In this global economy it is very important to have an edge over your competition and at UGS we have just that. We offer all of our customers the very best in service, quality, pricing and overall satisfaction when it comes to manufacturing overseas. To help us do this, we have our own office overseas located in Shanghai, the emerging financial hub of Mainland China.

Our employees are our greatest asset. They help us overcome the language and cultural differences which increases our value to our customers by problem resolution and pre-qualifying our manufacturers and making sure that our customer’s products and parts are made to their satisfaction.

We have a highly trained staff of sales, customer service, engineers and quality engineers on hand at our Shanghai office working very hard to ensure our customers satisfaction. Our office is located in the business district of Shanghai with office space of over 7,000 square foot in a new modern facility (see attached photos of office space and key personal).

In order to be a competitive and reliable overseas supplier, you have to have the necessary tools in place in China which sets us apart from many of our competitors and yet another reason that UGS should be your only source to go to for overseas manufacturing.

So contact UGS today to see how we can help set you apart from the rest of your competition!

One of my responsibilities I have with UGS is making sales calls to generate new business opportunities. Some resistance I run into when making these calls includes:

1) You take away jobs from the USA.

2) I have tried working with offshore manufacturing but have had nothing but trouble.

I thought I would take a moment to address both of these remarks and give everyone a different perspective. Regarding the first issue, my response is that we are a wholly owned US company and employ US citizens. We offer a service that helps our US manufacturing customers reduce their costs, which helps them become more profitable by getting products manufactured Overseas. This additional profitability allows businesses the opportunity to expand and hire more employees which ultimately helps our economy.

Regarding the second remark; this is the main reason you should consider working with UGS. We have heard the many horror stories from customers who have tried to go overseas themselves or have used trading companies and have received manufactured products or components that were not to their specifications but had no recourse to get the correct parts or even get their money back. We offer a turn-key solution that provides competitive offshore pricing and reduces risk by doing the following:

Provide delivered to your door pricing, including all freight costs, customs, and duty in our quoted price. No hidden charges.

Provide first article samples for approval before any Overseas production is made.

Provide shipping samples for approval before their Overseas shipments are made.

With approved credit, we can also extend payment terms which eliminate the need for costly letters of credit.

We have the experience and longevity (in business since 1981) to handle any project or product.
We are UGS and we love what we do and we have customer references to prove it.

So contact us today to see how we can help you and your company.

Finally, CBP has agreed to issue an interim rule for the Import Security Filing commonly referred to as 10+2, as opposed to a final implementation.  The fact this was issued as an interim rule highlights the fact CBP has taken into consideration many of the trade’s concerns.  The following are the key areas that have been amended from the initial Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM).

1)  CBP will “show restraint in enforcing the the rule for a period of 12 months after the effective date.  The effective date will be 60 days from the date of publication – January 26, 2009.

2)  Two of the twelve elements will subject to flexibility as to the timing of their submission to CBP.  This includes the Container stuffing location and the Consolidator (stuffer) name and address.   The importer must submit these elements as soon as possible and no later than 24 hours prior to arrival in a US port.

3)  Four elements will be subject to flexibility with respect to interpretation.  These elements include the Manufacturer (supplier), Ship-to party, Country of Origin, and HTS number.  CBP will allow a range of acceptable responses based on facts available to the importer at the time, but the elements must still be filed 24 hours prior to loading.  The importer will then be required to update their filing of these elements as soon as accurate information is available and no later than 24 hours prior to arrival at a U.S. port.

4)  The liquidated damage amount for violations has been changed from the value of the cargo to $5,000 per violation.

5)  The requirement for break bulk cargo to be included on vessel stow plans has been eliminated.

6)  Container Status Messages (CSM) are required for empty containers.

7)  The label for the party required to submit the ISF has been changed from “importer” to “ISF importer” meaning the owner, purchaser, consignee, or agent.

8)  Provisions were made to create an Importer Security Filing Bond (19CFR 113.63).

9)  Powers of Attorney must be in English and POA’s as well as letters of revocation must be kept for five years from revocation date.

Basically, CBP has made some changes in response to comments from the trade but many requirements remain unchanged.  The phased-in approach provides importers a chance to work through the challenges without immediate penalties as well as the opportunity to provide additional feedback to CBP.  The next 14 months will be challenging as importers try to ramp up to meet the requirements of another security initiative as they also strive to cut costs and increase efficiency while remaining competitive.

Should you have any questions/concerns related to your freight movement under this new initiative, please feel free to contact us directly.  UGS is working daily with our service providers to ensure we are ready to meet the challenges presented by the implementation of 10+2.

The new Customs and Border Protection e-Allegations website provides a venue for the public to report any suspected violations of trade laws or regulations related to the importing of goods into the United States.  These violations include but are not limited to false country of origin markings, health and safety issues, intellectual property rights, and trademark and copyright infringement.

The system allows anonymity for concerned citizens who have knowledge of trade violations that are damaging to the U.S. economy and the general public.

UGS customers with trademarked or copyrighted items should contact us immediately if they have knowledge of an illegal import of their product.  We will guide our customers through the e-Allegations website and follow-up to ensure our customer’s products are protected against knock-offs by competitors who then attempt to import these same products in the U.S.

Safe Port Act of 2006

Customs and Border Protection acting on provisions of the Safe Port Act of 2006 will require additional data elements from importers to improve targeting of high-risk freight.  This filing will include ten (10) data elements from the shipper/importer and two (2) elements from the carrier.  The filing is to be done one time inclusive of all twelve (12) elements.

10+2 is an ocean container security filing submitted by the importer and carrier to CBP 24 hours prior to vessel loading in the foreign port.  This currently applies only to containerized cargo – exemptions include break bulk and RoRo (roll on roll off) freight.

The final ruling has not yet been published on 10+2 but is expected within the next weeks.  UGS is working with our partners and service providers to ensure compliance and seamless transition for our customers under this new security initiative.

LCL: Less than Container Load: When your shipment does not fill a 20’/40’ container it is combined with other shipments in a container then sorted at the port of destination for delivery.

TOOLING: A jig or template of your item(s) is made in order to mass produce more easily.

ETD vs. ETA: Estimated Time of Departure: When your shipment leaves the factory. Estimated Time of Arrival: When your shipment is due to be delivered to your door.

MOQ: Minimum Order Quantity: When quoting, this may exceed your originally requested amount. This is the least number of pieces the factory can make taking into consideration all costs. (material, labor, etc.)

C-TPAT: Customs – Trade Partnership Against Terrorism: A program where importers volunteer to utilize more strict security practices, while in association with Customs.

One of the hard facts in manufacturing is that some of the best ideas in the world never get off the ground. The main reason good ideas fall by the wayside is that many potential manufacturers do not have the engineering skill or the ability to craft a prototype in order to market their concept or evaluate its production feasibility.