KWTC News :

KWTC to offer overview of "lean" thinking

The Kentucky World Trade Center is partnering with the Institute for Lean Systems to bring companies a four-hour overview of lean thinking and how it can benefit organizations and businesses, especially during this poor global economy.

Lean training is aimed towards attaining the shortest cycle time by eliminating waste.  This seminar will help you identify all the steps in the value stream for each product family, eliminating every step and every action and every practice that does not create value. s these steps lead to greater transparency, enabling managers and teams to eliminate further waste, pursue perfection through continuous improvement.

The program, entitled "Thinking Lean in a Challenging Economy," will feature executives who are leading their companies through total lean transformations using different overall strategies to cut costs and streamline overall operations.  The program also include an open question and answer session to clearly answer any questions you may have about deploying lean as a competitive strategy for your company, whether you are a manufacturer, distributor, or other service provider.

After the program, attendees are invited to participate in an optional tour of the Toyota facility.

Cultural tips for global business: India

This post is the first in a series we'll be providing on business and cultural etiquette.

General:

• It is considered rude to point directly at someone.
• Never touch people with your shoes or feet, and apologize immediately if it happens accidentally.

Greetings:

• Indians greet each other (and say good-bye) with the 'Namaste,' which is formed by pressing the palms together (fingers up) below the chin and nodding the head.
• When entering a meeting room you must always approach and greet the most senior figure first.

Business meetings:

• Bring plenty of business cards; you will be handing them out frequently, and not having enough is considered rude.
• If your business dealings in India involve negotiations, always bear in mind that they can be slow. If trust has not yet been established then concentrate efforts on building a rapport.

Click here to read more

International Trade News :

Lacey Act declaration enforcement delayed, filing procedures clarified
The Department of Agriculture has issued a notice updating the trade community on the implementation of the import declaration requirement under the Lacey Act amendments. More...

Paraguay could be added to Andean Trade preference program
Legislation introduced in both the House and Senate April 1 would add Paraguay as a beneficiary under the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act. More...

State Dept. to introduce improved defense export system on April 16
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls has announced that it will be introducing its improved internal case management system, DTrade2, on April 16. More...

Obama seeks South Korea trade pact
Meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 economic crisis in London, President Barack Obama told South Korean President Lee Myung-bak on Thursday that he wants to make progress in completing the long-delayed U.S.-South Korea free-trade agreement, a U.S. official told Reuters. More...

Canada and U.S. to renew joint clearance talks
The U.S. and Canada will take another look at stationing customs officers in each other’s country to clear goods before they arrive at the border. More...

Japan to unveil $99 Bin new stimulus
Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso has ordered more than 10 trillion yen ($99 billion) to stimulate the world's second-largest economy from its deepest recession since World War II. More...

2009 trade agenda: free trade agreements and preference programs
This article is the second in a three-part series on what are likely to be the major trade issues of 2009, based on recent comments by administration officials and key lawmakers. It focuses on pending and future free trade agreements as well as unilateral trade preference programs. More...

U.S. imposes tariffs on certain Canadian softwood lumber
United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk today announced that the United States is imposing 10 percent ad valorem customs duties on imports of softwood lumber products from four Canadian provinces (Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan).  More...

Update on Free Trade Agreement negotiations
Following is an update on efforts to conclude new free trade agreements around the world. More...

Did you know?
KWTC members have access to a full database of trade leads, available at wtca.org. For questions, contact marie.davis@kwtc.org.

Featured Events :

Save the date!

Doing Business with Canada and Mexico

part of the
Global Business Connections series

Tuesday, May 12
12:00-1:30pm

Stites & Harbison
Aegon Tower, 20th Floor
400 West Market Street
Louisville, KY 40202

$10 KWTC members
$20 nonmembers
(lunch provided)

2009 Basic Export Compliance Seminar

Presented by
Expeditors International

Instructor:
John McCarthy

Wednesday, May 20
9:00am-4:00pm

Expeditors International
4800 Crittenden Drive
Louisville, KY 40209

$150.00 per person (includes continental breakfast and lunch)

Click here to view flyer
and registration info

Check out our
Calendar of Events!

Member News :

Keeneland enhances multiple elements of community experience

Given the existence of such an innovative, progressive, and continually evolving institution as Keeneland, it is obvious that there are significant impacts on various systems within the community that Keeneland has served for the last 73 years. The three most clear-cut, however, are the region's social, entertainment, and economic systems.

Read more...

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Trade Corner :

2009 Tariff Schedule available

The U.S. International Trade Commission USITC) has published the 2009 Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States Annotated (HTSA: www.usitc.gov/tata/hts). The new schedule became effective January 1.
Trade pros can access the HTSA either by chapter or as the full edition in PDF format. The HTSA provides the applicable tariff rates and statistical categories for all merchandise imported into the United States. USITC will update the tariff schedule with supplements throughout the year as needed.

ITC debuts online tariff classification tool

The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has launched the HTS Online Reference Tool, available online for preview viewing at http://hts.usitc.gov.

The tool, which enables users to jump from an item to the related Chapter 99 item showing temporary and seasonal rates when needed, also directly links to the Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS: http://rulings.cbp.gov) at the 10-digit level so users get access to trade data on the item. The HTS Online Reference Tool also allows searches, including by CAS numbers, and features a thesaurus that allows searches by terms for products.

Greater China business web site

China, which just overtook Germany to become the world’s third-largest economy, after the United States and Japan, is still growing at about 8 percent even as the world economy plunges (and its own exports suffer).

The Greater China Business site is a section of the Asia Times Online site and is a rich resource for trade pros researching every aspect of doing global business in this colossal market.

CPSC rule on certificates of compliance published

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a final rule in the Federal Register that limits the parties who must certify compliance under Section 14(a) of the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA), as amended by Section 102(a) of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA).

Parties that must certify compliance are: the U.S. importer and, in the case of domestically produced products, the U.S. manufacturer.

For further details, visit http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/
E8-27356.pdf. The rule also specifies requirements regarding electronic certificates, certificates for children’s products, and third-party testing requirements.

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