U.S. Customs and Border Protection

CMAA International Cocoa Conference

March 11, 2015

Apparel, Footwear & Textiles

Electronics

Machinery

Centers of Excellence and Expertise

Petroleum, Natural Gas & Minerals

Agriculture & Prepared Products

Consumer Products & Mass Merchandising

Base Metals Automotive & Aerospace

Industrial & Manufacturing Materials

Pharmaceuticals, Health & Chemicals

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What are Centers of Excellence and Expertise?

Industry-focused and account-based points of virtual processing for post-release trade activities

Aligned by 10 key industry sectors in strategic location

Consolidate existing expertise and build industry-specific education to authoritatively facilitate trade

Provide national overview of participating accounts to identify areas for further facilitation or corrective action

Serve as a resource to the broader trade community and to CBP’s U.S. government partners

CEE

How the Centers Operate

• Company imports into 60

Ports of Entry

• 60 ports conduct entry

summary reviews

• Company imports into 60

Ports of Entry

• ONE Center conducts all

entry summary reviews

Previously Center Operations

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Agriculture & Prepared Products (APP)

APP industry covers Chapters 1-24 of the Harmonized

Tariff Schedule

Commodities include agriculture, aquaculture, animal

products, vegetable products, prepared foods,

beverages, alcohol and tobacco

Over $143 Billion in imports in FY 2014

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Agriculture & Prepared Products (APP)

Top commodities: coffee, alcoholic beverages, meat,

guar/thickeners, vegetable oils, bananas, soft drinks,

candy, shellfish, and cocoa

Top source countries: Canada, Mexico, China,

Thailand, Brazil, France

Top entry ports: New York, Los Angeles, Miami, San

Francisco, Philadelphia, Detroit, Laredo, Buffalo,

Houston, Nogales

More than 1,100 CTPAT Importers of Record active in

APP imports

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APP Center of Excellence and Expertise

Opened on June 3, 2013

Currently has 22 Importer Participants

Over $10 Billion Imports/ Fiscal Year 2014

Staffed by network of CBP specialists—Import Specialists, Entry Specialists, National Account Managers, etc.

Directed from Miami, FL

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CEE Goals

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Facilitate legitimate trade through effective risk segmentation

Increase industry based knowledge within CBP

Enhance enforcement and address industry risks

Monitor cargo release for trusted traders and work with the ports to resolve holds

Process post-release documentation (or its electronic equivalent) for trusted traders

Manage and perform ISA oversight for trusted trader accounts

Collaborate with other government agencies to improve processing and develop alternatives to paper-bound requirements and/or blanket statements

Goal 1: Facilitate Legitimate Trade

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Engagement with industry stakeholders

Training sessions with Trade on business processes

Serve as primary point of contact for trade and CBP personnel for industry-related issues

Interact with other government agencies to understand their processes and the impact on trade

Goal 2: Increase Industry Based Knowledge

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Focused, industry-specific targeting

Enforcement operations focusing on areas of risk

Intelligence referrals from the trade (Trade Intelligence)

Field training on product identification and admissibility concerns

Goal 3: Enhance Enforcement

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Cargo Monitoring and Troubleshooting for

Participants--(missing data, repetitive

exams, unusual delays)

Anti-Dumping/Countervailing Duty

Monitoring for Participants—Ensure timely,

correct liquidations

Single point of contact and centralized

processing—entry summaries, protests,

corrections, etc.

Paperless processing (ACE, DIS, email)

CEE staff industry knowledge/expertise to

promote compliance and facilitation

CEE-Trade partnership/information sharing

Summary of Benefits

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From Ports to Centers—What is Changing?Traditional/Port Processing Center Processing

Highly variable commodity assignments

Standardized commodity specializationby defined industries

Broader commodity coverage/less specialization

Increased specialization/uniformity in decision-making

Dispersed points of contact Centralized industry points of contact for CBP, PGAs, trade stakeholders

Local scope of operations National scope for managing industry work and coordinating enforcement

Transaction-by-transaction processing National, account-based processing to manage work and risk

Paper review process/record storage Paperless processing/digital storage

Local team management Virtual team management and work tracking

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Major Milestones…

Nationwide Import Specialist Realignment by Industry—Effective October 1, 2014

Accelerated Expansion of Three Centers of Excellence and Expertise

o Electronics

o Petroleum Natural Gas

o Pharmaceuticals, Health & Chemicals

ACE Mandatory Use Dates

Manifests (import/export)—May 2015

Release/Summary/PGA—Nov. 2015

Remaining Electronic Processes—Oct. 2016

Contact the Agriculture & Prepared Products Center of Excellence and Expertise at:

– or –

CEE-Agriculture@cbp.dhs.gov

1.866.295.7624 (Option 02)

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U.S. Customs and

Border Protection

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