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ACE E-Manifest Mandate Announced & the Global Logistics Network is Ready

As you may already be aware, on October 23rd the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that their e-Manifest initiative will become mandatory through all ports of entry in the states of Washington, Arizona, and selected ports in North Dakota. CBP also indicated that they expect all ports across the Mexican and Canadian borders will be required to comply within 6 months of the mandate going into effect.

Team members from the Global Logistics Network (GLN) have been preparing for this mandate for the last six months by integrating the operations of ViaSafe and Flagship Customs Services within the GLN. For our customers, that means gaining access to a complete range of filing options that can help your company comply with the new mandate. These ACE filing services were built to handle the ACE requirements in several different ways to meet the specific needs of our customers. Want a direct connection from your back office system to CBP? Use our ACE Connect service. Want an easy-to-use interface to key in additional fields for ACE transactions transmitted to the GLN via EDI? Use our ACE-4-Trucks Service. Want to completely outsource the ACE issue to a 3rd party? Use our ACE Preparer service where you simply fax us your manifest information, and we take it from there. Additionally, we have a full range of extended services that can help you improve your business by taking advantage of the streamlined paperless filing process enabled by the e-Manifest initiative. For example, our ViaTrade service can improve your border crossing times by matching your customs filing with the customs broker’s ABI filing, as mismatches can result in costly delays for your trucks at the border.

So, as you are thinking through how your company will handle the new ACE mandate, please give your local GLN representative a call. They would be happy to assist you in determining how your company can best address the new requirements. For your convenience a list of the ACE services now available over the GLN can be found below:

Descartes' new GLN ACE basic services:

• ACE-4-Trucks: Enables customers to manage e-Manifest filings through a universal, easy-to-navigate web interface that can connect with back-office systems and other EDI methods to pre-populate the ACE-4-Trucks application. Waybill and trip information can be submitted independently or combined into a single manifest. Additional features include searching, reporting and e-alerts for any border crossing problems or errors;
• ACE Preparer: Customer can fax or e-mail information to Descartes for data entry and submission to ACE. Customers can receive e-alert ACE status messages via e-mail and view waybill and trip ACE status messages through the ACE-4-Trucks interface; and
• ACE Connect: Larger organizations with existing infrastructure and ACE technology can access a secure connection to CBP via the GLN.

Descartes' GLN new extended ACE Services.

ViaTrade's features include all of the ACE-4-Trucks capabilities described above plus:

• the ability to connect carriers and customs brokers to CBP to reconcile manifest filings for expedited border clearance;
• electronic routing of carrier bills of lading and commercial invoices to customs brokers with applicable access and associations to related shipment documentation; and
• the ability for carriers to review the status of documents submitted to customs brokers with corresponding alerts for documents not yet accepted.

Ed Ryan, GM, Descartes' Global Logistics Network

Topics in this issue: Descartes ACE-4-Trucks becoming the ACE Service of Choice on both Borders ...more   Customs Status messages and access to Denied Parties listings added to available services on the Descartes GLN ...more   Electronic filing of truck manifests to CBP rises dramatically ...more   Air Carriers on the GLN – Additions, Expansions and Extensions ...more

Descartes ACE-4-Trucks becoming the ACE Service of Choice on both Borders

Many of the nation’s largest and most respected companies are turning to the Descartes ACE Service to comply with the CBP highway cross-border e-Manifest filing requirements. Implementation of mandatory filing is scheduled to start on January 25, 2007, for truck manifests to the United States under CBP’s new Automated Commercial Environment (ACE).

Descartes’ ACE Service is built upon the strength of two of North America’s leading customs filing service companies: Flagship Customs Services, Inc.; and ViaSafe, recently acquired by Descartes. UPS Supply Chain Solutions, BDP Interamerica, and Concord Transportation Inc. are just a few of the companies that have already chosen a Descartes ACE Service option.

UPS Supply Chain Solutions is utilizing the ACE-4-Trucks service to power their UPS e-Manifest Highway service allowing UPS to offer its own ACE filing service to its clients’ carriers. For BDP Interamerica, their users in North America are now able to electronically submit their truck manifests for shipments from Mexico into the United States to CBP to satisfy CBP’s new ACE requirements.

“BDP Interamerica needed an electronic solution to enable us to comply with CBP’s new ACE rules when they go into effect,” said Javier Fernandez, General Manager of BDP Interamerica, “We surveyed the market and found that FCS & Descartes had the best solution to meet our customers’ needs. We

selected them and worked with them to get certified and implemented in just a few weeks. We are now prepared for when CBP makes ACE filings mandatory, and our customers can rest assured that their freight will not be held at the border.”

