Customs and Border Protection officials have announced plans to establish nine Centers of Excellence and Expertise (CEE) with all centers expected to be operational by the end of 2013.  Developed to ensure uniform regulatory enforcement and the efficient facilitation of trade, the ultimate goal of the CEE’s is to have fewer cargo and entry processing delays while achieving reduced cost and greater predictability for importers.  Streamlining operations through a single point of contact within CBP for a given industry allows importers to recognize improved regulatory uniformity and consistency among ports nationwide.   

The industry breakdown will be:

1)      Electronics – Los Angeles, California (operational now)

2)      Pharmaceuticals, Health and Chemicals – New York, New York (operational in Pharmaceuticals and Chemicals at present and will expand into the “Health” sector in the near future)

3)      Automotive, Aerospace & Transportation-related Industries – Detroit, Michigan

4)      Petroleum, Natural Gas & Minerals – Houston, Texas

5)      Base Metals & Machinery – TBA

6)      Consumer Products & Mass Merchandising – TBA

7)      Industrial & Manufacturing Materials – TBA

8)      Textiles, Wearing Apparel and Footwear – TBA

9)      Agriculture Products – TBA

To participate, the importer must be recognized as a ‘trusted trader’ which is defined as businesses that are C-TPAT certified (tier 2 or 3) and a member of the Importer Self Assessment Program.

For CBP, CEEs will:

• allow personnel at the ports of entry to keep their focus on identifying high-risk shipments resulting in improved import safety and security.  
• enable CBP to better segment risk for targeting purposes
• better facilitate trade for trusted partners
• streamline internal work processes
• assist in the development of comprehensive enforcement and trade facilitation strategies

For more information, please visit http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/trade/trade_transformation/industry_int/ 

Best Regards

Sandra Frazier
Import Dept. Manager