SHIPPING INDUSTRY TO OFFER INPUT INTO ACE DEVELOPMENT

SHIPPING INDUSTRY TO OFFER INPUT INTO ACE DEVELOPMENT    Shipping industry officials from around the country will meet in Crystal City, Va., May 14-16, to lend their input into the development of Customs’ future computer system, the Automated Commercial Environment.
   The Trade Support Network comprises about 70 executives. They include importers, exporters, carriers, customs brokers, freight forwarders, software firms, attorneys, consultants, and trade associations.
   The TSN group is broken down into committees covering account management, revenue, intermodal manifest, trade interface systems, business applications technology, International Trade Data System, and the Entry Revision Project. Customs officials will participate in each of the committees.
   The IBM Global Logistics-led ACE contract team is also expected to meet with industry officials at the TSN meeting.
   “Customs and the industry need to collaborate to engineer a system that meets the new way of doing business,” said Steven R. Graham, vice president of Miami-based Micro Software Services, who will participate on the TSN’s intermodal manifest subcommittee. Graham’s firm has many years of experience in developing software interfaces to accommodate various Customs’ systems modules, such as the Automated Broker Interface, Air Automated Manifest System and QP electronic in-bond.