"We needed an electronic solution to help us comply with CBP's new ACE e-Manifest rules," said Brad Dickin, Regional Vice President, Canada for Concord Transportation Inc.. "We've had a long-standing relationship with ViaSafe where they've helped us coordinate with customs brokers to efficiently move our shipments into Canada. After Descartes acquired ViaSafe, Descartes showed us the ACE-4-Trucks solution and worked with us to get certified and implemented in just a few weeks. Our customers can now rest assured that their freight will not be held at the border because filings haven't been made."

Whether you are an independent carrier, a large national transportation provider, a Freight Forwarder or a Customs House Broker wishing to offer your own ACE Portal, the Descartes ACE Service provides multi-layered options designed to meet the needs of all ACE and Cross Border participants regardless of the size or complexity of those operations.

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Descartes GLN customers can receive real-time customs status messages within Descartes’ Multimodal Track and Trace (MMTT) service. Descartes’ services capture the status of goods as they are presented and cleared at the border, and integrate this information with the freight status information as it moves across the various modes to destination. Proactive alerts notify customers of any problems with the freight's delivery or movement. Customs status messages are also available to be sent directly to your systems, in standard or proprietary formats, or to interested parties if you are not using the MMTT service.

Denied Parties service, which can be implemented as a stand-alone or integrated service within your specific internal or user applications, is now available as part of our Export Compliance Services. This allows access to an up-to-date database

housing the latest Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), Office of Foreign Assets Control, Office of Defense Trade Controls, and other government-sponsored proliferation lists for denied, blocked, or debarred entities or parties.

Your company's Import/Export Compliance officers can use the service in determining license requirements, and in preparing Shipper’s Export Declaration (SED) filings and export control e-alerts. Denied and Blocked Parties data can be accessed online, integrated into your applications as web service requests or delivered in batch EDI files as updates occur.

For more information on both of these services please contact your GLN sales representative or email info@descartes.com.

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Electronic filing of truck manifests to CBP rises dramatically

"We are very pleased with the continued growth in e-manifest usage," Cargo Systems Program Office Executive Director, Lou Samenfink. "Every company that makes the switch to e-manifests now will avoid the rush and any resulting delays when we begin to make e-manifests mandatory next year."

Descartes will hold three webcasts to educate and provide suggested preparation steps to comply with the e-Manifest initiative. The webcasts are scheduled to be held on November 14, 21, and December 5. Guest speakers include Sandra Scott, President and CEO of SASync Borders LLC and former director of international relations for motor carrier industry giants Roadway Express, Inc. and

YRC Worldwide Inc. who will provide valuable information such as:

• What you need to know
• How to get started
• Best practices
• Cross border impact
• How to reduce border delays

Customers can sign up for one of the webcasts by visiting Descartes' website at www.descartes.com or calling 678-247-0427.

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Descartes’ GLN continues to expand and grow its business in the international air transportation field. This growth has recently been fueled by the introduction of new services and customers to the GLN.

• Etihad - One of the newest and fastest growing airlines in the Middle East, Etihad recently signed an agreement with Descartes for membership in the GLN. The agreement with Etihad Crystal Cargo provides for the exchange of all cargo messages with the international forwarders connected to the GLN network. Etihad cited the market penetration and rapid deployment of electronic messaging, to a large number of their international customers currently available thru the GLN, as the major reasons for selecting Descartes.
• Israir - When Israir of Israel recently opened a new route from Tel Aviv to JFK Airport in New York, they had to prepare for mandatory filing with CBP in compliance with the AMS rules. This service was delivered to Israir by the GLN’s desktop application PCPro and is operated by their General Handling Agent Open Sky.

• Asiana Airlines - Asiana Airlines, one of the largest Korean air carriers, recently joined the GLN for its ACI filings to Canadian Customs. All of the mandatory filing requirements to carry cargo into Canada under the Air ACI program, in place with the Canadian government, are now supported by the GLN Customs Compliance service.
• Continental Airlines - Continental Airlines, who has been a member of the GLN for over 10 years, recently renewed and extended their relationship with Descartes. They have recently expanded their GLN electronic messaging to include the required house bill details that allow Continental to meet the increasing customs compliance requirements that all participants of the supply chain must comply with.

The new additions, extended relationships and expanded services that Descartes is providing to the airlines mentioned above reflect the growth and expansion of Descartes’ GLN in the air transportation mode. We thank these customers for their continued support as Descartes continues to retain its role as the trusted provider for logistics solutions in the multimodal supply chain.

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