Management Update
An executive summary of industry news
By Staff -- Logistics Management, 5/1/2006
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Concerns over the declining number of import specialists at U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) prompted Sen. Charles Schumer (R-N.Y.) and Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.) to introduce bills that would require CBP to restore staffing to 2002 levels. Import specialists make decisions about product classification, duty payments, and penalties for specific products. Attendees at the Coalition of New England Companies for Trade (CONECT) Northeast Trade Conference last month said that understaffing and a lack of knowledge among new hires were causing processing slowdowns, classification errors, and incorrect penalty applications. Vera Adams, CBP's executive director of trade enforcement and facilitation, acknowledged the problem. "I am focusing a lot internally on improving the expertise, knowledge, and accuracy of the import specialists," she said.
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Maritime security bill sails through the House. H.R. 4954, the Security and Accountability for Every (SAFE) Port Act, was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives by a 421-2 vote just before press time. The main provisions of the bill include: requiring the Department of Homeland Security to scan inbound containers for radiation, check port employees against terrorist "watch" lists, and develop protocols for resuming port operations following a terrorist attack, among others. Prior to passage, the Republican faction of the House Homeland Security Committee rejected an amendment sponsored by Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), which called for scanning all U.S.-bound cargo at foreign ports within three years. Markey and Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) were the only two House members to vote against the SAFE Port Act.
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Korea wants to become a bigger player in Asian logistics. As part of an initiative to make Korea a major logistics hub in Northeast Asia, that country's Jeonbuk Province will host the 2007 World Logistics Expo, October 10–14, 2007. The event is expected to attract logistics companies from 30 countries. Expo organizers note that Korea is strategically situated between China and Japan, and tout the recently completed Saemangeum Reclamation Project as a key attraction. The project created eight islands that will be developed for port operations.
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Nearly 400,000 U.S. port workers will undergo name-based background checks as the first step in the rollout of the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC). Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced in late April that the agency would complete preliminary checks for longshoremen and employees of maritime facility owners and operators by this summer. Eventually, all individuals will require a biometrics-based TWIC in order to be eligible for unescorted access to secure areas. The U.S. Coast Guard will collect basic identifying information and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will check workers against terrorist "watch" lists.
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DHL delivers on its mission. DHL earned its own star billing as the official shipping and logistics partner of the new thriller Mission Impossible III. The company played a major role behind the scenes by delivering more than 55 tons of air freight, including cars, camera gear, film material, packing, crating, and technical equipment to movie sets in the United States, China, and Germany.
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Navigate your way to the top of the logistics and supply chain profession with LM's new Career/Staffing Development Web channel, which we'll be launching later this month. Read career advice from recruiters, search for top logistics and supply chain talent, use the job-search module to locate available jobs in your area, and research educational institutions and industry groups that will help you advance your career. For more information, check out www.logisticsmgmt.com/career later this month.
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