New customs tariffs: a. hartrodt USA has the big picture
Existing customers with increased consulting demand reliably benefit from individual solutions.
"Tariff shock wave", "trade war" – such headlines are currently unsettling import customers of a. hartrodt USA. "We get a lot of product-specific questions about tariffs and current changes," reports Soeren Thode, President/CEO of a. hartrodt USA in New York. As a wholly owned subsidiary of the national company, Charles Happel Inc. is responsible for this topic. The team of ten experts includes two licensed customs brokers. "Our corporate broker is in direct contact with the responsible authority, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)," says Soeren Thode. Wherever possible, a. hartrodt tries to process all customer questions on the same day.
Advice: Request binding tariff information
Soeren Thode attributes the uncertainty to the fact that several customs tariff segments are affected and that it is not just a matter of reciprocal measures. In this confusing situation, he advises customers to request binding tariff information from CBP: "Photos, technical descriptions and information on use are important for classification." This can be done by a. hartrodt in order to "guarantee customers planning security".
a. hartrodt considers alternative approachesÂ
Often, a. hartrodt USA considers "alternative approaches" because fallback options are in demand. "Consulting is becoming increasingly important," says the President/CEO. Among other things, this applies to goods that are already in transit on the vessel: "Then it can make sense to send shipments back or elsewhere." Another option he mentions is the bonded warehouse, where no duties are incurred for the duration of storage. Soeren Thode has observed that customers are "increasingly shipping products" since the USA suspended country-specific, reciprocal customs tariffs for 90 days, with the exception of China. According to him, this mostly affects bulk goods such as animal feed or screws.
He encourages existing customers to "contact us at any time". The a. hartrodt USA team constantly receives updates from customs, information from law firms or webinars: "We have expertise, including for Food & Beverage, and we are happy to provide information."