Customs and International Trade - Our Global Approach - Ernst & Young - United States

Our Customs and International Trade approach is global. We’ve taken our leading strength and depth in regional markets and harnessed it worldwide to harvest our best ideas, develop innovative services, and deploy our best people wherever our clients need them.

Why does this work so well? The rationale is compelling: the rules and regulations around the world that govern international trade come from the same authorities, such as the World Trade Organization, and from the same multinational treaties and conventions. This means that our insights and strategies have the potential, with the right adaptations, to work anywhere.

With a presence in 137 countries and over 250 dedicated Customs and International Trade professionals, we believe that our organization of member firms comprises the largest and most experienced customs practice in the world. Our multidisciplinary team includes attorneys, CPAs, MBAs, former customs officials, customs brokers and other industry specialists from all regions of the world who combine to provide total business solutions for the effective import and export of products.

Success stories

Utilizing special trade programs
While pharmaceutical products are duty free in most of the developed world, some of the components used to make pharmaceutical products are dutiable. A major pharma company engaged the Ernst & Young Customs and International Trade team to look at its duty exposures throughout the supply chain. Ernst & Young identified significant opportunities in both the European Union and the United States, and helped the company implement Processing under Customs Control in the EU and Foreign Trade Zone procedures in the US. The company realized substantial net savings in the first year.

Global processes and procedures
Experiencing product delays and potential compliance violations in several countries, a major oil field service company turned to us to establish uniform, compliant processes and procedures in 72 countries. Our team assembled information and interviewed import personnel in each location, assessed issues and risk, and helped the company standardize global procedures with specialized local content for each of the 72 countries. We then conducted global training on the revised procedures, including a “train the trainer” program so that continuing education could be conducted internally.

Valuation planning
The increasing use of contract manufacturers for apparel production has provided a clear view of the value that a strong brand can add to products. We assisted an apparel company with sales in over 30 countries to restructure its brand licensing so as to exclude licensing fees from duty, enhancing operating margins by over 5%.