border lines

Two important events for those who do business with Canada are coming up. The Can/Am Border Trade Alliance's annual Washington, D.C., conference will be held Sept. 17-19. Speakers, including high-level officials from the Canadian Embassy, U.S. Customs, and the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, will provide the latest news on policies and legislation affecting U.S.-Canada trade. The second day offers updates on funding and legislation by members of Congress who represent northern border states. For more information, call Executive Director Jim Phillips at (716) 754-8824. That same week (Sept. 18-20), the Logistics 2000 trade show will be held at Toronto's International Centre. Exhibits and speaker presentations will focus on logistics technology, materials handling, automatic identification, and warehouse operations. For more information, contact Southex Exhibitions at (416) 385-1880.

Nov. 1 will bring changes to Mexico's maquila program. Under NAFTA, the provision that allows manufacturers to import non-NAFTA articles duty-free into Mexico for manufacture of items that will subsequently be exported to the United States or Canada will be eliminated on that date. After that, Mexico will impose tariffs on non-NAFTA goods and components being used in manufacturing, primarily at maquiladoras along the border. To forestall harm to the maquila industry, the Mexican government has announced a series of Industry Promotion Programs, which will reduce or eliminate tariffs on non-NAFTA items in more than 20 industries. To participate in those programs, importers must register with SECOFI, the commerce ministry. Observers predict that the change will encourage more importers to purchase materials and components from NAFTA countries.

A comprehensive review of the Canada Transportation Act (CTA) is now under way. In July, a five-person panel began a year-long look at the law, which governs economic regulation of the transportation industry. (CTA, which took effect in 1996, required that such a review begin within four years of enactment.) The panel will examine ways to increase railroad competition, encourage capital investment, support Canadian shippers' competitiveness in global markets and participation in e-business, and help policy respond to industry change. "This review will assess whether the act and related legislation provide Canadians with an efficient, flexible, and affordable transportation system," said Transport Minister David Collenette in announcing the study.

NAFTA Notes: UPS de Mexico and online marketplace Venta.com, which sells computer and telecommunications parts in Latin America, are partnering to provide regional logistics services. The arrangement will allow users to buy, sell, ship, and track goods through Venta.com's Web site. Sony Corp. has selected Redwood Systems to manage its logistics activities throughout Mexico. Under the three-year contract, Redwood will use customized information systems to manage Sony's inventory, transportation, distribution, and invoicing from its Guadalajara distribution center. Blue Giant Ltd., a manufacturer of materials-handling equipment, has been awarded a contract to supply more than 100 hydraulic dock levelers, truck restraints, and dock seals to the Greater Toronto Airport Authority for its Air Canada Cargo project.