As the European Union’s Import Control System 2 (ICS2) second release deployment window comes to an end by 1 July 2023, one US based freight forwarder is ready to meet the new and more stringent data collection requirements for international imports.
JAS Worldwide (USA), headquartered in Atlanta, GA with branch offices in 28 cities and 1,000 employees across the United States, takes care of their customer’s transportation from door-to-door, through imports and exports, and via air or ocean. According to Laurie Arnold, Vice President Compliance at JAS Forwarding (USA), “We handle air freight and ocean freight. We are in truck freight and rail freight. We are also a customs broker. We handle lots of different types of cargo, but we have key verticals in aerospace, automotive, chemicals, and pharma.”
Ecommerce represents a significant opportunity for expansion, with the recent acquisition of a contract logistics provider that handles ecommerce fulfillment on behalf of customers in the US. Having recognized the full potential of the ecommerce market, JAS USA are now leveraging powerful CargoWise International Ecommerce capabilities to navigate (and take advantage of,) evolving compliance requirements in Europe and beyond.
Prior to the new ICS2 compliance requirements, JAS USA handled US outbound shipments into the EU with the clearance happening in the destination country. According to Arnold, “At the time you just put the orders on the airline with one waybill and when it got overseas, destination country resources had to clear it and move it on. We weren't worried about listing 100 different tariff numbers or 100 different recipient names or shipment numbers.”
With ICS2 having entered its second phase in March 2023, all Airlines are now required to submit detailed shipment information into a new centralized system known as the ‘Shared Trader Interface’ before goods are loaded onto an aircraft. Because CargoWise had been already updated to meet these new requirements, JAS USA were able to swiftly train their employees to handle hundreds of sub-house levels, without having to enter data for each individual entry. In a little over a week, they were able to start transmitting FHL messages with the new ICS2 data. Although many airlines have requested the July 1 2023, deployment window, JAS USA will be prepared when they come online with the new filings.
For this export lane, JAS USA receives final-mile labelled shipments from their customers and consolidates orders by destination country, applying the shipping label to the master container which is then shipped overseas. In the destination country, the containers are unpacked and individual packages are inserted into the last-mile delivery network.
It's going to be a quicker uplift. We're going to be ready. We know what we're doing. We're not going to have to try to figure out how we're going to transmit this data to the airlines or how the airlines are going to get it and transmit it to the government. We will be ahead of the game.
Ready to explore more cross-border ecommerce opportunities!
CargoWise International Ecommerce gives JAS USA the competitive edge required to take advantage of the thriving US ecommerce market. “It's not an if, it's a when. We must get in this market, or we will get left behind,” says Arnold. “Cross-border ecommerce has exploded since COVID. Everybody orders something and wants it in a couple days. Previously that would have come from a retailer down the street that would have imported 500 shirts in this color and 500 in that color. Now it’s coming from across the ocean as an individual shipment. That’s here to stay. People love it too much.”
As international trade increases in size and scope, CargoWise International Ecommerce will continue empowering JAS USA as they accelerate their growth in the cross-border ecommerce market. Purpose built for the needs of the global logistics industry and constantly updated to reflect changing laws and legislation, CargoWise makes it easier than ever for logistics leaders to implement data‑driven, digital processes that mitigate compliance risk while achieving operational excellence. Arnold explains, “I think it's easy to use. I think it's intuitive. I think it's a very similar look and feel to the other products. When trying to train somebody to do this, if they're already familiar with the system it's easier to learn.”
Looking to address the impending ICS2 data requirements or expand into cross-border international ecommerce?
Visit the CargoWise International Ecommerce solutions page to learn how to efficiently manage the entire international ecommerce supply chain from the shipper in the origin country to the consumer’s doorstep in the destination country.