Cyril GauchetStrategic Trade Advisor, Star USA Key Takeaways  Trade changes can affect much more than duty rates. They can quickly change supply chain decisions, expansion plans, and project ROI.   Tariff engineering can uncover compliant ways to reduce tariff exposure, but…

Stephanie McLellandInternational Trade Specialist, Star USA Key Takeaways Trade compliance investments should reduce meaningful business risk.  Strong business cases translate compliance needs into measurable financial impact.  Consistent performance measurement helps leadership make better future investment decisions.  Trade compliance investments are often treated…

Stephanie McLelland International Trade Specialist, Star USA A U.S. tractor distributor came to us with what seemed like a straightforward question: was their product valuation correct under customs regulations? With Section 232 tariffs raising the stakes on getting valuation right,…

Melissa MerkleManager, Star USA Data quality is a major risk control across trade compliance. Data quality issues like inconsistent classifications, unreliable origin determinations, and incomplete valuation details can compound across systems. They may not be noticed for a while, but…

Eight months isn’t a lot of time, but that’s precisely how long we had to help a brand-new independent industrial paints manufacturer build a compliance program from the ground up, after divesting from its former organization. Then, right after the dust settled, they received a CF-28…

Melissa Merkle Manager, Star USA Trade compliance programs fail in predictable ways. Not because companies lack the intention to get it right, but because good intentions don’t hold up when there’s no clear structure behind them. When performance is measured by activity rather than…

Most compliance engagements start with a signed contract. This one started with a refusal.   When a major U.S. importer issued a competitive RFP for trade compliance services, the conventional move would have been to sharpen our pencils, compete on price, and hope…

Melissa MerkleEducation & Outreach Manager, Star USA If “we’re working on it” is your current trade compliance strategy, enterprise customers have already noticed. Blunt? Perhaps, but it’s the kind of honest observation that saves a lot of time.   Large, sophisticated customers are no longer treating…

Nic ArtersDirector, Star USA Customs and Border Protection (CBP) advised that they are developing a new refund system called the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries, or CAPE, within its existing Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) portal. CAPE is designed with…

Nic ArtersDirector, Star USA For executives at your business, making decisions without a trade compliance dashboard can feel like driving to an unfamiliar destination without a map or GPS. They’ll likely get where they want to go, but it may…

Nic ArtersDirector, Star USA When the phone rang, the voice on the other end wasn’t panicked, but it was close. A client in the industrial equipment space had hit a wall. Their warehouse was packed with electrostatic spray guns purchased…