

After entering your login information, your SED information will be validated by the AES system. If any data is missing or incomplete, you will be prompted to modify it. This process will continue until the form is correct.

When the validation process has been completed, you will be informed that your shipment has been submitted. An external transaction reference number called the XTN Reference Number will be displayed on the screen. Write down or copy this number. In addition you will receive an email once your AES filing has been accepted by the U.S. Census Bureau. This email will include your international transaction number or ITN Reference Number.

You must include either the XTN or ITN reference number on certain export documents to notify your freight forwarder, shipping company and U.S. Customs that you filed your SED information electronically through AES.

Both Shipping Solutions Classic and Shipping Solutions Professional versions of the software allow you to file your SED information through AES.

For more detailed information about using Shipping Solutions to file with AES, produce more than a dozen other export forms, determine what export documents you need, determine whether or not your need an export license, and to screen all the parties in your export shipments against the various government restricted party lists, download or request a demo version of the Shipping Solutions software, view our online PowerPoint presentation of the software, or sign up for a free online demo of the software.

Or call Shipping Solutions at 1-888-890-7447 to speak to one of our customer service representatives about how Shipping Solutions can help your company meet its export needs quickly, easily and affordably.

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Thousands of successful exporters are using Shipping Solutions to complete their export documents faster, easier and less expensively than ever before. Why aren't you?

If you're too busy trying to complete your export documents by hand to spend some time reviewing the Shipping Solutions Professional export documentation and compliance software yourself, let us do it for you! Sign up for one of our free online demos and let us give you a one-hour overview of the software.

We'll take you step-by-step through the process of completing your export forms, filing your SEDs electronically through AES, and checking your exports against the various government restricted parties lists and export regulations to make sure your shipments are in compliance, and you—and your company—stay out of trouble.

These free online demos are available on Tuesday's at 1:00 Central Time. All you need is an Internet connection to watch the demo and a phone to listen in and ask questions about the software. It's the perfect opportunity to get your first view of Shipping Solutions or to convince your coworkers and your boss that Shipping Solutions is the perfect solution for your company.

See why Shipping Solutions is America's #1 export software. Sign up for the free online demo today!

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