Maersk Customs Services partners with Altana Technologies

Strict new U.S. standards require companies to have visibility into the origins of the goods they import.

Maersk Customs Services USA and Altana Technologies have launched an AI enabled traceability system to assist customers with U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) compliance in all locations they trade.

The new legislation increases the burden of proof on importers, requiring specific details on the inputs to the goods they import. Under the new law, U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) will presume goods with inputs from certain listed regions under conditions not deemed acceptable under U.S. law are inadmissible into the United States, and the importer will be forced to rebut that presumption with evidence.

The complexity and opacity of the global supply chain has historically presented a challenge for businesses seeking to understand—let alone document—the true provenance of their goods. Transshipment and comingling of inputs by suppliers further complicate importer efforts to know and trust their supply chains, and to comply with a rapidly evolving trade regulatory landscape.

“Importers have been stymied by the inability to obtain all the documents required by CBP in their rebuttal process. This results in Customs holds and extended delays in the supply chain that have material time and cost implications. Keep in mind, the U.S. has worldwide regulatory scope, so every supplier and their sourcing pattern is under review,” said Mark Zeitlin, President of Maersk Customs Services, USA.

To solve this problem, Maersk Customs has partnered with Altana Technologies - a New York-based technology company building infrastructure for trusted global commerce. Altana leverages its unique data and machine learning platform to help businesses illuminate their multi-tier value chain networks down to the facility level, situate their networks within a dynamic map of the global supply chain, engage across their networks with suppliers and regulators, and build trusted networks.

Altana recently released a study indicating that under the new U.S. law, almost one million companies have value chains that could trigger an import ban. CBP has already begun implementing the new legislation, targeting, among other things, solar panels, coffee, silica-based products, cotton, tomatoes, computer parts, apparel, hair products, peeled garlic, stevia, soda ash, calcium chloride and caustic soda, malleable pipe fittings, tea, artificial flowers, rubber vulcanization accelerators, rubber gloves and electric fans.

“Altana enables organizations to situate themselves within trusted trading networks by providing a clear line of sight across the global supply chain – from raw materials through manufacturing and delivery,” said Evan Smith, CEO of Altana. “Through our partnership with Maersk, we help businesses to source and import with confidence in a rapidly evolving regulatory landscape.”